reading mode

I've been doing a bunch of reading of late.  It's what I do when I get writer's block.  I grab a bunch of good books, and I swear that GOOD WRITING inspires me to write.  It opens up the block in my head.  Unfortunately, it sometimes fills me with murderous rage as in "why the hell can't I write like that?" 

Recently, I've devoured Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone, Jennifer Lauck's memoirs -- Blackbird and Still Waters, and a very disturbing memoir called Sickened by Julie Gregory.

I like to read a lot of memoirs because they help me with character development. They help me go outside my own limited experiences and imagine a different experience or reality.  But memoirs in general are very depressing.  Both Jennifer Lauck and Julie Gregory document horribly traumatic childhoods.  How they survived what they endured is beyond me.

Some people would ask me why I read these stories if they upset me so much.  I sometimes ask myself the same thing.  All I can say is that as a filmmaker and writer, I am very interested in the human experience.  I am a believer that sharing these experiences is part of a healing process.  Life can be ugly, but I am continuously amazed by those who find beauty among such ugliness.  And I guess that's what keeps me reading along.

Comments

[Jennifer]

I'm addicted to stories of the human experience, too. My favorite books reads like a Who's Who of tragedy. I'm drawn to the broken souls, to the horrific experience, to the unfathomable depths of emotion. But usually the ones that grab my heart and never let go examine some sort of journey to triumph. Over all of it.

I can't explain it, either. All I know is these stories inspire me beyond my own boundaries.