Vonnegut

I have only read a collection of short stories and 1.4 of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s novels (Slaughterhouse-Five with Breakfast of Champions currently in the mix), but I love them all. His satirical approach to describing war and America is something I simply haven't experienced otherwise. We take ourselves very seriously here, which is why I'm not surprised by the friends of mine over time who have enjoyed Vonnegut's writing. It's cutting, witty, and matter-of-fact. Moreso, his cuts on American society in the 20th century carry truth; which is really the point of satire, isn't it?

I was going to list satire on its own as the One Awesome Thing today, but that goes against the point of this series. Satire is defined as "in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement." This pointing out of shortcomings would do the opposite of injecting positivity into our lives, such as the 21st century's most prominent satirists do in most cases (i.e. Jon Stewart, Seth MacFarlane, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone).

Vonnegut's satire, however, provokes thought. It calls to mind the things about American society that we can change in our day-to-day lives. Things like self-centeredness, inconsideration, and over-consumption are addressed with witty humor in a way that makes you laugh at yourself and think "is this really what someone would describe to someone who had never been to America?"

These sort of wake-up calls are necessary to get us going, but to also make light of some serious matters that could easily bring us down. There's a blurred line between negative and positive satire, but Vonnegut does a good job of erring on the positive, whether he intended to or not.

Inspiration

My inspiration has been drained lately. Sitting in front of a computer with or without a guitar, I find myself struggling to create beauty. Observations run rampant through my blogs and songwriting has become a memory. The spark has been absent, in my opinion. My writing has been based on fact and not invention.

School has drained me. School and the job search. I don't feel exhausted like I expected, but I certainly do not spend an extra minute to channel my creativity and take advantage of my free time like I have in the past. I have to force myself to pick up the guitar. Reading for pleasure has fallen far, far away, even on my lunch breaks.

It's time to get out the big guns. Time to stop in every used bookstore I can find until I locate the first piece of fiction that got me excited to write; Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. The language, the interweaving story, the tongue-in-cheek satire. This is what writing is all about!

Time for me to get it, read it, and remember what's important about writing. Academic papers will get you grades. Creative writing will channel emotion.

What or who is your biggest inspiration?