I recently watched a documentary on Hubert Selby. If you do not know who this is, he is the writer of many popular novels that explore the human nature. His most popular are "The Last Exit to Brooklyn," and "Requiem for a Dream" which was adapted by Darren Aronofsky.
Hubert was a great writer but had a terrible life. He somehow came out always looking forward. Towards the end of the documentary he has a little segment about how he lived after kicking drugs and alcohol. He said to always say yes. Don't be a downer and push away things. Try everything and do everything you possibly can. He explains that many of the jobs/events he said yes to ended up being something he was not fond of once attending however he thinks that his life greatly improved when he started saying yes.
Another interesting comment Hubert brought out. He said that all of his inspiration did not come from the drugs. Once he cleaned up he realized that everything he wrote down comes from the darkest corners of our heart and he was able to articulate these ideas once he became sober. An interesting take on this kind of writing because many believe that you must have a really messed up life or be on hard drugs to open your mind to these dark realms.
If your interested in more about Huber Selby I would recomend watching the documentary. It was not shot the best and is very traditional, talking head interviews etc, however it has some very strong messages. "Huber Selby Jr.: It'll Be Better Tomorrow"
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