Surfing for stories in the ethersphere
RUDY! Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 12:53AM "There's a material world, and there's an immaterial world. Both worlds exist, but in different ways..."
"But if your mind behaved like a place... I mean if every time anyone followed a trail of thought..."
"They'd be walking the path of immateria."
- Alan Moore, Promethea Book 1
This conversation comes from just one of the many books I am currently reading. "Promethea" is the story of a young woman named Sophie Bangs and her merging with Promethea, the living embodiment of imagination. The art is by one of the greatest living artists of our time, J.H. Williams. It is written Alan Moore.
I was thinking about this scene in particular in regards to writing. Stephen King is famous for constantly emphasizing the idea that stories aren't necessarily fabricated by the writer, more so they are plucked out of the ethersphere, with little control over what we see or why we see it. I agree with this notion a great deal.
Why do I write what I write? Where do my ideas come from?
No idea.
Oh sure, names and conversations I have end up in my books all the time. Places. Jokes. But the story? The characters, motivations and what drives them to make the decisions they do as they journey towards the end of their tale?
No idea.
Why does "Train Me, Gamble" star a giant, cowardly monster and a 10,000 year old fighter who doesn't look much older than a 6 year old boy? See above paragraph for the answer.
I often feel more like a channel for the story. Like there is a TV in my head that I turn on, surfing for stories in the ethersphere... Looking for what I am to document next. I take comfort and delight in the idea that the process of writing can feel as much a mystery to me as it may to an outside observer. There is a satisfaction I gain from walking down the path of immateria in my mind, seeing mysterious, beautiful, and ugly places in the universe of my imagination. Planest swirl. Characters bounce from one world to the next. Love is gained. Love is lost. Galaxies collide. Suns are born. Children laugh, men and women love. The good guys win. The bad guys sometimes do too. Defeat is dealt swiftly. Victories last forever on the final page...
Welcome back to Rudysolis.com. It's been a while. And yes, I missed you guys too. Stay tuned. I have lots of goodies coming up and I promise that the next time I leave you here, it will because we are hanging out somewhere together in person...
-RUDY!
You can purchase Promethea here. (I highly suggest you do.)
