I know it's cliche, but I've been reading a lot of H. P. Lovecraft latey. It's still interesting stuff, even if it's been diluted by time. The presentation is the key; it's just fanciful enough to evoke thoughts of Poe without being too gothic to sound like an imitation. The subject matter is, of course, pretty dreary, and the tone is sometimes forced, but it's neat to think of the thoughts processed that produced his work. Granted, if I came up with the kind of material he did, I'd approach it with just as much wonder and awe as dread.

A little background research tells me that other writers have used some of Lovecraft's settings for their work; I wonder if they wrote in the same genre. On the other hand, I wonder if a different angle on his material would work as well.

In personal news, I've been sick this week, so I don't feel like doing much, but I also hate not getting things done.