[writing] What makes it go

The comments thread on a recent post from an LJ acquaintance brought up the time-honored idea that pain can be a valuable catalyst for art. Like most conventional wisdom, there's certainly some truth in it; case in point, right now I'm sitting on the couch of czarina69, a jewelry designer who started producing some of her best work in the aftermath of a really bitter divorce. A lot of the short fiction I still find the most compelling -- in theme, at least, if not necessarily execution -- came out in response to pain of my own.

On the other hand, I have my doubts as to how effective a catalyst pain is for craft. ( Here's why. )