Just as the title of this post states, I find music is the ideal way to get the creative juices flowing and a big help when I'm suffering from writers block. I've been rewriting some chapters and I find myself switching artist and music genre with the mood of what I am writing. My itunes library consists of 198 artists and growing. The following are just what jumps into my mind right now, but by no means is it limited to only them.
During fast paced sequences, I alternated between Cage the Elephant, Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars and the Foo Fighters, to name a few. Heartbreak, love betrayal or any words written that cause pain due to love, Adele is a must and I Should Have Known by the Foo Fighters. (Dave Grohl is a music genius but that is just my personal opinion). Billie Holiday's beautiful voice is ideal for the exchange of sweet words between lovers and Robin Thick's low sexy voice has the love scenes practically writing themselves.
There is no specific song or genre that I have to listen to when I am having difficulty writing something or when I can't seem to write at all. I just turn my itunes library shuffle on and listen to whatever starts playing. Eventually the words and scenes start flowing back.
Music does not only get my creative juices flowing, music is part of my everyday life, be it the ride in the car, working, exercising and even just lounging around.
And what do I use to write a post for my blog? The answer is whatever my itunes library decides to play and right now it decided on Imagine by John Lennon.
And just in case anyone needed instructions in how to integrate music into your writing here you are:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4870505_integrate-music-creative-writing.html hehehehe....
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Catching up and log line
I have been missing in blogging. I started the blog with the intention of blogging at least once a week. I felt that it would be a way to help me get over my fear of showing any type of my writing. I still feel this way. I will diligently try to blog at least once a week. Now you will get tired of me.
What have I been doing the last three or four months? I have been working on my novel. It is a very long process, many long nights and a lot of editing and revising. I have been reading a lot of helpful information, the Internet is littered with it and I am taking full advantage of that.
I recently came across Kristen Lamb's Blog: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/. I have been having trouble writing the sypnosis for my novel. As I was reading her latest entry, http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/structure-part-5-keeping-focused-nailing-the-pitch-understand-your-seed-idea-2/ , she writes about nailing the pitch idea and a log line. I don't think that I have yet to nail my pitch idea or log line, but she pointed me in the right direction. Now if she could only point me in the right direction for a title.
This is my potential log line:
In El Salvador, Kareline with her unique abilities battles a strong and unknown evil the likes of what she has never faced and falling in love with a dark eyed stranger was also something she had never experienced before.
What do you think?
Updated log line:
Kareline is a modern day witch that travels to the country of El Salvador to use her abilities to fight an evil far more dangerous than what she has ever encountered but falling in love with a dark eyed stranger puts her life that much closer to death.
Which is better the first one or the second one? Or neither?
What have I been doing the last three or four months? I have been working on my novel. It is a very long process, many long nights and a lot of editing and revising. I have been reading a lot of helpful information, the Internet is littered with it and I am taking full advantage of that.
I recently came across Kristen Lamb's Blog: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/. I have been having trouble writing the sypnosis for my novel. As I was reading her latest entry, http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2012/10/08/structure-part-5-keeping-focused-nailing-the-pitch-understand-your-seed-idea-2/ , she writes about nailing the pitch idea and a log line. I don't think that I have yet to nail my pitch idea or log line, but she pointed me in the right direction. Now if she could only point me in the right direction for a title.
This is my potential log line:
In El Salvador, Kareline with her unique abilities battles a strong and unknown evil the likes of what she has never faced and falling in love with a dark eyed stranger was also something she had never experienced before.
What do you think?
Updated log line:
Kareline is a modern day witch that travels to the country of El Salvador to use her abilities to fight an evil far more dangerous than what she has ever encountered but falling in love with a dark eyed stranger puts her life that much closer to death.
Which is better the first one or the second one? Or neither?
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Beliefs and legends lead to writing
My parents are from El Salvador. I have been lucky enough to have visited the country and family that my parents had left behind. It is a beautiful country with strong belifs and legends. It is what influenced me in the story that I am writing.
The stories may sound absurd, be it the gold that my great grandfather buried but people are too afraid to unearth for the spirits will haunt them (there is actually confirmation of buried metal deposits), or the story of my cousins grandfather having a pact with the devil (confirmation of this is still up in the air, but I will say this my cousins family obtained a large amount of land and money in a short amount of time. So the story goes).
The legends fare no better. The legend of the "zipitillo", the actual translation I am not sure of, but it is the legend of a dwarf like creature that likes to flirt with beautiful women. My female cousins would always braid their hair before they went to bed, because apparently the "zipitillo" likes to braid women's hair while they sleep. Of course a legend for men exists, "La Siguanava" (probably not how it is spelled). "La Siguanava" likes to entice men. When the man aproaches her because of her beautiful body, she reveals her hideous face, causing the men to go crazy. I have had family members swear by God that they have come into contact with either "El Zipitillo" or "La Siguanava". I do have more than a few crazy cousins.
The stories get darker dealing with actual spirits, curses and possessions. I have always been intrigued by the darker stories told to me by my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and parents. It is one story in particular that I spun my tale around and it happens to be the darkest. I will write a more detailed synopsis within the next couple of days, it is still a work in progress. The story that I expanded on is that of a young woman who is possessed.
What I am writing is a far cry from Jane Austen romance filled novels. I would say it is more like Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches chronicles. But Aspiring Toward Austen does not mean that I wish to mimick her work but her ability to draw the reader in her world and characters. I strive to create a character like her Mr. Darcy, like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Wentworth. I strive to create her world of Northanger Abbey, Pemberley and Mansfield Park.
The stories may sound absurd, be it the gold that my great grandfather buried but people are too afraid to unearth for the spirits will haunt them (there is actually confirmation of buried metal deposits), or the story of my cousins grandfather having a pact with the devil (confirmation of this is still up in the air, but I will say this my cousins family obtained a large amount of land and money in a short amount of time. So the story goes).
The legends fare no better. The legend of the "zipitillo", the actual translation I am not sure of, but it is the legend of a dwarf like creature that likes to flirt with beautiful women. My female cousins would always braid their hair before they went to bed, because apparently the "zipitillo" likes to braid women's hair while they sleep. Of course a legend for men exists, "La Siguanava" (probably not how it is spelled). "La Siguanava" likes to entice men. When the man aproaches her because of her beautiful body, she reveals her hideous face, causing the men to go crazy. I have had family members swear by God that they have come into contact with either "El Zipitillo" or "La Siguanava". I do have more than a few crazy cousins.
The stories get darker dealing with actual spirits, curses and possessions. I have always been intrigued by the darker stories told to me by my grandmothers, aunts, uncles, cousins and parents. It is one story in particular that I spun my tale around and it happens to be the darkest. I will write a more detailed synopsis within the next couple of days, it is still a work in progress. The story that I expanded on is that of a young woman who is possessed.
What I am writing is a far cry from Jane Austen romance filled novels. I would say it is more like Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches chronicles. But Aspiring Toward Austen does not mean that I wish to mimick her work but her ability to draw the reader in her world and characters. I strive to create a character like her Mr. Darcy, like Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Wentworth. I strive to create her world of Northanger Abbey, Pemberley and Mansfield Park.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Aspiring toward Austen
I start this blog on the urging of one of my best friends. When I told her I wanted to be a writer she said I should start a blog. If you start a blog you can post chapters, ramblings and I would so follow you, is what she said to me. The problem with a blog is that people will see what you write was my hesitating answer. Duh! Isn't that the reason you want to be a writer, to have people read what you have to say, what you think and to immerse people in the worlds the you create within your work, she answered. Fear started to grow in me. No. I lie. The fear in me grew bigger.
I have been afraid of many things for a very long time. From the obvious ones, such as fear of heights, fear of roller coasters and even fear of the dark after watching a scary movie, to the much deeper ones, such as fear of disappointing others, fear of judgement, fear of rejection and fear of not succeeding. It is time that I stop letting fear rule me. Here I am!
Aspiring Toward Austen comes from wanting to write an enduring and much fantasized about character like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, or creating the enduring love between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth in Persuasion. Jane Austen's classic works are not my only source of inspiration. Anne Rice, Margaret Mitchell, JK Rowling, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Elizabeth Gaskell, Paolo Coelho are only a few of the authors that I love and who influence and inspire me.
Get ready for my ramblings, my literary work, my thoughts and I hope to immerse you in the worlds that I create within my work!
I have been afraid of many things for a very long time. From the obvious ones, such as fear of heights, fear of roller coasters and even fear of the dark after watching a scary movie, to the much deeper ones, such as fear of disappointing others, fear of judgement, fear of rejection and fear of not succeeding. It is time that I stop letting fear rule me. Here I am!
Aspiring Toward Austen comes from wanting to write an enduring and much fantasized about character like Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, or creating the enduring love between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth in Persuasion. Jane Austen's classic works are not my only source of inspiration. Anne Rice, Margaret Mitchell, JK Rowling, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Elizabeth Gaskell, Paolo Coelho are only a few of the authors that I love and who influence and inspire me.
Get ready for my ramblings, my literary work, my thoughts and I hope to immerse you in the worlds that I create within my work!
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