Creative Insights From Keef
#124
I’ve had a copy of the Rolling Stone’s Keith Richards autobiography sitting in my bookcase for several years. While I appreciate the Stones’ music, I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the band, nor do I have a particular interest in its members. I think I picked up the book because, according to the index, it might have some info I was looking for in relation to something I was working on for my Beatles podcast series.
BTW, does anyone else pick up a book based on a flick through the index? Or is it just me?
So there it sat, until last week, when, for some unknown reason, I decided it was time to give it a read. It’s turning out to be a fun conversational style read. As a researcher, it can be a bit frustrating, as it’s a little light on detail and at times just glides over things that I’d like to know more about, but as Richards admits, he does have some sizeable drug-induced blank spots in his memory.
But what I didn’t expect was to come across some really insightful insights into the creative process.
Take this one, for example:
“The silence is your canvas, that’s your frame, that’s what you work on; don’t try and deafen it out.”
Wow! - This got me thinking about my own writing. If you replace the silence with the page, it made me realize why I prefer to write short stories. I like to focus on what propels the story, and not “deafen it out” with extraneous descriptions, world-building, etc. I think this is why I continue to struggle to get the drafts of my couple of long-gestating novels past the thirty-thousand-word mark. I know the stories I want to tell and have them plotted out - but adding anything beyond that seems to be adding to the noise.
And about a hundred pages later, there was this insight on being a writer, a songwriter in Keith’s case - but it still applies.
“When you realize you are one (a writer), you start to become an observer, you start to distance yourself. You’re constantly on the alert. That faculty gets trained into you over the years, observing people, how they react to one another. … You start looking around, and everything’s a subject for a song.”
Or a story, article, book, or whatever.
Spot on, Keith.
As I write this, I’m still about halfway through what is turning out to be a surprising journey through the Stones’ guitarist’s “Life,” I’m looking forward to discovering what other insights await.
Alan
Other Stuff
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Word Slinging
Over the last week or so, while working on the Casino Royale ‘67 book project, I’ve spent some time digging into the British newspaper archives for contemporary coverage of the movie.
One of my favorite finds so far has to be an edition of John O’Groat Journal from November 1967 that concludes its announcement of a special screening of Casino Royale on Thursday with
“...the usual bingo sessions will be held on Wednesday and Friday.”
It seems 007 interrupted bingo night!
Shows Booked in 2026
We are starting to finalize appearances at several shows and events for the coming year. So far, you’ll be able to find us at:
January 30 - February 1st - Farpoint Convention - Towson, MD
March 7-8 - Quantum of Solace Gatherall - PA
March 18 - Studebaker National Museum - South Bend IN
May 2 - Annapolis Book Fair - Annapolis, MD,
July 29 - Aug 2 - PulpFest - Pittsburgh, PA
August 8 - Bookfair - Bel Air, MD
Buy Our Books Direct Online
You can now buy any of our books directly from us via our Forest Comics and Books store on eBay where they are all listed with the same BuyNow prices that we charge at conventions and shows.
Thanks to the folks who have already purchased copies from us over the last few weeks.
Podcast Procrastinations
Another landmark couple of weeks for the Chronological Christie podcast as we hit another record for single-day downloads earlier this week.
There’s been a lot of buzz recently about the new Netflix adaptation of The Seven Dials Mystery, so we gave it a watch and put together a special episode on what we thought about it.
Books Read in 2026
“Mystique: Most Wanted” by Declan Shalvey
The shape-shifting mutant Raven Darkholme can be anybody she wants to be, which makes her the perfect undercover agent. Here she puts her talents to use on a personal mission to find her missing wife, whom she believes is being held in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody.
The result is an action-packed reintroduction into what drives Mystique as well as how the now-defunded S.H.I.E.L.D. operates. It’s also a fun collection of cameos with her multiple impersonations of various characters from X-Men lore.
The twist about the real objective of her mission at the end was well handled and not one I saw coming, but it had a poignant resonance if you know her history.
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Over at our online bookstore at Bookshop.org I’ve now added a new section listing books read so far in 2026, as well as previous years, so you can pick up copies of any that interest you, while also helping out local independent bookstores.
You can check it out HERE
Where on the Web is Alan?
You can now find links to all the places you can find me online, websites, newsletters, social media, and more in a single LINKS page on my personal website.
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See you next time
Alan J. Porter
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