Comments on: Write about What You Fear

By: blakecharlton

blakecharlton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:58:19 +0000

huh. that’s a good one. somehow managed to get through this whole rigmarole without that pearl. i’ll be sure to keep it close.

By: Tyson

Tyson — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:27:37 +0000

Thanks, Blake. I’ve heard “Go where the pleasure is, go where the pain is” many times from authors. But they way you describe it is more useful and clicked for me.

By: blakecharlton

blakecharlton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:34:28 +0000

oh, no, stay on your soapbox. that’s a great take on my crackpot theory. i should have also stated that i’m clearly bias by coming from the POV of someone writing epic fantasies, in which almost every scene must be saturated w/ sense of threat & a need to complete a quest. there are clearly other ways to skin the cat. and, actually, if your interested in a group of writers chatting away about such, you might want to check out the Magical Words comments

but maybe not the bottles of wine…well, not here at least. it’s only 10AM

By: Ali

Ali — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:49:31 +0000

While I agree that fear is an important tool for writing, I submit that (for me) it is only part of my own rule: write about your obsessions. Obviously we are all obsessed by things we fear–whether it is the thing in the storm drain (IT) or your Gatsby example–and these fears inform our lives and our writing. [I still hate storm drains...damn book.] But we can be obsessed with more than what we fear or love–we develop obsessions for colors, images, objects, religion, people, ideas, body parts…etc.

Although as a poet I would say it simpler to focus solely on the object of obsession, I don’t think it should be ignored in fiction or any other creative medium. The obsessions in longer works can be disguised or transformed as they loop through the piece. They can be sneaky in the background of the writing not unlike the way they operate in the writer’s life or laid open for all to see. But for the reader, it adds dimension to the story.

Ok. I’m hopping off my little soapbox now. This conversation might require a group of opinionated writers and several bottles of wine followed by a few pots of coffee across a very long night…

By: blakecharlton

blakecharlton — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:43:05 +0000

Thank you, Ms. May. Have at it, for serious.

By: Harley May

Harley May — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:58:58 +0000

Great post. I’m stealing “for serious.” Just so you know. As you were, Mr. Charlton