I heard that Stephen King was once asked, "Why do you write such bizarre fiction?" His answer? "What makes you think I have a choice?" I have come to think of that story as the story of all writers, and artists of every stripe - - painters, dancers, musicians - - all those with emotions screaming for release. Fame and fortune may follow those best able to capture their visions and pass them on for others to love or hate, but that is not what motivates the very best of them - - -. For the very best, it is a compulsion that will not be denied, a force that nags relentlessly until it is satisfied, a caged animal that will not be satisfied until it is released, or self-destructs.
I am a huge fan of VDH.