Roger Angle
I don't really believe in inspiration. I believe in time and effort and intention. I think of writing as both a craft and an art.
Writing non-fiction is a craft. It's like building a table. You start out with a plan, some dimensions, a type of wood. You think about what you want it to look like. Then you use your saws and hammers, drills, nails, screws, sandpaper. You shape it and then you finish it. Non-fiction is like that. You write an essay, a news story, a news feature, a magazine feature, or a book. You know the rules, and you follow them, more or less.
Writing fiction, to me, is more of an art. You tap into something deep within yourself. You bring the characters to life. You create a world that you believe in, for the time being. I believe most writers write according to an idea they have of what a novel should be, or what kind of novel they want to write. This is not usually as restrictive as the plan you have for a piece of non-fiction. I guess that depends on lot on genre. Some generic categories do have pretty strict rules.
But once you get into the story, you just let it rip, or I do. I talk to my characters. I went to a neuro-linguistic programmer (NLP) years ago, and he taught me how to tap into my unconscious in this way. When I talk to my characters, I can picture them in the room with me, like a ghost you can see through in a movie. My bad guys scare the hell outta me. That is a good thing. I want them to scare the reader.
I find this process motivating. Maybe you could call that inspiration.
I've been thinking about my answer to this Q, and it seems incomplete. I guess I was first inspired by reading James Joyce in college. The writing was so compelling and so rich. It seemed better than real life. I guess I got permanently inspired then.
I also always liked good mysteries and thrillers. So I try to combine the two things, good writing and a thrilling story. I don't always succeed, of course. I don't know anybody who does. But it's a great goal to work toward.
Writing non-fiction is a craft. It's like building a table. You start out with a plan, some dimensions, a type of wood. You think about what you want it to look like. Then you use your saws and hammers, drills, nails, screws, sandpaper. You shape it and then you finish it. Non-fiction is like that. You write an essay, a news story, a news feature, a magazine feature, or a book. You know the rules, and you follow them, more or less.
Writing fiction, to me, is more of an art. You tap into something deep within yourself. You bring the characters to life. You create a world that you believe in, for the time being. I believe most writers write according to an idea they have of what a novel should be, or what kind of novel they want to write. This is not usually as restrictive as the plan you have for a piece of non-fiction. I guess that depends on lot on genre. Some generic categories do have pretty strict rules.
But once you get into the story, you just let it rip, or I do. I talk to my characters. I went to a neuro-linguistic programmer (NLP) years ago, and he taught me how to tap into my unconscious in this way. When I talk to my characters, I can picture them in the room with me, like a ghost you can see through in a movie. My bad guys scare the hell outta me. That is a good thing. I want them to scare the reader.
I find this process motivating. Maybe you could call that inspiration.
I've been thinking about my answer to this Q, and it seems incomplete. I guess I was first inspired by reading James Joyce in college. The writing was so compelling and so rich. It seemed better than real life. I guess I got permanently inspired then.
I also always liked good mysteries and thrillers. So I try to combine the two things, good writing and a thrilling story. I don't always succeed, of course. I don't know anybody who does. But it's a great goal to work toward.
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