There's always Stephen King.

At some unclear point in my early adulthood, I discovered Stephen King. This may seem to be a trivial point, but trust me, it's not. The discovery of King's work was like a revelation to me, and its importance in my life cannot be overstated.

The first, of course, was "Carrie." This was something so totally new and shocking, so innovative, it blew me away. It came at a time in my life when I was bored with myself, and unsure of how to find myself, as a person and a writer. I was a vessel, full of untapped ideas and undeveloped emotions. "Carrie" seemed to posses qualities that any female who had been through high school could relate to. Yet it was written by a man. I marveled at his ability to put himself directly in to his character's shoes, and to make it so believable, I thought I knew most of the characters personally. Hell, I knew them all! I went to high school with them! Who didn't? This feeling of truth in fiction was one of my greatest lessons for my future writing. "Write what you know" They say. Really,I have always thought, the statement should be, "start with what you know, then go anywhere."

As King's writing evolved, I was willingly led through some of the seediest aspects of human nature, by characters I was sure I remembered from times in my own life. From high school experiences, full of sex, jelousy, and wonder, to life as a homemaker,feeling the pain of "Delores Claiborne", the abused wife, as intensly as if she were my neighbour. "Rose Madder", I felt, had parts of me, and parts of most women I know.
King had an uncanny ability to describe hate and despair equally as well as love and beauty. He would often catch me off guard, when in the midst of a story most foul, he would suddenly expose an unexpected beauty and elegance to the character. Then I would think, "of course, they exist, side by side, in us all, don't they?" Another valuable lesson in human nature, which would prove to be very useful in writing.

Other books, too numerous to mention, had a strong impact on my writing, in particular, characters and settings.

"Needful Things", exposed at first the greed and stupidity of human nature, but ultimately, it's glory, joy, and triumph. The conclusion of the story left me with the sense that we, as humankind, could emerge victorious over even the most dire of circumstances. Writing stories, therefore, was not only acheivable, but was something that we were all capable of. There are stories in all of us, and we have all the complicated, contrasting, personality traits and knowledge to tell them, if we set our minds to it. This was an amazing realization to me, and I have done my best to use my vast reading and living experience to become the writer I aspire to be. I start with what I know, then go anywhere. I learned this from King. The possibilities are endless.

Take my advice, and at least make an attempt to tap into your creativity on some level, if not as a writer, then as an enthusiastic reader of other's stories. You won't regret it, for there will always be exciting new places to go. The stories of our own lives, and the lives of others, some real, some ficticious, are never far away. Don't despair, when life is hard, tedious, or just plain sucks, there is always Stephen King.