Voices under the Sun 陽光下的聲音

Since the beginning of this month, I have been writing what I hope the good folks on Twitter would accept as “tiny little poems”. I know I am not, and most likely will never be, a “proper” poet, but it does not stop me creating my little poems. It is purely for pleasure that I write them.

This evening I was writing a little love poem. (I do not know why I enjoy writing love poems — most of the time the words just come out as expressions of love found and/or lost.) I had a good time at the start… then, by the time the poem was finished, I realised it had turned into a horror poem, with the last sentence being a clear nod at the renowned Swedish horror author John Ajvide Lindqvist. I could not help but laugh — my moon had turned and revealed its dark side… again.

Having read all of Stephen King’s books has more or less affected my writing style. He, as well as many other writers, have explored the concept of what is “normal” not only in writing but also in all aspects of human life. What should a “normal” writer write? What are the “normal” literary themes explored by writers worldwide? Will readers still enjoy your writing, if you start writing something you do not “normally” do?

A common advice faced by writers is “write what you know”. While to know is to do good research, it is precisely because we are interested in something that we want to know more about it. Then, you may ask, why do some writers enjoy writing “dark” stories such as horror and true crime? Violence and murder, blood and gore — why are these writers not put off by that “abnormal” side of humanity? Surely subjects such as monsters, ghosts and evil spirits are not as “normal” as ordinary individuals aspiring to extraordinary ideals such as faith, love, courage, peace and hope?

I think you know the answer as clearly as I do. Without darkness as a contrast, we cannot see the light. Try not to limit yourself within the “normal” literary boundaries. Do not cave in to people’s “normal” expectations of you. Choose what you love, and love what you have chosen. Write what you want to write — only when you have recognised your writing as an ordinary part of yourself can you dare to break down the boundaries and create something extraordinary.

(P.S. For my little horror poem, please see tomorrow’s post.)