Same As It Ever Was

Recently I have benefitted from a very creative and lengthy burst of ideas and my writing has come out quite literally as a stream of consciousness. Prior to this I had been mulling around with various exercises via Bonni Goldberg’s Room to Write and Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones as my writing took a back seat to the unavoidable demands presented by work, life, the universe and everything. If I couldn’t concentrate on what I really wanted to write, I may as well continue strengthening my writing skills and habits with these standalone exercises that the two authors crafted. I highly recommend both. But I digress.

As I was stating, something had caused the chains of rigidity to fall away and let the creativity come spilling forth. But what was the root cause? Why had I been able to maintain this writing?

The randomness of what was going on in my life began to reveal patterns as I was driving into work this morning. I realized that recently I had engaged in a mix of familiar yet pleasing activities; comforting like an old faded pair of jeans.

Our first big vacation in 16 months had just recently ended, and it was a vacation consisting of more adventure and discovery than idle hedonistic pleasures (of which I normally encourage and participate in just as much as the next guy). Could this be it?

Well it was certainly part of it. I think any new and discovery filled experiences whet the appetite, at least for what writing I wish to draw upon. As my tweet buddy Christopher Gronlund recently posted, getting out and about is a top source for him in generating new ideas.  I tried to apply that to my vacation, and while there was little about Belize and Guatemala that I am directly applying to my current writing, there was plenty to inspire me elsewhere. Most of those ideas have already been scribbled on note cards and are filling in as back story quite nicely.

But another pattern revealed itself. Some of the few really good activities that developed into fond memories that I once associated with being a teenager and in my early twenties were becoming prominent once again. Not just as Glory Days, but taking place real time:

My driving iTunes play list has evolved of late to what I remember as being music I really liked that wasn’t of the heavy metal variety: such artists as Tom Petty, the Boss, Bob Segar, the Cars, ARS, David & David, REM, Alabama, Jon Anderson, Rolling Stones, etc.

I was also acting upon my annual spring desires and looking once again to get a motorcycle. I sold my last one during my junior year of college (Not at the age of 21 like traditional students; no this bike was with me in Europe when I was in the Air Force prior to going back to school.). That was in 1994. I have since ridden bikes many times, but never again owned one. This year, thanks to social media, I was chatting with friends who were having similar experiences. I had always longed for a bike every spring, but talked myself out of it as I admitted urban living in St Louis and New York City were less than ideal conditions due to those with whom I would be also be sharing the road. Suburban Dallas is probably worse, but I’m also now 43, and maybe that in and of itself kept pushing me. Last night I signed on the dotted line as they say and bought my first cruiser.

I recently discovered a High Fantasy series that is unlike any that I have ever read before. I don’t typically read much in this genre these days, but the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson is absolutely epic in its telling, and in doing so he dismisses many of the rules of what writers and experts claim is required. But these books have a distinct feel of the role playing element to them, and sure enough, the author writes that the story line was based upon his RPG experience using the GURPS system.

I on the other hand, was the first kid in my rural town of Cobden IL to succumb to the dark side of Gary Gygax and his little creation Dungeons & Dragons, Basic Edition. I was an avid reader of all the 70s to early 80s fantasy and science fiction at the time, and this concept of creating role playing worlds similar to what I was devouring hooked me from day one.  I was an RPG GM for most of my teen age years and can’t help but think that shaped me in some ways that will benefit me in my writing.

So these are some of the recent activities that decades ago gave me pleasure and now have once again come to the forefront not as just memories, but activities that I am happily engaging in anew. Are there any teenage interests that you once enjoyed and have picked back up again? Any of those defining experiences coming to the forefront again today to add to your inspiration?