Has the Well Dried Up?
By: Vickie Hollar
I am an avid fan of
the horror genre, but not the rip them apart, blood gushing, head lopping,
tearing body parts apart horrors. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, John Saul, are
just a few of the authors I admire and read any chance I get. Although, I have
been known to deviate to more mundane works such as the Harry Potter and
Stephanie Plum series, both are quite original. There are hundreds of talented
writer out in the world, but quite often I wonder what happened to the
originality, the spark, the creativeness.
Vampires,
werewolves, zombies, magicians, space wars, Freddy Krueger vs Jason... When an
idea hits the market and the eagerly awaiting public greats it with open arms,
a gluttony is soon to follow. Vampires have been a thriving industry since the
first vampire novel, “Der Vampir,” in 1748 and motion pictures capitalized upon
a budding cult in the early 1900s with such films as “The Vampire” and “Nosferatu,”
and resurrected again in 1933 with Bela Lugosi starting in “Dracula.” Vampires
have been on the earth, in space and on exotic planets. The vampire has been
horrific, sexy, male, female, adults and children. They have been cast as
serious, comedic and even portrayed as dogs. Hundreds of films and books have
been released since 1909 and I have no doubts that hundreds more will be
written and made into movies.
The werewolf's
literary origins first appeared in ~61AD and was capitalized upon by the movie
industry in 1913. Werewolves have been cultivated in the music industry by
musicians such as Desturbed's “The Animal,” and my personal favorite Warren
Zevon's “Werewolves in London,” just to name two. Werewolves have also been the
inspiration for poets. Even long standing British television series “Doctor
Who” enlisted the werewolf. If any industry could admit to a gluttony, it would
surely be the werewolf. The werewolf has been portrayed as a medieval aid to
the knights, a satanic beast, and even as a fun-loving fur ball in “Teen Wolf.”
In space, on land, in cities, in westerns, on moors and even as magical
shape-shifters, the werewolf is a mega-billion dollar industry that shows no
signs of slowing down.
For something a
little more modern, the flesh-eating, cloudy-eyed, stiff-walking zombie took
its roots from the 1818 novel “Frankenstein.” H.P. Lovecraft wrote several
novelettes which explored the facets of the undead. Where the name 'zombie'
originated is unclear, but the first large scale capitalized zombies came from
George A. Romero's “Night of the Living Dead.” Since then, and more so in the
late 20th century and early 21st century, the zombie has
been enlisted in about every media.
And let’s not forget
about the mass flood of new literature brewing from J.K. Rowling's “Harry
Potter” series. Do we as authors really have any original ideas left, or has
the well dried up?
Hundreds upon
thousands of new novels appear on shelves in the local book stores, and online
as a blossoming industry of the ebook; but, of all those new novels or short
stories, how many are truly original and not just a byproduct of someone else's
idea? Do we as authors have the ability to formulate a new spark of light, a
story unlike anything we have previously read? Stephen King said something
reminiscent too – it’s time to stop when repeating yourself comes into play. I
believe this is also true when it comes to repeating others’ works. Slightly
different plot, slightly different characters, same overall idea or concept.
How do authors break
the spiraling cycle? Stop watching television. Blow up the tube and start
getting creative. Stop capitalizing on authors in the genres you like. Write
about an interest not an obsession, unless it is in that obsession which sparks
an idea. Creativity is sparked by the imagination not sparked by reinventing
another's idea. Turn to yourself to find the originality.
Are you an obsessive
compulsive? Why not turn an idiosyncrasy into a character possessed to destroy
lives, create hope, and become a hero. Yes, the backsplash might be reminiscent
to another, but when was the last time you read about a character being an OCD
paranoid super hero? Look to one's past. Every writer has a past and a
personality. [That] is where the originality comes from. Every single person is
different. Each has lived a different life and it is those difference that can
spark genuine creativity. Look to the parents or grandparent. Do some research
and find out about their past: farmers, hobos, murderers, bankers. Listen to
the stories of their past. The haunted field where strange occurrences happen.
The love story that came about from a hobo and a preacher’s daughter. Every
good story has a bit of truth woven into it. Find that thread and weave a new
tale. It is the moments of the past where inspiration comes. Truth begets
fiction: fiction enhances truth.
As a young girl, Vickie had a strong interest in the mystery/horror and criminal genres. She watched with fascination Rod Serling's horror and macabre television series "Night Gallery" and "The Twilight Zone," and Jeff Rice's series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Other early television influences were "Kojak," "Cannon," "Get Smart," "The Avengers," and NBC's Mystery Movie night featuring "McCloud," "Columbo," and "McMillan and Wife." She acquired a taste for movie horror with Stephen King's 1979 television mini-series "Salem's Lot" and his 1980 film "The Shining," as well as Tom Holland's 1985 film "Fright Night."
In school, Vickie's love of horror stories led her back to Stephen King, who quickly became her favorite author. Between King novels, she picked up other horror genera writers such as Dean Koontz, John Saul, Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe (who could deny the dark fearfulness of "The Pit and the Pendulum" or the descent into madness in "The Raven?"), and Peter Straub.
Later in life, Vickie returned to education and attended CSU Chico where she met Dr. Jaime O'Neill, a professor of English. His passion for writing and command of the written language inspired her to sharpen her own writing skills. After drowning in a sea of red ink for many months, Vickie finally honed her craft and acquired a distinct voice in narrative fictional writing. Dr. O'Neill is still a part of her life, and he continues to inspire her to go beyond her best.
Vickie's Web Page: Vickie Hollar
Vickie on Twitter: @vhollar
Vickie's Latest Book: Dream Keeper Fatum Meum (on Amazon)
Follow Me: 
I couldn't agree with you more! I recently took my son to the young adult section in our library (yes, the place with real books!), and he said, "Mom, all the books are either about vampires, wizards, or girl stuff (read: teenage love and angst). There's nothing good to read!" It is painfully obvious that we need new ideas and concepts to grace the shelves of our libraries--online or old-school! Well said, Vickie.
ReplyDelete