Writing 2 Music

It's the holiday season. What does that mean?  The malls are busy. The roads are busy. People are super busy, including me! When I finally got my finals taken at the end of the semester I was excited that I would actually get time to write. HA! Let's just say that not an 'i' has been dotted nor a 't' crossed since November. I was feeling pretty bummed until a few days ago when I was listening to a hard core instrumental Christmas CD and got an idea. I thought to myself, 'Hmm, what if I wrote a story where each chapter was based on a song from this CD?'

I don't know if this is a real technique or if I just made it up, but either way, it's been pretty fun for me.

Music with Wings

I would encourage you to try it as you are enjoying your festive music this season.
Choose an album that's pretty classical with minimal singing. You could use a movie soundtrack (Hans Zimmer is awesome) or something with no definite story behind it (check out Escala - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM5g4i7VjDE). But the key is to write your actions according to the rises and falls of the music.

Just play around with some songs and see what you get. Trust me, it's a good way to get your creativity going... now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading to write. 

Your Gateway

Monica leaned against the window and gently pressed her cheek on its icy surface. She stared out into the cold night, watching lonely snow flakes drift to the ground. She imagined for the hundredth time that she would see him running through the snow towards the restaurant. He would see her and smile and at that moment her heart would melt. But there was no one there. The night was silent and still. When the waitress walked by Monica sat up straight. The woman glanced at the empty seat across from her, then smiled half-heartedly and kept walking. Monica pushed her menu away and rested her arms on the crisp white table-cloth. She fought back the tears that shrouded her vision; he wasn't coming. 
The first paragraph of your story is the most important. While reading this paragraph, your readers will decide mentally whether they want to keep reading or not. Your goal is to draw the reader into your world; make them relate to your situation. Explaining background isn't necessary yet, just start and let the reader figure out what's going on. Show, don't tell. Put them into the action.
Consider:
Amy walked into the train station. She was going to take the 2:30 train to Baltimore to see her parents. She was almost late. The line at the ticket desk was long. She looked at her watch. It was 2:25. The next train wouldn't arrive for another three hours. She had told her parents in her letter that she would be on the 2:30 train. She couldn't be late. 
Versus:
Amy shifted on her feet and peered down the long line to the ticket counter. She sighed when she looked at her watch; it was already 2:25. She had only five minutes to get her ticket. Frustrated, she dropped her worn carpet bag on the bench beside her and pulled out her mom's letter. "It was so good to hear from you. We are doing fine. Your father has been busy bringing in the harvest. We weren't able to hire help this year, so it has been hard for him. However, he said that the drive to the station isn't very far and we would love to come pick you up." Amy peered up at the schedule that was scrawled across a chalkboard hanging above the counter. If she missed this train, the next one wouldn't leave for Baltimore for another three hours. She couldn't make them wait on her. Not again. 
Your first paragraph is the gateway to the rest of your chapter. Make your readers want to run through it.

Need. More. Time. To. Write!!!

Do you ever feel as though you have to search for time to write? I have that feeling often. Your dreams of completing a story can seem elusive not only because of day to day things like school and work, but also things that can be time wasters such as Facebook, Twitter, etc. You might get discouraged when two weeks have gone by and you’ve hardly even thought about your story. Maybe a character idea popped into your head, but you were hanging out with your friends, so you didn’t even write it down. Maybe you tried to stay up at night to write, but the next day you felt like you were sleepwalking. I used to think, ‘If great writers are the ones who pump out thousands of words a day and devout their lives to writing, I’m a pretty lame writer.’

However, everyone has lives outside of writing. At times, I wish I could hide away like a monk and write all the time, but honestly, how interesting would my stories be? I’ve learned that inspiration comes from my everyday life. I’ve found that it’s a very good idea to carry a notebook around so that when something inspires an idea for a story, I can write it down. If you do chores around the house, be thinking about plot lines or character sketches (that’s when I get my best ideas for my stories). Often, I will think up a scene in my head then write it down; later when I actually get the time, I already have a rough scene to work around.

Although writing time is important, there are often other necessary things to think about during the day. I can’t even pretend to focus on my story and my homework at the same time. Instead of trying to write during lunch and at breaks like some people do, I like to do my homework during those times, so that evening I have less homework to do and I can write longer before bed (however, you will be able to function a lot better both in writing and in everyday life if you make sure you get sufficient sleep). Write when you can, but make sure you concentrate on the important things at hand.

Time wasters are deleterious (I just learned that word) to your writing. Not only can they steal away the time that you could be writing, but they can also suck your energy and inspiration to write. For me, Facebook is the greatest struggle. In order to bypass the urge to spend fifteen minutes every couple of hours on it, I set a time (say 4 o’clock) that I will get on. Sometimes I’ll look at the clock and decide to get off in twenty minutes, no matter who I’m talking to or what I’m reading. Especially if you do your writing on the computer, it’s very easy to want to jump on the internet, but resist the temptation! TV is another major time waster. Is it really necessary to watch three episodes of Hannah Montana (two of which you’ve already seen) in one night? (Yes, this is a personal issue of mine lol.)  If you aren’t willing to skimp on your favorite shows, write some before you go watch or determine to watch only 30 minutes before you start writing. TV and internet can be good tools and entertainment, but they can also be parasites to your writing time.

Sometimes, if you don’t have a lot of writing time in a day, you can get discouraged and procrastinate when you actually do get the time. I suggest making a list of how many words you want to write each day then aim for that goal. Maybe set a goal to write 1000 to 1500 on Monday and Tuesday but only 500 to 1000 on Wednesday and Thursday. On the weekends you can aim for higher goals like 2000 on Friday and 2500 on Saturday and Sunday. If you reach those goals, fantastic! If you don’t, move on and see what you can get done the next day. As in the rest of life, if you don’t set goals, you probably won’t get to where you want to go.

Write when you can, but don’t get discouraged when life gets in the way. It is perfectly normal to have to struggle for time to write, but don’t let that stop you. Just keep writing!

Question Your Imagination

The other night I plopped on my bed with my idea notebook opened on my lap. My mind was just about as blank as the white page in front of me. At that point, I only had two weeks until NaNo WriMo began (see below for NaNo info). I could not think of anything I wanted to write about; only lame pieces to boring plots shuffled through my head.  

I often procrastinate more than I should when it comes to writing, so this was not new to me. I wracked my brain for something, anything to help me get over writer’s block. Then, I remembered reading a ‘how to write’ book about a method called ‘question your imagination.’ The wheels of my imagination creaked into motion.

So, what is the ‘question your imagination’ method? Simply ask yourself a question that you think is interesting and start it with ‘what if’.  Next think of another ‘what if’ question that digs deeper into what the first was asking. Then write another and another, always following that same pattern. After you’re done, read back through the sentences and cross out the ones that don’t fit into your story or don’t excite you.

Here’s an example from a story I made up several years ago:

What if merpeople were real?

What if the king of those supposed merpeople had a beautiful daughter?

What if the king had adopted her from a different school of merpeople when she was young?

What if she had never seen her reflection?

What if the king didn’t want her to see her reflection?

What if she looked different than his people and he didn’t want her to know?

What if she had purple hair that made her different?

What if it were her eyes that made her different?

What if she ran away from the king because she thought he was too controlling?

What if she didn’t know he was just trying to protect her?

What if she had a fish that could teleport her?

What if she meets an evil merman on her travels?

What if he kills her fish?

What if the king’s real son came to rescue her?

What if he loved her?

This simple tool will help you shape your imaginings and give body to ideas that you’ve already had. It has certainly helped me with my stories.

So if you’re stuck or just feel like you need to explore your story a little more thoroughly, I suggest that you try it. If you ‘question your imagination’, it might take you places that you never expected to go. 

Music to Write By

This song inspires me every time <3

Get Up
Superchick

I'm not afraid to fall
It means i climbed up high
To fall is not to fail
You fail when you don't try
Not afraid to fall
I might just learn to fly
And i will spread these wings of mine

If i get up i might fall back down again
So let's get up come on
If i get up i might fall back down again
But we get up anyway
If i get up i might fall back down again
So let's get up come on
If i get up i might fall back down again
I might fall back down again


We'll just jump and see even if
It's the 20th time
We'll just jump and see if we can fly

I'm not afraid to fall
And here i told you so
Don't want to rock the boat
But i just has to know
Just a greener side
Or can i touch the sky
But either way
I will have tried

I'm not afraid to fall
I've fallen many times
They laughed when i fell down
But i have dared to climb
Not afraid to fall
I know i'll fall again
But i can win this in the end

Welcome to November!!!

 When I think of November, I think of snow, hot coco, and being cooped up in the house by the fireplace (not a bad concept, huh?). It's when I realize that Christmas is just around the corner. It's the month when I don't have to worry about being tan or skinny because I'm buried under layers of sweaters and coats! 

 It's also National Novel Writing Month... better known as NaNo WriMo! (nan-oh wry-moe) It's the event that brings tens of thousands of writers together in a quest to beat the odds and write an insane number of words in a very short amount of time. Trust me... it's crazy. 

 So here's the deal. You pick a number of words you think will be almost impossible to write in 30 days and try to get them all written in the month of November. I know, you're busy and so am I, but you might be amazed when you realize how much time you can mentally be working on your book! You can be thinking up ideas for your story anytime your mind is free and put those thoughts onto paper when you get spare time. Last November my friends probably thought I was the most unsocial person in the world (at least more unsocial than I already am thanks to homeschooling lol) but that was because I was CONSTANTLY writing! I lived inside my story with my characters... and believe me, it wasn't that bad of a gig. What's more, during that month I had another set of friends other than my normal every-day, could-care-less-about-writing, what's-a-plot, friends. I'm talking about my NaNo friends...

What on earth are NaNo friends? Well, besides NaNo WriMo just being a personal challenge, you have some big shots in the writing world that will to help you. This is ywp.nanowrimo.org, the social networking site for youth writers during the month of November. The site has a word meter so you can keep track of your goal and it gives tips and helps to keep you inspired and sharp. There are hundreds of writers on this site that you can connect with, compare with, and give and get ideas from. This site will help you every step that you take during your writing process. If you are very adventurous, you can try the adult version at nanowrimo.org. You minimum word goal is 50,000 words. Sounds like a lot? It is! You have to be super committed to rise to that challenge, but you will also get to connect with some older and more experienced writers. Check it out at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/3699214. Whichever you choose, I would highly recommend signing up. 
So... now you have something to look forward to besides hot coco and sweaters.
<3