Loss of a Creative Mind

In the midst of all the hoopla surrounding this week's historic election I'm sure there are some who did not hear the sad news that famed writer Michael Crichton passed away at the age of 66 after a private battle with cancer. I was saddened when I heard the news since Michael Crichton was a writer that I admired. Growing up I often read as much as I could if the subject interested me though my problem was that there were tons of subjects that interested me. Being such a voracious reader it was difficult to sit down and read everything I wanted to. In time my parents began encouraging me to write as well and I found the best way for me to try and develop a style was to find a writer whose technique I found appealing and would want to emulate. The problem was finding an author who wrote on a diverse array of subjects. I found my answer in Michael Crichton.

Many undoubtedly came to know about the author through his book "Jurassic Park" which became even more popular after the movie was made by Steven Speilberg. What many people don't realize is that Michael Crichton had been around a lot longer than that and had been involved in creating new worlds both on film and in books for much longer. Seeing "Jurassic Park" inspired me to pick up his books and read them and I'm all the more grateful for that fact. I read through "Jurassic Park" in a short while and decided that I would check out some of his other books and what I found was that Crichton not only focused on science fiction but on other subjects as well. And diverse subjects at that. He touched on cloning in "Jurassic Park"; he covered biological terrors in "The Andromeda Strain"; he wrote a gripping police noir-esque piece in "Rising Sun" and the list goes on.

What I liked about his style was the fact that he didn't overdo it on the techno-babble like some "Star Trek" episode. He always gave enough detail to make it plausible and understandable but just to the point that the reader didn't start getting a glazed expression on their face as reading the books. He also gave it a touch of reality. Being a doctor himself, Crichton used his medical background to help ground many of his stories in reality or near-reality. Some of the work described in books such as "The Terminal Man" or "A Case of Need" were so fantastic when written that it challenged scientists and researchers to determine if it could really be done and today many of these things are becoming a reality.

And that is what I think some of the great writers of our time can do; challenge the status quo so that we push our thinking to the limits. And beyond. Perhaps making dinosaurs the way they're shown in "Jurassic Park" will never come to pass in my lifetime or even in the distant future but it hasn't stopped scientists from wanting to try it. Same could be said of Arthur C. Clarke whose ideas and thoughts inspired many of us to study science and technology. Perhaps Clarke's vision of "2001" has not come to pass as yet but it can't be that far in the future anymore. Our only limitation is imagination and money and because of writers like Clarke or Crichton, we have the inspiration to do more. I keep writing once in a while; my little blogs are my attempts at becoming a better writer and being able to express my thoughts. But still, seeing that someone like Michael Crichton could also use his innate curiousity and interests to inspire so many is a wonderful thing. He will be sorely missed though the world will definitely be a more inspired place for having known and embraced him and his ideas.