It was an interesting article. I love the way a story comes through. As if they're transmitted from another dimension, sometimes. Like you're some kind of oracle or something. A seer or magician. A lot about stories seems like magic to me. When I was a kid, I didn't learn to read till late (dyslexic in the old days) and when I did, it was slow, painful. Couldn't write properly till I was 40. Didn't know punctuation or paragraphs. Only learnt so I could write stories. But as a boy, the whole thing was mystical. Symbols that put images in people's minds. And I couldn't see them. But that's what it is really, a kind of magic. Symbols making pictures in the mind. A magic of transferring images and ideas. And it seems to be a kind of magic how the ideas come into my mind. As though they come in on a beam from another reality. I was in awe of books as a kid. A magic I didn't understand. But I knew they had an importance to me. Knowledge. When I learnt to read and eventually write, it was like learning a magic system. I often use dreams and hallucinatory delirium in my stories. Visions.
I'm very interested in how the visions come. As well as schizoid delirium/psychosis, I have a strange relationship with dreams. I slip into dreams straight away when I sleep. It's rare apparently. Most have to go into REM. But I go straight in. And I do it in the day too, while awake. In and out, seamless. One moment I'm here, then somewhere else, then back again. And I often remember dreams as real memories. I get muddled up with reality. So I think they actually happened. A bit like my hallucinations that seem real to me. Even when they're weird they present as reality. So when I realise they ain't it's disorienting, confusing. I get imagery these ways (dreams or hallucinations) and I use it stories.
Do you like Alan Moore, Rob? If not, I'd recommend as well as his comics and novels, any of his interviews of his you can find on line, as he's big into the idea of art being magic and vice versa (in fact I'm writing something now about Tarot and the writer as conduit). Also I'd recommend Ursula Le Guin's Word for World is Forest, all about dreams and the subconscious and what happens when we neglect or disregard them
Thanks, I'm not familiar with Alan Moore or Ursula Le Guin. I've got one of More's books, I think, but I ain't read it yet. Bit of a big'n. Can't remember which one. I'll have to have a look. I'm looking forward to reading your article about the writer as conduit. It's something I always felt and recently discovered others have this view too. Bit slow on finding out as I'm a late reader. I knew Burroughs used chaos magic for writing. That was a funny coincidence for me to discover too. I used visualisation, adopting pop imagery and old witch doctor magic I'd read about and combined it to overcome schizophrenia and addiction in my early 20s. Had always tried to convert my illness into magic powers from a young age. I later discovered what I'd invented was similar to chaos magic and CBT. As I already said, it had also been a big part of my creative ideas and inspiration. Cheers for the tips on Le Guin and Moore and I look forward to yours too.
Haha, that was good. I enjoyed that. Maybe the note was inspired by a 'seedy' idea?
i thought i'd gotten rid of my seedy CDs
It was an interesting article. I love the way a story comes through. As if they're transmitted from another dimension, sometimes. Like you're some kind of oracle or something. A seer or magician. A lot about stories seems like magic to me. When I was a kid, I didn't learn to read till late (dyslexic in the old days) and when I did, it was slow, painful. Couldn't write properly till I was 40. Didn't know punctuation or paragraphs. Only learnt so I could write stories. But as a boy, the whole thing was mystical. Symbols that put images in people's minds. And I couldn't see them. But that's what it is really, a kind of magic. Symbols making pictures in the mind. A magic of transferring images and ideas. And it seems to be a kind of magic how the ideas come into my mind. As though they come in on a beam from another reality. I was in awe of books as a kid. A magic I didn't understand. But I knew they had an importance to me. Knowledge. When I learnt to read and eventually write, it was like learning a magic system. I often use dreams and hallucinatory delirium in my stories. Visions.
I'm very interested in how the visions come. As well as schizoid delirium/psychosis, I have a strange relationship with dreams. I slip into dreams straight away when I sleep. It's rare apparently. Most have to go into REM. But I go straight in. And I do it in the day too, while awake. In and out, seamless. One moment I'm here, then somewhere else, then back again. And I often remember dreams as real memories. I get muddled up with reality. So I think they actually happened. A bit like my hallucinations that seem real to me. Even when they're weird they present as reality. So when I realise they ain't it's disorienting, confusing. I get imagery these ways (dreams or hallucinations) and I use it stories.
Do you like Alan Moore, Rob? If not, I'd recommend as well as his comics and novels, any of his interviews of his you can find on line, as he's big into the idea of art being magic and vice versa (in fact I'm writing something now about Tarot and the writer as conduit). Also I'd recommend Ursula Le Guin's Word for World is Forest, all about dreams and the subconscious and what happens when we neglect or disregard them
Thanks, I'm not familiar with Alan Moore or Ursula Le Guin. I've got one of More's books, I think, but I ain't read it yet. Bit of a big'n. Can't remember which one. I'll have to have a look. I'm looking forward to reading your article about the writer as conduit. It's something I always felt and recently discovered others have this view too. Bit slow on finding out as I'm a late reader. I knew Burroughs used chaos magic for writing. That was a funny coincidence for me to discover too. I used visualisation, adopting pop imagery and old witch doctor magic I'd read about and combined it to overcome schizophrenia and addiction in my early 20s. Had always tried to convert my illness into magic powers from a young age. I later discovered what I'd invented was similar to chaos magic and CBT. As I already said, it had also been a big part of my creative ideas and inspiration. Cheers for the tips on Le Guin and Moore and I look forward to yours too.
This elicited some genuine lols while I was eating my lunchtime soup. I’m holding you responsible for the soup on my kitchen counter. Thanks.
I live to spill soup