I one time had a friend ask my why I wrote about such dark and sinister things. Even in my non-fiction writing, I tend to lean towards the dark. I write about murders and mayhem and things like that. He then asked, “Bryan, why can’t you write about happy things like bunnies and puppies and flowers?”
That’s a good question. I mean, I have a niece and a nephew. They are both under the age of 5 at the time of this writing. I should be at least a little bit inspired to write something happy and positive for them, at the very least. Except that that’s the problem. I am a writer who has to write where the story takes me and I write about the things that interest me.
The fact, is, and I told my friend this, I would only be interested in writing about those things he mentioned if the bunnies and puppies were rabid and the flowers were poisonous. I know, maybe that makes me weird, but the fact is the macabre and the strange are what interest me. I could probably write a love story, if I truly set my heart to it, but at some point the two lovers are likely to pull out knives and try to start killing each other.
Yes, the fact is, the world is a dark place when I start looking for stories. However, this does not make me a dark and morose person. Well, to be clear, there was a time in my life when I was definitely a dark and morose person, but I am not anymore. I tend to get my dark and morose feelings out in my writing. I hope that makes me a more positive person in the real world.
When I look at an old telephone, such as the photos and things I have posted here, I don’t just admire the colors or the craftsmanship. Instead, I wonder what mysterious things could be on the other end, even if the other end isn’t connected to anything. So, I come up with a story about a haunted phone.
I like to read stories that go into dark places. I am quite sure I am on some FBI watch list because I like to read true crime books. That fostered my desire to write them, as well, and Schiffer Publishing and History Press helped that dream come true.
When I was a kid I watched the TV shows where people shot each other. My parents watched cop shows and I stayed up and watched with them. Did I understand it all? No, probably not, but I was fascinated. When I got older, and I wanted to watch horror videos, I wanted to watch the ones with a high body count. I remember being disappointed that Psycho only had two people shown being killed during the actual movie.
These days that would probably get me an appointment with a therapist. Anyone who is interested in that kind of thing without wanting to actually commit those acts is still crazy. People like the idea of squashing creativity.
It’s a strange thing to be the guy who writes about the boogelie things. I kind of like the idea of eventually being the “weird” couple (I am including my fiance in this) who has the cool decorations and dresses up in strange outfits for Halloween. I look forward to the day when people say that the house I live in is the one with the strange writer guy in it who writes about creepy and scary things.
And, in my mind, you had better watch out for the flowers.
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| From August 30, 2011 |