Rest in peace Richard Matheson

I know a lot of people are saying "who is Richard Matheson?" He was one of the most influential writers of our time. There are very few writers who can say they influenced writers such as Stephen King and Anne Rice. Stephen King named Matheson as one of his biggest influences, and Anne Rice has said Richard Matheson's short story "A dress of white silk," was one of her prime influences for her vampires. Still not impressed? Not much of a reader? More of a movie buff? Ever seen a little movie called I am Legend, starring Will Smith? Or What dreams may come, or Button, Button, a.k.a. The box, or Hell house, a.k.a. The legend of Hell House, or The twilight zone episode, where the man freaks out on a plane saying there is a man on the wing? Yup! You guessed it, all written by Richard Matheson. Even if you don't read books, you have been exposed to this man’s work. Pop culture lost a great writer yesterday, but this man will live forever with his contributions to books and movies.

Here's a list of some of this great authors work.

Movies:

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Beat Generation (1959)

House of Usher (1960)

Master of the World (1961)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Burn Witch Burn (1962); a.k.a. Night of the Eagle (screenplay co-written with Charles Beaumont and George Baxt based on the novel Conjure Wife by Fritz Leiber

Tales of Terror (1962)

The Raven (1963)

The Comedy of Terrors (1963)

The Last Man on Earth (as "Logan Swanson", based on Matheson's novel I Am Legend)(1964)

Fanatic (1965)

The Young Warriors (1967)

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

De Sade (1969)

The Legend of Hell House (based on his novel) (1973)

Somewhere in Time (based on his novel) (1980)

Twilight Zone: The Movie: Fourth segment "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1983)

Jaws 3-D (1983)

Loose Cannons (1990)

The Box (2009)

Real Steel (2011)

Novels:

Someone is Bleeding (1953)

Fury on Sunday (1953)

I Am Legend (1954) filmed as The Last Man on Earth, The Omega Man, I Am Omega and I Am Legend

The Shrinking Man (1956); filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man and subsequently reprinted under that title; also the basis of the film The Incredible Shrinking Woman

A Stir of Echoes (1958); filmed as Stir of Echoes

Ride the Nightmare (1959); adapted as an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and later filmed as Cold Sweat (1970 film)

The Beardless Warriors (1960); filmed as The Young Warriors

The Comedy of Terrors (1964), with Elsie Lee; filmed as The Comedy of Terrors

Hell House (1971); filmed as The Legend of Hell House

Bid Time Return (1975); filmed as Somewhere in Time and subsequently reprinted under that title

What Dreams May Come (1978); filmed as What Dreams May Come

Earthbound (Playboy Publications, 1982), as by Logan Swanson[4] — editorially abridged version; restored text published as by Richard Matheson, 1989[citation needed]

Journal of the Gun Years (1992)

The Gunfight (1993)

7 Steps to Midnight (1993)

Shadow on the Sun (1994)

Now You See It ... (1995)

The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickock (1996)

The Path: A New Look at Reality (1999)

Passion Play (2000)

Hunger and Thirst (2000)

Camp Pleasant (2001)

Abu and the 7 Marvels (2002)

Hunted Past Reason (2002)

Come Fygures, Come Shadowes (2003)

Woman (2006)

Other Kingdoms (2011)

Generations (2012)

Books of note

                                                                                                                                   

Telling a story

 I think telling a story/being a writer has always been in my blood. My father, although he never wrote anything down, could spin a good yarn. He was always regaling anyone that would listen, with the stories of his youth. Like the time he wiped out a corn field with an Indian motorcycle, or when he swam across a lake that was ten miles long just to get to work! Did I mention he could spin a good yarn?

My mother on the other hand, did not tell embellished stories of life experience, but she could spin a yarn like my father as well. She wrote scripts, and even sold a few before she passed away. She never made any serious money with her writing, but when I would find her sitting at the kitchen table with a pen and a legal pad, scribbling away she always had a smile on her face. Just as my father would be smiling ear to ear having an audience, with his interactive storytelling. Both of them told stories for the sheer joy of it. Much as I do now.

Getting pleasure from writing is something I am grateful my parents instilled in me at a young age. As a writer you have to love what you are doing. You have to love words. You have to love putting those words into sentences, those sentences into paragraphs, those paragraphs into stories. You have to write every day, and do it with a smile on your face. If writing gives you pleasure, than you are already a success. This is one of the main points of my Kindle article "Inspiration for the struggling writer." The most important thing in life that we all strive for is to like what we do. And writing is no exception. As the old saying goes, "Find what you like doing, and do it well."

My mother and father were never famous writers, but they told a story with exuberance and great joy. They were story tellers. They were successful writers. It gave them pleasure to entertain people with their stories. And that is what all writers are striving for in the long run. If you’re a writer take a second not to worry about the money or fame. Instead think about the pure joy you give yourself and others just by telling a story. It really is a wonderful thing.