While I am a full time writer I find my greatest
stories and inspiration take place between October and
February. I'm not sure if it is the season change,
the fact it gets dark earlier, or if it's just when my
muse is at her twisted best.
I know that when the rain, cold, and gloomy weather
take fold I am susceptible to depression, my whole
being reacts to the loss of sunshine and can feel
myself shut down. The plus side of that is it brings
out my darker side and increases my inspiration for
writing horror stories. In fact it is during this
time I tend to write things that even I feel are a
little too “out there” and wonder why those thoughts
are even inside my head!
Typically I write from my dreams or a passing thought
that just won't budge. Nightmares are frequent for me
and I remember as a little girl I never wanted to
sleep. I don't think my mother ever got a lot of
sleep as she was too busy running into my room to calm
me down. As an adult and a writer I have found my
best stories come from those recurring nightmares and
am thankful for them. I notice too that if I have an
overwhelming amount of ideas running around in my
head, I get stuck with long bouts of insomnia.
Both my feelings and issues I am facing have a direct
influence on the direction my writing goes. Sometimes
I start out writing a story in one way and because of
something that affects me it goes off in another
completely different path. While it's not always
clear, I do find that I have written a part of myself
in each and every story I write. I don't necessarily
mean the character, but just the tone, attitude,
theme, or an object, which is just an extension of
something from my life.
All writers have their own formulas, their own
triggers that enable them to write, and it fascinates
me to hear about them. Often times I've read a book,
felt disturbed but satisfied with the story, and
wondered what made the author think of such a creature
or subject. A writer's greatest tools are their
dreams, pasts, traumas, and feelings. It is their
ability to take those tools and build something
incredible that they in turn share with us. I don't
believe it's out of an egotistical outlook that makes
a writer want to share their thoughts, I believe it's
a way of creating a balance within themselves, almost
a therapy.
For me writing is my voice and communication. It just
so happens that my communication becomes more
disturbing, haunting, and creepy as October nears.
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Nancy Jackson is published in Broken Mirrors Anthology, Labor Pools Anthology, Halloween Anthology, Romancing the Soul Anthology, and Chocolate for a Teen's Spirit II.
Moderator of The Horror Writers Network and book reviewer for Dream Forge