Every writer has a quirk.
Every writer has a quirk. It comes with the territory. I’m convinced that all writers and creative types are a bit cracked, the easier for their ideas to be shaken out onto the page or canvas or what have you. The question is whether they’re so cracked that they cross the line into outright insanity. That’s an outcome we should all hope to avoid.
My quirk may be stranger than some but more harmless than most. I like Walt Disney World.
I’m not so devoted to Disney that I’d get Mickey Mouse tattooed on my body, but I enjoy watching walking tours of the parks daily or near-daily. Observing the crowds, seeing the rides (inside or out), and imagining myself there is soothing. Even if you don’t accept that Walt Disney World is the most magical place on earth, you cannot deny that it brings joy to countless people. I’m one of them.
This preoccupation may seem strange when you consider my body of work, but that’s precisely why I stopped writing crime novels and started writing thrillers. Crime is a fundamentally pessimistic genre, and I prefer to be an optimist. As lousy as things may get — and they can get unbelievably lousy — I like thinking they can get better. Humans are fundamentally communal; to have a community, you must have at least a basic level of amity.
Walt Disney World testifies to the power of happiness. Let’s appreciate that.