Inspiration Rant

  Hey everybody! Hope everyone's having a great year so far. Are you completing your resolutions? Maybe just smiling a bit more? I had my wisdom teeth removed last week, so I swelled and bruised for a few days and couldn't eat solid foods or get my heart rate up without my jaws and head hurting. So. My resolutions aren't exactly being followed, but I'm hoping to change that soon. Whatever the case, I hope this finds you well and in good spirits. Or, in this case, the Twilight Zone.
   Today I want to talk about one of my greatest sources of inspiration.
   These things inspire me to be a better writer, period. In one form or another, they bleed into my writing and stories. I'll discuss that at the end on how it does so. Right now, I want to list the top five favorite things about the Twilight Zone.
   As stated above, one of my greatest inspiration sources is the iconic anthology series the Twilight Zone. It ran for five seasons, from 1959- 1964. It's filmed in black and white, as you're probably aware, and some episodes were filmed on a videotape instead of film, giving it a different but limited look that was harder to work with. It later spawned another show known as Night Gallery, similar in premise and filmed in color. I prefer the Twilight Zone simply because of the black and white look. Here's my "favorite five", if you will, that I draw from the show.

1. The Reality of Humanity

  Most stories show heroes in a certain light. They're selfless, brave, smart, and, of course, capable of heroic deeds. These tropes sharply contrast with most episodes of the Twilight Zone. It shows the darker side of humanity, the one that he is most capable of, if we allow it. Common themes are greed, suspicion, and fear. Maybe that's one of the frightening things about. It created situations, and people reacted realistically. Two of the ones that come to mind are The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and The Shelter. 

  The first is the more popular of the two, with a group neighbors, living ordinary lives. Their power goes out, and they slowly start turning on one another, suspicious that there are aliens among them. As night falls, and tensions rise, they start to literally tear each other apart. 

  The Shelter has no science fiction premise (my favorite of the two), but is set for the silent, real- life horror of the times: atomic warfare. That was a true fear back then, and it really showed. With the threat of a nuclear war brewing, friendly neighbors turn on the one family with a fallout shelter. They hurt one another, say racist things, and eventually turn into animals trying to get inside the shelter. In the end, there is no war, and they try to pretend nothing has happened. If that's not humanity, I don't know what is. 

2. Genres

  Horror. Science fiction. Supernatural. These are the three things Twilight Zone is best remembered for, and for good cause. A bulk of the episodes fall into either of those categories. Still, there are a few that break that mold, that the Twilight Zone isn't all shadows and doom and fear. 

  Some actually have nice, happy endings. 

  Gasp. 

  Is that even possible? Yes, yes it is. 

  A few episodes were given comedic spins, like Mr. Dingle, the Strong. Others were given darker themes but ended in a way where you actually have a smile on your face, such as Night of the Meek, a Christmas episode that puts you in the holiday spirit. 

  Then there are those that will gave you literal chills, like Twenty- Two, which deals with hospitals, a morgue, and a dream sequence that leaves you afraid of shadows. A woman is in a hospital, having a recurring nightmare about the morgue, and for a while, you wonder what's real and what's not. 

  

3. The era

  The 1930's- 50's are my favorite time period. So, this show is right up my ally in terms of culture, society and dress. Even jazz worms its way in, like in Dead Man's Shoes. I wouldn't want to live out some of the plots, but if I could take a trip into the Twilight Zone and visit the period for a brief time, I would love to do so. 

4. Rod Serling

   Ah, the creator himself. But his role didn't stop there. Serling actually wrote a great deal of the episodes, being very involved in his show. I never really thought too deeply about the behind the scenes workings of a show until I started watching this. It occurred to me that there are actual writers that work at bringing these plots to life, and it gives me a great deal of hope.
  He also didn't give in easily. CBS wanted to take it off the air a couple times, but Serling put up a fight to keep it going.
  Of course, one of the most iconic things he did was narrate the beginning and ending of each episode. Starting in the last episode of season 1, Serling made actual appearances, giving the illusion that he was a separate entity from the episode and its characters. In A World of His Own, one of the characters was aware of Serling and actually broke the fourth wall.

5. The Twist

   Every episode has one, to a certain degree. I've watched a lot of shows, and movies, read a lot of books, but the Twilight Zone takes first place among the great plot twists of the world. In fact, the show has now become known for it. I love watching new episodes and trying to guess the end, usually with little success. Some of the best twists use the "show don't tell" rule very well, as some episodes rely on angles or shadows to create the right effect. 

  What makes this interesting is that most episodes are plot driven, instead of character driven. Normally, I'll return to something because I love the characters and their struggles. Since Twilight Zone had no recurring story line, it used its plot and themes to keep watchers hooked. And hook them it did. 

  I could make an entirely different post on the different surprises and twists the Twilight Zone has to offer, but I'll just make do with a couple. 

  One of my all time favorites is The Invaders. Done with only a few lines of dialogue, it follows a lone woman in a farmhouse who encounters tiny aliens that have landed on her roof. It was scary, and the twist at the end was nothing short of spectacular. It also proves you don't need words to make a great story. 

   Third from the Sun is a lesser known episode, but no less better. It again uses the fear of atomic destruction, and it sets the backdrop for two families trying to escape to space before then. I greatly enjoyed watching it, as it showed functioning families banding together to survive. Hopefully, the ending will shock you as much as it did me.

Conclusion

Don't stare at this too long!

  So, what does all this have to do with writing anyway? Or, at least, my writing. Well, a few things. One, getting my characters to behave naturally. Like I pointed out, in the Twilight Zone, characters behave realistically. I want to portray that in my own characters. 

  Another is the plot twists. I enjoy those immensely and want to create my own. Hopefully one worthy of the show itself. 

  Lastly, by drawing inspiration from Serling himself, is the drive to keep going forward, no matter if people tell you its too weird. Don't sacrifice what you believe just to agree with the rest of the world. As a Christian, that really speaks out to me. 

  

What's your source of inspiration? Let me know! Thanks for reading and have a great day!