Jacques Carrié
Looking around me and seeing the terrible things people do to each other for selfish gains, greed, power, fame, jealousy, hate, and a bunch of other undignified reasons. Things may click while reading a book, watching a movie or TV show, chatting, working, walking, jogging or practicing a sport or hobby, observing your relatives or friends or foes, visiting wealthy neighborhoods or poverty-stricken areas, and so on.
You can’t miss it—it hits you in the heart or mind: social injustice, police brutality, human absurdities. For my stories, I look for contrasts and favor the anti-heroes, downtrodden people, outcasts with bizarre personalities, unusual social events, Mother Nature, impossible situations, complex journeys, controversy.
My inspiration to write usually happens in my car. That’s where all my novels and short stories originate. Even my essays.
I love driving and drive a lot. California is ideal for that—the beautiful sea coast, the breathtaking mountains, the challenging freeways and awesome back roads.
I think a lot, too, when I’m driving. At any moment, something pops up in my head, usually a simple dialogue between two or more persons…revealing something bad in our government, society, church, school, police force, home, you name it, that needs fixing…or at least addressing to the masses in a big way.
Most likely it’s a social issue…human rights, injustice, inequality, unfairness…racial discrimination, crime, corruption, child abuse, drug addiction, prostitution, human trafficking, elderly neglect, domestic violence…indifference, hypocrisy, bigotry, bullying, etc. Political issues also pop up. So do economic and arm race issues. Somehow this mental dialogue in my head holds the key to solving the problem or starting the process of solving it.
Whatever, I immediately slow down the car, pull off the road (if on the countryside), wait for a traffic red light to stop or look for a place to park (if in the city)…and jot down a few notes, which I might continue expanding during my driving (more stops and quick notes) or later on another driving occasion. This is usually very intense and exciting. I, of course, always carry two or more pens and notebooks. Sometimes I’m in the car, parked somewhere, engine off or idling…waiting for someone (my wife, daughter, or a friend). That’s terrific! It gives me an opportunity to beef up my story-in-progress or work on a nagging part of an already developed or almost finished story. If lucky, it will help me nail my difficult or stubborn spot in the story. I’m always looking for those exquisite driving moments!
Eventually, I’ll transfer those bits and pieces of literature to my PC and expand even further, dealing with whatever story structure I’ve chosen and ongoing plots. I’m talking about the first draft. Other drafts will follow. It’s a long, complex process, especially if I’m challenging myself with multiple layers of narration and plots and subplots and a minefield of symbols…like I chose to do in Octiblast, Octispin, and Octifate (Book 1, 2, and 3 of The Octidamned Trilogy).
Between the car experience and my PC there’s a special journey, which can be very short or very long (and dramatically exhaustive).
Octiblast’s special journey, for example, covered countless hours spent this past decade at McDonald’s booths and tables in countless places across greater Los Angeles and nearby towns…as far as Paso Robles and San Louis Obispo (going north along the coast) and Escondido and Oceanside (going south), all populated with my in-laws, friends, teachers, coaches, and business contacts…sharing my napkin-written thoughts with veggie salads, coffee refills, and drifting faces…while waiting for my young daughter’s return from her usual social school events, shopping rendezvous, tournament tennis matches, birthday parties, or film auditions. Here, in this fertile broad-based writing zone, the raw Octiblast manuscript grew to the point where it needed a permanent home. Such place was my PC.
Properly housed, finally, Octiblast expanded further into what it turned out to be, for better or worse--the daringly provocative product of my imagination.
Please check out my June 22, 2013 groundbreaking interview on Clancy Tucker’s Blog (www.clancytucker.blogspot.com.au/2013...) – Australia’s finest – where most of the stuff written here and a hell lot more first appeared.
You can’t miss it—it hits you in the heart or mind: social injustice, police brutality, human absurdities. For my stories, I look for contrasts and favor the anti-heroes, downtrodden people, outcasts with bizarre personalities, unusual social events, Mother Nature, impossible situations, complex journeys, controversy.
My inspiration to write usually happens in my car. That’s where all my novels and short stories originate. Even my essays.
I love driving and drive a lot. California is ideal for that—the beautiful sea coast, the breathtaking mountains, the challenging freeways and awesome back roads.
I think a lot, too, when I’m driving. At any moment, something pops up in my head, usually a simple dialogue between two or more persons…revealing something bad in our government, society, church, school, police force, home, you name it, that needs fixing…or at least addressing to the masses in a big way.
Most likely it’s a social issue…human rights, injustice, inequality, unfairness…racial discrimination, crime, corruption, child abuse, drug addiction, prostitution, human trafficking, elderly neglect, domestic violence…indifference, hypocrisy, bigotry, bullying, etc. Political issues also pop up. So do economic and arm race issues. Somehow this mental dialogue in my head holds the key to solving the problem or starting the process of solving it.
Whatever, I immediately slow down the car, pull off the road (if on the countryside), wait for a traffic red light to stop or look for a place to park (if in the city)…and jot down a few notes, which I might continue expanding during my driving (more stops and quick notes) or later on another driving occasion. This is usually very intense and exciting. I, of course, always carry two or more pens and notebooks. Sometimes I’m in the car, parked somewhere, engine off or idling…waiting for someone (my wife, daughter, or a friend). That’s terrific! It gives me an opportunity to beef up my story-in-progress or work on a nagging part of an already developed or almost finished story. If lucky, it will help me nail my difficult or stubborn spot in the story. I’m always looking for those exquisite driving moments!
Eventually, I’ll transfer those bits and pieces of literature to my PC and expand even further, dealing with whatever story structure I’ve chosen and ongoing plots. I’m talking about the first draft. Other drafts will follow. It’s a long, complex process, especially if I’m challenging myself with multiple layers of narration and plots and subplots and a minefield of symbols…like I chose to do in Octiblast, Octispin, and Octifate (Book 1, 2, and 3 of The Octidamned Trilogy).
Between the car experience and my PC there’s a special journey, which can be very short or very long (and dramatically exhaustive).
Octiblast’s special journey, for example, covered countless hours spent this past decade at McDonald’s booths and tables in countless places across greater Los Angeles and nearby towns…as far as Paso Robles and San Louis Obispo (going north along the coast) and Escondido and Oceanside (going south), all populated with my in-laws, friends, teachers, coaches, and business contacts…sharing my napkin-written thoughts with veggie salads, coffee refills, and drifting faces…while waiting for my young daughter’s return from her usual social school events, shopping rendezvous, tournament tennis matches, birthday parties, or film auditions. Here, in this fertile broad-based writing zone, the raw Octiblast manuscript grew to the point where it needed a permanent home. Such place was my PC.
Properly housed, finally, Octiblast expanded further into what it turned out to be, for better or worse--the daringly provocative product of my imagination.
Please check out my June 22, 2013 groundbreaking interview on Clancy Tucker’s Blog (www.clancytucker.blogspot.com.au/2013...) – Australia’s finest – where most of the stuff written here and a hell lot more first appeared.
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