misterwil-son asks: Are you familiar with the work of Joseph Campbell? Do you think reading his work is more helpful or harmful to writers (Neil G. Said he’d rather not read his stuff)? Beyond being surrounded by books, what did growing up with a writer for a father give you that you’d like to…

My favourite part:

"I try to write stories that examine hopefully inventive characters by facing them with a series of tests. That’s pretty much all I do: create character and test it, as hard as I can. Moral tests, physical tests, emotional tests, psychological tests. When I read Joseph Campbell in college, I found his ideas inspiring, and am better for having heard about them. Undoubtedly some of what I learned has made its way into my writing. But, no, I am not particularly interested in working from his playbook, or following his schematics and wouldn’t recommend it for anyone else."

I’m glad I read Hero with a Thousand Faces as it’s helped me on my own quest to write about all of the gray areas between the Black and White.