April Posts - Day 17

The Book That Had an Impact on You

There are so many books that had an impact on me, I could spend all night listing them.

So, let’s take a look at one that influenced this - my writing.

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut. Short stories, all of them great. One about a man who can become any character - any character, as long as he had a script. Who Am I This Time? A piece of magic. But he also allowed stories to sit in their discomfort, in their unease, in the tense ideas that they might be something that could become a reality.

And that hit me. Not every story needs a happy ending. Or relief. Or even a hero.

Now, when you read the tragedies that I put together, a small part of you can thank Mr. Vonnegut for that.

What’s that? One more? For kicks?

Where the Sidewalk Ends & A Light in the Attic.

Shel showed me that anything - poems, stories, songs - funny, horrific, beautiful. They don’t have to make perfect sense to anyone. It can be easier to convey an emotion, or something that stirs deep in the brain or the gut or the soul.