A few words from the good Doctor.

"If I'd written all the truth I knew for the past ten years, about 600 people - including me - would be rotting in prison cells from Rio to Seattle today. Absolute truth is a very rare and dangerous commodity in the context of professional journalism."  -Hunter S. Thompson

"Truth would quickly cease to become stranger than fiction, once we got as used to it." -H.L. Mencken

So I figure what better way to launch of a blog focused on literary journalism than to quote two of its most revered practitioners? One of whom I've been familiar with for years, the other, only months. What they shared in common, aside from their chosen profession, was that they each had their own very particular views of the world. Views that manifested in their writings over the years with large helpings of my three favourite literary qualities: Energy, wit and cynicism (or realism, depending on who you ask.) By admiring their work it seems obvious that the next logical progression would be for it to influence me, in terms of both how I think and how I write.

But to be honest, I'm almost reluctant to say that I've been influenced by Hunter S. Thompson. By this point, where's a journalist who hasn't been influenced by the good Doctor? More to the point, he's one of those writers whose style has been aped by so many wannabes over the years that acknowledging his influence is almost tantamount to admitting plagiarism. But there was more to what he did than getting really fucked up on drink and drugs before dropping words on pages. As I said, guys like he and Mencken saw the world in a certain way. It wasn't only Thompson's writing that originally attracted me to journalism, but also what that writing reflected.

And Mencken, man, don't get me started on Mencken. I only became familiar with this guy's work a few months ago and I've really no idea how I was able to exist for 23 years without discovering him sooner. As soon as I started reading his words, I was hooked. I felt an instant for affinity for this guy and his world view. A visionary cynic who was decades ahead of his time, the guy definitely had a way with words.

Which brings us back to the notions of fact and fiction in the realm of journalism. My perception of literary journalism so far is that it allows for certain liberties to be taken with the absolute truth in order to present a more engaging version of the overall truth. Not only that but it allows for far more creativity in terms of story structure than conventional journalism does. And as a fan of creative writing, I like that.

So here's hoping that by the end of semester I've got a story to my name that's well written, well researched, and above all else, entertaining.