Two of my favorite American writers followed an all-to-common path of living fast and dying hard. Jack Kerouac’s work is still affecting American culture forty-five years after his untimely death at age forty-nine. Take a look at his Nine Essentials for Writing Spontaneous Prose.

Hunter S. Thompson was a molder of popular American opinion for several decades. HST also wrestled with weightier questions of life. Maria Popova captures that essence in 20-Year-Old Hunter S. Thompson’s Superb Advice on How to Find Your Purpose and Live a Meaningful Life. It would seem Hunter gave up on looking when he placed his favorite .44 to his head and blew his brains out at the age of  sixty-seven.

It’s a pity that substance fueled demons robbed us of a couple of American originals. But at least their writings live on.