‘Please Be My Light Filter…’

How do we see ourselves? When the reflection glances at us in the mirror, what do we see? Is it us? Is it me? Is it I?

Perception is everything.

I may see myself internally as snarky, easily irritated, frantic at times. A ticking time bomb of anxiety. Maybe all you see is positivity and shining light.

Same goes for writing. In order to get you Gentle Readers to buy my short stories and to sell my novels, I have to describe the writing, the stories. The closest, least offensive category I can put them in is fantasy, perhaps science fiction. And just because I may slot them into categories like the weird, the fantastical, the strange and the fantastique, doesn’t mean the reader interprets them as such.

And that, my friends, is what matters most. How the reader perceives the writing. Each experience with writing is so individual, so customized by that person’s experiences and idiosyncracies, it makes it difficult for a craftsman or artist to say what his or her work is about.

And thus, I try to shut the fuck up about it. I cannot say much about what my work is like (unless when in marketing mode). There are elements to my writing that I myself an not even aware of. My first editor for “The 12 Burning Wheels” noted I mention the sense of smell often in my fiction. I had no idea, really, until she mentioned it.

Just this morning I got a lovely note from Jay @swartztfeger, who mentioned that the artist Samuli Heimonen’s art reminded him of my writing. I went and checked Heimonen out. Was truly astonished and immediately, in that very moment of visual recognition, flattered. Take this piece of his, for example:

Aviator. Acryl and oil on canvas.130cm x 160cm. 2009

(Images housed at http://www.samuliheimonen.com/)

In this case, I can only say I feel a wavelength, a connection with Heimonen’s images. But yet, @swartzfeger made that connection on his own, based on his reading of my work. There are strong, but very abstract feelings I get when I see these amazing paintings, yet, I couldn’t actually tell you how they might touch down upon my stories of forgotten gods, multi-dimensional beings, spurned lovers and fractured families. What I can say, though is that I feel humbled and grateful that a reader would draw these comparisons. Thank you.

I think it’s the reader’s job — or rather, role –  to interpret the work. The artist can have some ideas, some vague notions of what the work is about, but I believe the artist should always end up asking questions, always more questions, rather than making any conclusions. The reader can make those.

And thus I retreat into the maze of mirrors to get some shit done.

So it’s a nice way to end the work week.  Be good, lovers. Eat, drink, love and be merry. And beware of the visions in the mirror.

And I leave you now with one of my older blog traditions: music. Today it’s LaRoux’s pop confection, “Reflections are Protection,” perfectly suited for today’s entry. Have a great weekend, lovers.