Ask the Author: C.G. Jones
Answered Questions (3)
C.G. Jones
I have been asked more than once about where the idea for Project: Sleepless Dream came from. It is a good question, and it is a question I used to wonder from authors I respected.
But I have learned something.
It is virtually impossible to say where any ideas come from. For me, I just knew that I wanted Project: Sleepless Dream (PSD) to be a sufficiently complex novel that would have the density and force to pull readers to the very end.
The major influences for PSD that I can readily call to mind were Infinite Jest, House of Leaves, and George Saunders' early stuff. The process of gathering the tools necessary to write something complex and absurd took a lot of time. It took a lot of learning, endless frustration, and several times of telling myself that I was going to give up on the whole writing thing.
The pessimistic philosophers (ie Cioran, Zapffe, Schopenhauer, and Ligotti) turned out to be a steady sounding board for my discontent. And they still are. But I eventually learned that quality art is, a lot of the time, borne out of a mind that has descended into Nietzsche’s abyss. I learned that I had to be pulled down low in order to understand what was essential in finishing a novel. To use a Biblical word, I needed to learn the value of longsuffering.
To suffer long.
I had started what I thought would be my debut novel countless times over the years. None of them worked out because I had not yet been introduced to that intellectual, emotional, and existential abyss that all the pessimists allude to. Perhaps it is not required for everyone, but I can confidently say that it was required for me. And it is only now that I am less than a year away of having fleshed out draft of my second novel.
It is for these reasons that ideas do not have any one root. They have many.
Ideas, for me, are infinitely dense seeds planted by our innate affinities in the soil of our natural disposition, and watered and nurtured by our experiences as conscious creatures in the world.
Everything takes time. So let it.
But I have learned something.
It is virtually impossible to say where any ideas come from. For me, I just knew that I wanted Project: Sleepless Dream (PSD) to be a sufficiently complex novel that would have the density and force to pull readers to the very end.
The major influences for PSD that I can readily call to mind were Infinite Jest, House of Leaves, and George Saunders' early stuff. The process of gathering the tools necessary to write something complex and absurd took a lot of time. It took a lot of learning, endless frustration, and several times of telling myself that I was going to give up on the whole writing thing.
The pessimistic philosophers (ie Cioran, Zapffe, Schopenhauer, and Ligotti) turned out to be a steady sounding board for my discontent. And they still are. But I eventually learned that quality art is, a lot of the time, borne out of a mind that has descended into Nietzsche’s abyss. I learned that I had to be pulled down low in order to understand what was essential in finishing a novel. To use a Biblical word, I needed to learn the value of longsuffering.
To suffer long.
I had started what I thought would be my debut novel countless times over the years. None of them worked out because I had not yet been introduced to that intellectual, emotional, and existential abyss that all the pessimists allude to. Perhaps it is not required for everyone, but I can confidently say that it was required for me. And it is only now that I am less than a year away of having fleshed out draft of my second novel.
It is for these reasons that ideas do not have any one root. They have many.
Ideas, for me, are infinitely dense seeds planted by our innate affinities in the soil of our natural disposition, and watered and nurtured by our experiences as conscious creatures in the world.
Everything takes time. So let it.
C.G. Jones
I think the word "inspired" is a bit of a misnomer. There's no question that many well-known writers (and artists of every ilk) have been inspired at one time or another, but I don't think that's a beneficial way to look at the project of writing.
It is my opinion that every moment of artistic inspiration is short-lived. In other words, it's not something to rely on.
Though it may sound a little pretentious and dramatic, to write is a mode of life. Just as playing a sport is a way of life for a professional athlete. Professional hockey players do not have to get inspired to play three or four game per week. They do it because that's their mode of life.
The same goes for writing. Someone who really wants to write will do it because that's the mode of life they have chosen. That's not to say there aren't moments of inspiration. Absolutely there is. But the prospect of writing is not contingent upon being inspired. And if you writing really is contingent upon getting inspired, you're not going to last very long.
Why? Because more days than not, you will have to grind out words despite feeling less than average. Inspiration is, most of the time, not there. Most days, it takes serious effort to get something down. And the most challenging part of it is that you will have to do it alone. These are the terms. You will have to ask yourself if you can agree to them.
Someone who wants to seriously write will not treat it as a hobby, where they drop it and pick it back up at will. It's something they have set out to do virtually every day—in one capacity or another. And if you do this long enough, it becomes second nature. The prospect of whether or not to write will not even register in your mind. It will go without saying: writing is what you have to do.
My final thoughts:
1.) Most people who fancy writing are in love with the idea of writing (or being a writer). Being in love with the idea of writing (or being a writer) is much different than being in love with writing. This part takes some soul-searching. I wish I had more to offer on this front, but I don't.
2.) Writing development takes a long time. This year marks the 10th year since I devoted myself to writing (I started when I was 19 years old in college, and I'm now 29). I've written millions of words during that time—most of which were terrible. Most of the words I write, even now, are bad. But I managed to get my debut novel published this year, and I'm currently working on a short story collection. There is a payoff so long as you have devoted yourself to the mode.
It takes a lot of time. A lot. Don't be afraid of this. It's normal, and perhaps necessary.
It is my opinion that every moment of artistic inspiration is short-lived. In other words, it's not something to rely on.
Though it may sound a little pretentious and dramatic, to write is a mode of life. Just as playing a sport is a way of life for a professional athlete. Professional hockey players do not have to get inspired to play three or four game per week. They do it because that's their mode of life.
The same goes for writing. Someone who really wants to write will do it because that's the mode of life they have chosen. That's not to say there aren't moments of inspiration. Absolutely there is. But the prospect of writing is not contingent upon being inspired. And if you writing really is contingent upon getting inspired, you're not going to last very long.
Why? Because more days than not, you will have to grind out words despite feeling less than average. Inspiration is, most of the time, not there. Most days, it takes serious effort to get something down. And the most challenging part of it is that you will have to do it alone. These are the terms. You will have to ask yourself if you can agree to them.
Someone who wants to seriously write will not treat it as a hobby, where they drop it and pick it back up at will. It's something they have set out to do virtually every day—in one capacity or another. And if you do this long enough, it becomes second nature. The prospect of whether or not to write will not even register in your mind. It will go without saying: writing is what you have to do.
My final thoughts:
1.) Most people who fancy writing are in love with the idea of writing (or being a writer). Being in love with the idea of writing (or being a writer) is much different than being in love with writing. This part takes some soul-searching. I wish I had more to offer on this front, but I don't.
2.) Writing development takes a long time. This year marks the 10th year since I devoted myself to writing (I started when I was 19 years old in college, and I'm now 29). I've written millions of words during that time—most of which were terrible. Most of the words I write, even now, are bad. But I managed to get my debut novel published this year, and I'm currently working on a short story collection. There is a payoff so long as you have devoted yourself to the mode.
It takes a lot of time. A lot. Don't be afraid of this. It's normal, and perhaps necessary.
C.G. Jones
Writer's block is something that a lot of people experience—undoubtedly. One of the most common places writer's block happens is at the beginning of a writing project. When facing the blank page.
However, this hasn't been my experience. Writer's block—at least for me—tends to happen about halfway through a project, when there are so many different directions a story could go. It's not so much a lack of ideas or direction as it is about what direction to go in. This can be paralyzing (and often is), because, if you're a perfectionist like me, you don't want to screw it up.
A couple tips:
1.) Change up where you tend to write. Neil Gaiman mentioned this in a podcast episode with David Tennant. Sometimes what we need is a change of scenery—a break from the monotony. Our brain is a pattern-seeking organism, and it's quite good at it. Therefore, if you tend to write in the same place, your mind has already outlined the environment, over and over again—to the point where it's not being challenged anymore. Exposing your brain to new environments and patterns could be just the thing you need. This has worked for me.
2.) Keep a small journal with your ideas in it. It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical journal. Maybe it's just a matter of keeping ideas in the "Notes" app in your phone. Whether it's a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a whole scene, don't let a good idea pass you by. It's true that ideas are cheap, but they can turn into very rare (ie original) gems.
3.) Understand that a story may want to go in a different direction than you want it to. Almost everything I've ever written has veered from the general outline I had for it. This is a good thing. It means your story is alive, and it's taking on a life of its own. Though it may sound a little "out there," mentally ask your story what it wants to do. Whether you believe in the Muse or not, you will receive an answer—it just may not be the one you expected.
4.) Writer's block can also be a function of the writer not really knowing what they want to write about. It's important to have an idea about what you want to say. Whether that pertains to the plot, characters, or overall philosophy of the story. This is not to say you need to know how your story ends before you start—you definitely don't. But it could be helpful to handwrite a short character biography or plot point in a notepad. Even though I tend to type my stories, I always have a notebook next to me, jotting down details and reiterating what I want to say. It keeps me on task.
5.) Refrain from scrolling on your phone. This is something I'm still working on. In order for me to effectively settle into the world of my story, I can't have easy distractions such as a notification on my phone. And I assume I'm not the only one with this issue.
I hope these tips were helpful!
However, this hasn't been my experience. Writer's block—at least for me—tends to happen about halfway through a project, when there are so many different directions a story could go. It's not so much a lack of ideas or direction as it is about what direction to go in. This can be paralyzing (and often is), because, if you're a perfectionist like me, you don't want to screw it up.
A couple tips:
1.) Change up where you tend to write. Neil Gaiman mentioned this in a podcast episode with David Tennant. Sometimes what we need is a change of scenery—a break from the monotony. Our brain is a pattern-seeking organism, and it's quite good at it. Therefore, if you tend to write in the same place, your mind has already outlined the environment, over and over again—to the point where it's not being challenged anymore. Exposing your brain to new environments and patterns could be just the thing you need. This has worked for me.
2.) Keep a small journal with your ideas in it. It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical journal. Maybe it's just a matter of keeping ideas in the "Notes" app in your phone. Whether it's a word, a phrase, a sentence, or a whole scene, don't let a good idea pass you by. It's true that ideas are cheap, but they can turn into very rare (ie original) gems.
3.) Understand that a story may want to go in a different direction than you want it to. Almost everything I've ever written has veered from the general outline I had for it. This is a good thing. It means your story is alive, and it's taking on a life of its own. Though it may sound a little "out there," mentally ask your story what it wants to do. Whether you believe in the Muse or not, you will receive an answer—it just may not be the one you expected.
4.) Writer's block can also be a function of the writer not really knowing what they want to write about. It's important to have an idea about what you want to say. Whether that pertains to the plot, characters, or overall philosophy of the story. This is not to say you need to know how your story ends before you start—you definitely don't. But it could be helpful to handwrite a short character biography or plot point in a notepad. Even though I tend to type my stories, I always have a notebook next to me, jotting down details and reiterating what I want to say. It keeps me on task.
5.) Refrain from scrolling on your phone. This is something I'm still working on. In order for me to effectively settle into the world of my story, I can't have easy distractions such as a notification on my phone. And I assume I'm not the only one with this issue.
I hope these tips were helpful!
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