16358--Twilght of the Supergods

I have a large collection of comics.  Though I stopped collecting a few years ago, I've been a fan of the genre since I started reading.  I haven't been happy with every change the industry has seen, certainly not the decreasing page counts and word counts in this unique storytelling medium.  It saddens me as a writer.  The genre's fusion of words with pictures to tell complex tales has always been a major part of its appeal.  Great writers and great artists have both been important to the whole of the craft.

Of the many creators who have given of themselves through comic books, I've long touted Grant Morrison as one of the great writers of our time.  His new historical tome Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero is one more piece of evidence attesting to that.  If you still doubt it, just ask Mr. Morrison.  Or just read Supergods, he tells you in there what a great writer he is.  My purpose here isn't to review the book.  I haven't gotten into the habit of doing book reviews here, but I'm sure Supergods will receive plenty of the attention it deserves without my input.

Sadly, though, I've seen behind the curtain and learned things about the wizard I never wanted to know.  Naturally, I'm disillusioned.

I'll take a moment to be clear on a few facts: I don't know Grant Morrison, I don't presume to sit in judgement of Grant Morrison and I don't think he owes me anything.  Grant Morrison has contributed to the sum of entertaining moments in my Life, even managing to be impressive in doing so, and I appreciate that.

I'm hard on salespeople and I'm not easy to impress.  I still have vivid memories from the many years when my many readings included many comic books.  Some of the memories I have treasured included reading about "The Bone City of Orqwith", "The Cult of the Unwritten Book" and other gems that Morrison scattered to delighted readers.  These were moments of weird amidst a sea of conventional superhero action.  One of the things that made Morrison's odd offerings stand out for me as a writer was that they actually made me wonder how he thought of such offbeat things.  It's rare for anyone's work to make me wonder that.  Could I ever have thought of such bizarre material?

Unfortunately, among the rich historical recountings offered in Supergods was Grant Morrison explaining how he had made a habit of using powerful hallucinogenic drugs while producing his work.

That was it?  My admiration-inspired pondering actually had an answer other than "creative genius"?  Weak.  "This is Grant Morrison's brain.  This is Grant Morrison's brain on drugs."  I'm no sports fan, but I guess it's like finding out a star player's greatest moves were fueled by steroids.  If this sort of thing extends to Leonardo Da Vinci or Harlan Ellison or Nikola Tesla, please never tell me.

If Grant Morrison wants to use drugs, that's his business.  I wish he'd kept it that way, but I'm not likely to become amnesiac anytime soon.  Knowing takes the luster off some of his writing for me.  Now I know that I or maybe anyone else might well have come up with work just as off the wall if only we'd partaken of the same mushrooms.  The inspired weirdness loses its magic when you show how cheaply the trick was accomplished. 

Maybe part of the difference for me is that I'm a writer and there are elements of my own creative writings that people have asked me "How do you come up with this stuff?" and told me "I could never have thought of this."  I consider that to be high praise.  It's a huge validation to any work to take it out to the public and receive confirmation that it's like nothing else under the sun.  Finding that I can do that without sliding a few bucks to a drug dealer I wouldn't ask to collaborate, I guess produces some bias.  I know there are a lot of people who would argue that different drugs have helped produce art and music and writing for years, perhaps unlocking realms of the brain that their creators might never have accessed otherwise, and I still enjoy the work, but it still leaves me less impressed with the accomplishment.

So we may need to start doing urine testing before handing out "Creative Genius" labels.  How about hair follicle tests for award nominees?  Do you think it would have an impact on music and writing awards?

16357--Work Softer

What's he talking about this time?  Creative process, I suppose.  Creating something, whatever the medium, usually takes some considerable measure of time and effort.  Less frequently than most of us would like does the confluence of elements occur to push us from the beginning of producing a work through to its completion without stopping.  Honestly, if that sort of thing did happen more often, there'd be a lot more creative types noted for being isolated lunatics misunderstood by the rest of the world.


So writers work in bits at a time.  Sometimes we work in large bits and sometimes in small ones.  We plot and plan and ponder, squeezing blood and sweat onto the pages.  Some might say we even scheme.  OK, that was me.  I've noticed on many occasions that writers would make ideal criminal masterminds.  In fact, I heard that the federal government had started hiring writers to conceive terrorist plots so Homeland Security would have a better chance to be as prepared as possible against whatever may come at us.

Whether we're writing fiction or not, we find our processes.  We stare at notepads or computer screens or blank walls or out windows.  We think and feel and we write.  We think of images to describe, lines of dialogue that inspire  and we press onward toward the finish.  Of course, I've also heard that some writers dawdle, procrastinate, doodle and find all manner of other things to distract them from their work.  I'm not pointing any fingers.  I'm sure you know who you are.  You probably just need a break, a little time away from your official workspace.  So you go do some chores around the house or go out for some shopping or a movie, time with friends and family.  For some people, that's all that's needed to come back refreshed and ready to write more.  Some need time asleep, perchance even to dream, to really recharge the creative drive.

Some of us find we're almost never done with writing.  We might step away from the formal setting, but almost everywhere we go and whatever we do we find that some part of our brains are still working, churning ideas to the surface for us to scribble into our handy notepads.  We'll catch an overheard bit of random conversation, or spy a couple in heated discussion and reach for the notepad before we even realize we were doing it.  Then, while you think you're occupied with something else entirely, BOOM!  The innovative solution to sticky plot thread drops in your lap and brings a complex layer of nuance that you hadn't even realized was there all along!  And feel that adrenaline surge as you become aware that your busy subconscious is even more brilliant than you thought it was, plotting behind your back the whole time.  Good thing it's on your side.

Too often it isn't about pushing.  We push for a deadline.  We push through physical or mental weariness.  We push and push ourselves to work harder.  Yet why are we pushing?  We're pushing because there's resistance.  We push and create more resistance.  That can't be good.  We espouse the value of hard work, but also remind ourselves that working smarter is more effective than working harder.  So what can I tell you?  Don't force it.  Step away. Get a little distance.  Breathe.  Work softer.

Is there a method that works best for your own personal madness?  Does isolation and perserverance serve you better than taking a breather?  Is there something else that gets you where you're going?