I heard a lot of writiers smoke cannabis, with a few high-rollers making use of Hash. I also heard that Steven King dabbled with pot himself, and at one point had been getting so into his writing that he made himself see a shrink while writing pet cemetary. What is the specific means by which writers here might utilize the herb? I find that atmosphere and music add an almost ritualist amplification to the psychological fuel of writing.
Firstly, holy crap, you're from Palm Palm. I grew up in north Melbourne, the Eau Gallie area. Graduated from Eau Gallie High. Secondly, I really think the whole weed & write deal is overrated. I was a wake-n-bake pothead for a good two years. I thought myself the very embodiment of creativity. I have not one scrap of anything worth anything from that period of my life.
A bit of wine helps me get into my protag's head, feel her emotions when she's sad and lonely, but it depends on where in the story I am. She's not always sad and lonely and wine's no good for those other times. I can't see pot making one more creative, but I can see it having a benefit if it enhances the writer's experience of character's mind.
More then anything what herb adds to the creative process is the ability for Priming when on THC. This is the ability to make connections between two disparate ideas, jumping into a bathtub and finally realizing the concept of displacement; Eureka!! Studies have shown that this process is increased when on THC. But if you ask me Steve Jobs said it best. “The best way I would describe the effect of the marijuana and the hashish is that it would make me relaxed and creative.” As easy as that.
Having taken weed before for medical reasons, I can confirm that it helps with relaxation and connections, even creativity. And it's perfectly possible to finish a light-hearted project, nothing too long or difficult, though. However, full time writing is like a job, something that, if one wants to be successful, must be done every day, on a schedule, inspired or not. So I can't see being actually stoned all the time would be compatible with finishing a large body of work. I'd say it's best taken recreationally, not regularly, because it adds nothing special to day-to-day writing, imo.
I feel certain coffee helps give a sort of alchemist's sulfur to the process of inspiration. On salvia I've had strange experiences of energy and elemental (felt like fire, stone, etc) and just bizarre explosions of bizarreness, dxm is boring, don't recommend it for anything. And good luck finding psychedelics worth squat. See, my thing is, I've had my own income. I never borrowed money from mommy and daddy, and most these kiddies here don't smoke as much as me. I watch people become retarded around me, I don't 'get fucked up' from the herb. I'm high all the time yet do dishes, clean, excersize, etc. ITs just that I feel completely dependent on it to lubricate my thought process. And this bothers me. I've gone without before, but try to understand I also am on the verge of smoking a half an ounce in 3 - 4 days... Try to picture $300 of, not 20 dollar grams but FIVE DOLLAR grams. I was also getting mid-high grade for $5 from a roomate before, so add a boost to tolerance. I'd say at some points maybe smoked an ounce and a half a month. scary huh? 15 minutes before writing this I smoked 3.5 joints... I still afford to live. I think the focus of cannabis use shuuld switch to recreational instead of ritual. that way I feel less tense on fanatically having it eventually. Try to imagine! Weed! Weed everywhere! Find a nugget on the floor and smoke it, scrape some resin off my altar pig skull, ITS ALL OVER EVERYTHING and I'm inhaling it -all-.
I don't doubt your personal experience with pot, but I'm skeptical when someone says, "studies have shown", unless you can provide a citation or a link. I'd like to judge those studies for myself.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20122742 ok - And to point out, the study says it really only works for people that are not daily users of cannabis, if your a pothead like some of us; and in Colorado =), then the effect is not created anymore. http://www.weizmann.ac.il/ Plus many studies on other uses of cannabis by the Weizmann Institute since 1964 They are in Israel so unfortunately it does not get much news over here in America. Israel is even using vaporizers in hospitals.
Is there a more direct link to the information from the Weizmann Institute? That link takes you to their homepage. Never very user friendly.
Other than copying the term, hyper-priming, nothing in that abstract suggests increased creativity or better writing skills. schizotypyal symptoms Semantic Priming (psychology) There is a problem going from the following conclusion (which I'm not sure is itself even a valid interpretation of the research): How cannabis makes thoughts tumble To this conclusion: It's worth looking into further, but another problem is drawing some broad certain conclusion from a study of "Thirty-six cannabis users were tested whilst under the influence of cannabis. They were then tested again when not intoxicated and compared with 38 non-drug using controls. " That is what would be considered a pilot study, and not very meaningful without a larger study. In addition, the study suggests flight of ideas. You'd need the next leg of the research, does that flight of ideas result in more creativity or better writing. Studies with LSD, IIRC, suggested people felt creative but when sober were disappointed with what they produced. Don't peg me wrong here, I'm in WA State which just happily voted to legalize pot and I can't wait until they work out the mechanics so one can buy the stuff at the corner store. And I don't doubt the individual who claims it helps them write or be creative. Some people would suggest my use of wine wasn't really helping me get in my character's moody head. Pffft, to each his/her own. I am merely cautioning a more rational approach to interpreting scientific research.
I don't use any drugs or alcohol anymore. To be honest, pot never did much for me other than just make me really sleepy.
I think weed helped me write in terms of chilling me out enough to be able to sit down for long periods of time and get typing. That, more than the creativity aspect. DXM-- not boring at all, actually quite fantastically interesting, and I find it piques my curiosity in things, especially science. LSD- completely impossible to write on, though I feel it can inspire some bursts of creative thought. For instance, a great idea for a title to a movie I was writing was given to me, as what felt like a gift, during a trip. Salvia- Yes, interesting, but I felt was null in terms of any benefit in terms of writing. Opiates- F*cked me too much and wasted many minutes and years of potential production.
Dunno, is robo-tripping the same as taking dexadrine? I think dexadrine and adderall are on the street because they are prescribed for ADHD.
No, not the same. DXM refers to dextromethorphan, Robitussin being an early and ubiquitous source for it, hence, robotripping.
Dextromethorphan is robitussin/cough medicine, but its easier and less gross to take 1-3 bottles of 15 mg gelcaps that are JUST DXM. I was always too comatose on it. for what use?
Gross. Guess I'll look things up next time before jumping to conclusions. I thought people only got high on cough syrup if it had alcohol or codeine in it.
Agreed. I'm like, just roll a spliff, ffs. To me, robotripping was for the same group of kids who adamantly only ever said shoot and darnit.
You might be able to write despite the demotivating effect of cannabis, and with the dreamy, fuzzy thinking. You will be a better writer without it. Writing well requires clarity of thought.
haha, I don't know if other people still robotrip, but I still do. In fact, I lied. I'm sure there are others who likewise sip the syrup. I am surprised, Electric, that it caused you to be comotose. It has the direct opposite effect on me, in that I'm very much awake, within my own surroundings or in space, or some sort of magical forest.. It is somewhat like 4-6 hour ketamine trip. About two bottles of tussin will cause my surroundings to morph, though I'll still be capable of conversation...however (my most common hallucination) I'll be sitting in an elaborate threaded cocoon like hammock dangling from my ceiling as dark skies as stars begin to project onto my walls...
Ha! Had you and I been at the same hypothetical party, upon passing you, I'ld've said, "Yeah, ditch them and meet us at the blue Toyota."
