A new soundtrack for my writing playlist

Apr 072011
 

Oh, happy find! Awesome music I can listen to when I write. Huzzah!

I listen to a lot of soundtracks while writing—Inception & BSG just to name a few. I also listen to a lot of cello music—Zoe Keating and Julia Kent mostly. So when Zoe sent out an email this morning, letting us know that a soundtrack was just released and that she had solos on it? Well duh, I had to check it out!

The soundtrack is from the movie, The Conspirator. And here’s what Zoe had to say about it:

Mark Isham’s score for The Conspirator is out and it features quite a lot of me. These cello parts were the very last thing I recorded before giving birth last year…literally 12 hours after I recorded the final touches, I went into labor. The film is by Robert Redford, and is about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I recommend it, and the score, which you can get on Bandcamp (!). Here it is: http://store.isham.com

I’ve been listening to it off that site all day. It’s awesome! I think this might be the first time I’ve fallen in love with a score before seeing the movie. :P

That’s that. I must go download it now. I leave you with an awesome interview with Zoe:

Have a happy day! :)

Dipping my toes back into writing with a sorta new start

Feb 222011
 

Look at all that paper! On the right of my laptop sits manuscript #1. On the left sits #2, part of #3, and folders with tons of scribbled notes. I’ve been going through pieces of these papers for the past couple weeks, trying to reacquaint myself with the story. Three years (at least!) of writer’s block has had me hesitant to dive in completely. It’s been surreal going through it now. And what’s really hitting me most is that I need to start over.

Huzzah!

Heh. You may wonder how I can celebrate that, but it’s a good thing. It’s inspiration. It’s a kickstart. And it has me excited! I realized part of the problem I’ve been having is that I was confining this story to a trilogy. And guess what? That’s not going to work. Series it is. How many books? No idea. Not sure how much from the original material will survive either. All I know is that I’m excited by the possibilities and want nothing more than to dive in with a fresh start. Writers block, be prepared, what’s left of you is about be annihilated! :P

First up, character profiles, maps, and some general outlining. Woot!

Has this ever happened to you? Have you had to scrap everything and start over in order to do what’s best for the story? Were you as ridiculously giddy over the idea of it as I am? :)

Where We Write

Aug 202010
 

This morning Laura RT’d an article titled Where We Write: The Merits of Making Do. It’s a pretty awesome piece talking about how some folks try so hard to make the perfect writing environment instead of actually writing. I think I’ve been doing that too.

This summer I got rid of my cable so I’d watch less TV. Now I have to see what Netflix has to offer or watch something online. So I’m not wasting my time watching garbage marathons any more.

Then I got a laptop so I could move around freely to write. No longer tied to the desk! But then I couldn’t write. I sat in the living room with all this great light and no TV channel surfing distraction and just stared at a blank screen. I ended up trying to write at the desk in the corner of my bedroom again but man, that felt confining. And then I started to pace. Thus has been my summer. Bleh.

So while I wasn’t busy trying to make aesthetic changes (pretty bobbles and the right pencil cup) to my writing environment per se, I was locking myself into where to write. At home.

Some of that changed with the start of a writing group. I have to write away from home then. But a real change came when my upstairs neighbor sounded like he was stomping on my head with combat boots. Oy! I had to get away. I took the laptop outside to a park/playground. I sat at a rickety picnic table (pictured). Behind me a basket ball game went on. At another table kids talked and one kid bounced another basket ball. It was noisy but expected noise, thus white noise really. And I was finally able to write.

The dumb thing is that I ignored that and have been trying to write in my living room again. Yep, I’m an idiot.

The beauty of the laptop is the travel it allows us and really, I need to embrace that more. I mean, duh, wasn’t that why I got said laptop anyway? I will have to write more in parks and playgrounds. I may even start checking out some libraries since that sounds fabulous too. I think the variety of scenery will do me some good. It’ll also help with being less isolated since that makes me stir crazy at times too.

What about you? Where do you write?

Mini vacation was chock full of sleep and True Blood

Jul 052010
 

Today’s the last day of my mini vacation. Boo! It’s been relaxing. I meant for the weekend to be a writing fest, but I ended up sleeping a lot instead. By sleep, I mean hibernation style sleep. I’d be in the middle of doing something, like writing, and then I’d blink and be asleep. It was unreal. I did write some though, just not as much as I had been planning. Guess I really needed the sleep. Hah.

I also caught up on season 2 of True Blood, which was fun. It’s so bizarre seeing the differences from the books. The show is much better since the books are pretty flimsy.  However, I didn’t like the maenad story in the book, I certainly didn’t care for the amped up version with the entire town involved. Man, that story dragged. And Eric wasn’t even in it. Why bother? :P

Ruki of course assisted me with all the sleep and vegging. I thought it was odd that she kept sitting half on the floor/half on the carpet but I guess she was comfortable:

And well, that’s that. I guess it’s time to get to more writing. I hope I’m all caught up on sleep now! :P

Have a happy day all!

Writing Prompt: Dear John From the Furniture

Dec 302009
 

I saw this writing prompt on the Writer’s Digest website:

You return home from work to find a Dear John letter on your kitchen table. Oddly enough, it’s from one of your favorite pieces of furniture. What does the letter say?

Sounds fun. Enjoy!

Writing Prompt: One Eye

Jul 302009
 

I’m trying to get back into writing more regularly. I figured I’d start with a few writing prompts before diving back into the trilogy. I came across an archive of a lot of wonderful 5 minute exercises on C.M. Mayo’s site. Here’s the one for July 30:

“One Eye”
Your character has lost an eye. This creates all sorts of unexpected challenges for him or her. What are they? Be specific. Sketch out a couple of mini-scenes.

Enjoy!

Writing Prompt: Sound Awakening

May 312009
 

I Tarocchi dell'Alba Dorata: Il RisveglioWith their diverse imagery and symbolism, tarot cards can make for interesting subjects of writing prompts. Here’s an example tarot writing prompt that I posted this morning on Cat ‘N Owl:

This is the Judgment card from I Tarocchi dell’Alba Dorata by Giacinto Gaudenzi. But the direct translation of Il Risveglio is The Awakening rather than Judgment and it is in that difference that I found inspiration for this writing prompt. I also love imagery, the witch’s hat and the shape of her horn. She walks barefoot with a posture that seems relaxed to me. Does she even realize she’s waking up the trolls?

Your writing prompt: Imagine you are one of the trolls sleeping underground. A distant noise catches your attention. It’s soft but somehow you find yourself wanting to be near it. You begin to pull yourself to the surface, the sound growing louder as you go. What does it sound like? Why do you feel drawn to it? Once you reach it, what message does it have for you?

Enjoy!

Writing Prompt: Aliens in the Road

May 222009
 

Great image, isn’t it? Right away I see inspiration in it for crazy alien abductions:

So there I was already having the worst day ever when my car came to rest on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I had no flashlight and wasn’t sure what to do so I sat there for a moment, punching the steering wheel. What can I say? It felt like the right thing to do. Like I said, worst day ever!

That morning I had gotten to work to find an FBI raid going on. Seems the executives had been stealing from our clients and now they were going to jail and the rest of us schlubs were stuck with no jobs—not to mention a black mark on our resumes.

I decided to head home to start doing some online job hunting, but while walking back to the subway, I got mashed in a crowd of people and burned by a cigarette. My skirt went up on flames and next thing I knew it I was on the ground and being rolled across the cement. I sat up and discovered that not only was I sitting there in a charred skirt, I had gum in my hair.

I finally made it to the subway and find out the train has been shut down due to electrical failure. I decided to huff it home despite the less than walking-friendly shoes I had on. I wanted to kick myself for deciding to place fashion against comfort that day.

A few hours later I found myself on the doorstep to my apartment, exhausted and in desperate need of a hot shower. My boyfriend opened the door, carrying a box and our cat, Minxie. He said that he was leaving me for a blonde and he was taking the cat too. As he drove away I noticed the box in the backseat of the car. It was full of my X-Files DVDs.

I kicked my front door. Then I went inside and got cleaned up and tried to relax. Sitting there wasn’t helping though, especially since I couldn’t help but stare at the gaping hole where my X-Files DVDs had been. So I decided to go for a drive.

I just needed to clear my head. I cranked up my tunes and drove out of the City and through some suburbs. I didn’t even realize had far I’d driven until my car stopped like it did, leaving me stranded in the middle of the country and in the dark.

An iridescent glow caught my attention and I glanced up to see three forms lingering in front of my car. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times. The forms were more like creatures, tilting their heads at odd angles that didn’t seem all that normal. I wondered if I missed Halloween and it was really kids in costumes.

Then I heard a voice say something that sounded like meezletinepop. Or at least that’s how it sounded to me…

……………………………………………………………………

Where does the story go? Or make one up from scratch yourself. Either way, enjoy!

Writing Prompt: description as told to a blind person

Jan 192009
 

I love National Geographic’s photography. I saw this picture of an aerial view of elephants in a national park in Kenya and thought the image was breathtaking. And then I thought—since I often have this thought—how on earth would you describe something like this to someone who is blind?

So there you have it, your writing prompt. Describe the scene to a blind person.

Enjoy!

Finished NaNo! Yay!

Nov 252008
 

I need a serious nap (or two, more like twelve) now. And I love this viking ship image. :)

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