I do love to eavesdrop. It's inspirational not only for subject matter but for actual dialogue the way people talk.
Melville brought to the task a sound knowledge of actual whaling much curious learning in the literature of the subject and above all an imagination which worked with great power upon the facts of his own experience.
Every day the eye is subject to a thousand tiny shocks as a thousand industries compete for the eye-kick the visual hook that will lock the consumer into product for that crucial second where the tiny - or not so tiny - leap of the imagination is made.
I had been a reporter for 15 years when I set out to write my first novel. I knew how to research an article or profile a subject - skills that I assumed would be useless when it came to fiction. It was from my imagination that the characters in my story would emerge.
Well the fact is that one imagination is critically important and if you have had your imagination stimulated by what is basically a variety of subjects you are much more amenable to accepting to understanding and interacting with the realities of the world.
I like something where I can really use my imagination and be an active participant in the construction of the monster and usually that's in the world of the supernatural or the world of the fantastic so that's why those kinds of stories about demons and the supernatural appeal to me or maybe I'm really interested in that subject.
With humor it's so subjective that trying to think of what the ideal reader would think would drive you crazy.
I am inclined to attach some importance to the new system of manufacturing and venture to throw it out with the hope of its receiving a full discussion among those who are most interestedin the subject.
Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.
It seems disingenuous to ask a writer why she or he is writing about a violent subject when the world and history are filled with violence.