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Position:Home>Books & Authors> Are cigarettes and alcohol and maybe a few illicit drugs important tools for anQuestion: Are cigarettes and alcohol and maybe a few illicit drugs important tools for an author!? I've heard that many famous authors like their drink and the odd drug or 5, are these vital for helping their creative juices to flow!? Do you think they could still write as well if they were completely sober!? Or would they be more susceptible to writers block!?
I think people like H!.S Thompson (one of my favourites) wouldn't be half the author he was without them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Well, I dont think that all you need to become a good author is a bottle of vodka, couple of cigs and lets say, couple pills of ecs!. If you have no talent, it wont work!. I know there are many MANY authors who wrote masterpieces being absolutely sober!. On the other hand, there are also many that find it helpful to get high before writing!. Not all drugs get you dopey, as the answerer before me said!. Some just!.!. free you!. Im still not sure how much help it provides to writing!. But I am positive that after-drug nostalgic-euphoric-depressive kind of feeling could really help [no, its not like hangover]!. At the same time, I know a couple of very talented writers that are junkies!. 3/4 of what they write are about drugs, druggies and similar!. I dont say here that drugs are good, but I agree to this idea: "See, I think drugs have done some good things for us, I really do, and if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor!. Go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes, and all your CDs and burn 'em!. Cause you know what!? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years!? Rrrrreal ******' high on drugs!."Www@QuestionHome@Com It's true a lot of creative people have been known to use drugs and alchohol!. But just as many or more have not relied on these things to be successful!. There's really two components to the writing process: the creative side, and the technical side!. The technical side is the writing itself, and the many MANY rewrites it takes to work a piece into its final form!. It's a technique, it takes time and effort, and if you're stoned or high, it's going to be hard if not impossible to focus on doing the work you need to do to get it done!. But what about the creative process!? Do drugs and alchohol help this!? The only advantagethey might give is a 'loosening' of the inhibitions!.!.!. however, you don't NEED booze or drugs to do that!. In fact, good writers learn to explore their ideas on their own, without the crutch of artificial aids!. If you can only get good ideas when you're high, what does that say about your ability as a writer!? And honestly, while Hunter Thompson did get high a lot, a lot of what was reflected in his writing was an exaggeration of himself and his character in the service of what he was writing!. Your consciousness must be clear and your focus must be sharp to be a writer!. For all the romanticism of drugs and alchohol in the writer's life, writing like any other job is a craft that requires discipline and focus!. For every Hunter Thompson, there's dozens of others who didn't have to depend on damaging and risky chemicals to write well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com It's probably down to how serious a person is about writing!. Is it fun stuff they do, or do they want to be competitive in a market that's the most competitive of all!. A number of PUBLISHED authors are my friends, and I'm in contact with several more over the internet!. None use drugs, only a couple smoke, several take a social drink - BUT not whilst they're writing!. I think you may have formed the idea from a caricature image on TV or films!. The reality is, writing is a serious and demanding job!. Artificial 'stimulants' actually suppress true creativity!. You'll find authors are too realistic to get caught up in that scene!. They may 'write' about such stuff, may investigate it, but don't get caught up in it!. Anthony James Barnett - authorWww@QuestionHome@Com No!. Not at all!. That's one of those stereotypes of tragic authors that people think are cool because that's what Hollywood glommed onto!. Here, need an author character!? Make him a drunk, like Hemingway! It's actually quite ridiculous!. For a far better example of how stupid this idea is, read Stephen King's ON WRITING!. He was so high when he wrote Cujo that he doesn't even remember doing it!. And he thinks it's crap!. He's clean and sober now and writing much better for it!. Writers work for a living!. How effective are you when you show up for your job drunk and stoned!?Www@QuestionHome@Com I would not say that all authors needed drink and cigarettes to help them to write!. Jane Austen seems to have managed all right without them for instance!. however, perhaps some writers did do better with the odd infusion of alcahol or tobacco!. i doubt that drugs have ever helped anyone to write though, drugs just make you dopey!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Every author is different!. Some might not have written so well but some could have done better if they weren't on them!. And I know of a few amazing authors that, as far as I know, didn't/don't use them!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |