META: Inspiration

[Andrew Perron]

On Dec 2, 3:48 pm, Tom Russell <milos_par... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> From comics: Kirby, Lee, Ditko, Morrison-- though the latter more in
> theory than practice.  That is, I like the idea of Grant Morrison--
> or, rather, the ideas of Grant Morrison, the ceaseless invention-- but
> I'm not sure if I enjoy his work as a whole the way I do a story by,
> say, Kurt Busiek.  But, boy, is he bristling with ideas, and I try to
> bring that joy and some small imitation of that inventiveness into my
> own work.

Know what you mean here.  The execution isn't necessarily as strong as
the concept, though IMNSHO it's usually pretty strong.

> Right now, my obsession with all things Trollope is at full blast.  Of
> all the Victorian novelists, he is my favourite.  I like how his
> characters have a bit of fluidity about them, an ability to surprise
> both the reader and the author, while still exhibiting characteristics
> that are definitely "them".  Phineas Finn is always Phineas Finn, but
> he's not completely predictable; witness the way he cracks under the
> stress of his murder trial in "Phineas Redux", his optimism reduced to
> bitterness.  Or Septimus Harding, whose decency and goodness inspired
> my own recent decision to become a minister, but who is never anything
> less than compelling and complex.  (Anyone who thinks "skeletons in
> the closet" or "secretly, he's a fascist and/or pervert" makes for
> compelling, complex, "adult", and "mature" characterization has never
> met Mr. Harding.)

I've been reading more writers from back then (due to an unexpected
but welcome side-effect of my job), and I've really been enjoying
George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde. (Also, awesome.)

> You also can't beat Trollope for the large casts of his novels or the
> remarkable character names-- two areas where I'm subtly but
> shamelessly trying to ape the master, though I know I'll never write
> anything to match the Palliser books or come up with any character
> names to match the likes of Sir Abraham Haphazard.

Interesting.  That's similar to the kind of names I try to use.

Andrew "NO .SIG MAN" "Juan" Perron, one song~ amphigory~