Thursday, May 24, 2012

Obsession

I have a long history of obsession going back to childhood.  In fact, it's unusual for me not to be in the throes of one obsession or another.  Sometimes it's a book I'm obsessed with, or an actor, or musician, or film.  Sometimes it's even an idea.

At the moment my obsessions are all about the new book I'm writing.  The external things I'm obsessed with (a specific album by one incredible guitarist) are tied up with the story I'm writing, which I'm also very much obsessed by.  It's interesting, because the two things are feeding each other in a way I've never experienced before.

Perhaps this is why this particular book feels like it's writing itself.  All the stars are aligned right, at least for this first half of the book.  I'm a little afraid to dive into the second, because the things that obsess the characters in that part of the story are not things I want to become obsessed with.  Been there.  Done that. Got the scars to prove it.

But a little darkness never hurt anyone, right?  I have to plunge forward, allow things to get messy and dangerous for my young lovers.  It's all part of getting to that happy ending.  Or in this case, bittersweet ending.

Do you get obsessed by things while you're writing?  Do you fill your writing space with photographs and trinkets that represent your themes and characters?  Am I verging on insanity because I do?

2 comments:

  1. You're certainly not insane, obsession is just a strong form of passion and passion when writing can only ever be a good thing.

    It's so cool that things are coming together so well, and as for the darker stuff, use it as a chance to exorcise some of those scars of yours. I constantly use bad things from my life to fuel my writing and find it quite cathartic.

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  2. I do get passionate about my writing like you. I even went on a tour of downtown Los Angeles (even though I'm actually local) with friends so I can get a feel for where my story's set:)
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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