Back in Black
Good news and bad news! Bad news first. I didn't get that fellowship. But, we all had already deduced that, so no big deal. Good news - I nominated my department chair (and friend) for an award, and she received it! I'm very happy about that because she's such a great person, and always doing things to celebrate others. We really need to celebrate her, too!
I haven't blogged much lately because work has been crazy and I've been extremely tired. I really need to take a couple of days off but, as I just said, work has been crazy. Yesterday I felt like a slacker because I only worked until 5:30p. Today, I'm taking most of the day off. Hopefully by next week, I'll be feeling a little better. CC is at the new job, so I can in theory work until about 10:30 every night. Once I feel healthier and with more energy, I can start to work a little bit later to catch up.
What does all this have to do with noveling, you ask? Why, nothing. I just felt like updating you on life. Now, as far as novels go, I have run out of my 1920's themed novels, and hope to stop by the library today to get some more. I also want a history book about Toronto in the 1920's. I've done a lot of reading, but I still don't have any ideas about what will happen in my book - except of course a faux queen pageant, champagne, and dancing all night.
One idea that I had for the novel writing was to use music to inspire me. I know that Jill and Katie have done this - maybe in comments you can say how you did it, because I seem to remember one of you created a mix of songs you thought your characters would listen to? And then you listened to those songs while writing?
I wanted to do something slightly differently. I want to create a mix - with some 20's stuff, but probably mostly contemporary - and then use each song to inspire a chapter. Then again, would this seem really limiting? If I couldn't take the plot in whatever direction I wanted... maybe that can be my backup. When I am feeling stuck for plot, I will listen to the next song in the mix, and take my direction from there. It could work.
I'm pretty excited to get started, too... because at least then, I can actually move forward on this plot! I'm excited for planning week as well - though we're moving then. This is going to be a really eventful NaNoWriMo for me and I am already looking forward to NaNoWriMo 2010 when maybe I won't be so busy!
I haven't blogged much lately because work has been crazy and I've been extremely tired. I really need to take a couple of days off but, as I just said, work has been crazy. Yesterday I felt like a slacker because I only worked until 5:30p. Today, I'm taking most of the day off. Hopefully by next week, I'll be feeling a little better. CC is at the new job, so I can in theory work until about 10:30 every night. Once I feel healthier and with more energy, I can start to work a little bit later to catch up.
What does all this have to do with noveling, you ask? Why, nothing. I just felt like updating you on life. Now, as far as novels go, I have run out of my 1920's themed novels, and hope to stop by the library today to get some more. I also want a history book about Toronto in the 1920's. I've done a lot of reading, but I still don't have any ideas about what will happen in my book - except of course a faux queen pageant, champagne, and dancing all night.
One idea that I had for the novel writing was to use music to inspire me. I know that Jill and Katie have done this - maybe in comments you can say how you did it, because I seem to remember one of you created a mix of songs you thought your characters would listen to? And then you listened to those songs while writing?
I wanted to do something slightly differently. I want to create a mix - with some 20's stuff, but probably mostly contemporary - and then use each song to inspire a chapter. Then again, would this seem really limiting? If I couldn't take the plot in whatever direction I wanted... maybe that can be my backup. When I am feeling stuck for plot, I will listen to the next song in the mix, and take my direction from there. It could work.
I'm pretty excited to get started, too... because at least then, I can actually move forward on this plot! I'm excited for planning week as well - though we're moving then. This is going to be a really eventful NaNoWriMo for me and I am already looking forward to NaNoWriMo 2010 when maybe I won't be so busy!
I'm glad that spying paid off for you. Too bad you didn't get the grant, but at least you can apply in the future!
ReplyDeleteAs for the music, I basically put together a playlist of songs that I thought would be relevant to the story. Songs that would fit the mood, and be about what I thought would happen in my book. It was easier because I sort of knew what I would be doing. This year, I'm going to make that CD of songs that Olgs and Nando would listen to.
I am giddy with anticipation for NaNoWriMo '09. Wooooo!
I basically used music as a way in to understanding my characters. Once I got inside them I knew what kind of music they would like, and created a playlist that had some of their songs on it. Also, just was inspired when I heard a song and imagined something happening- basically a way that I think about music all the time. I do this in the screenplay Sarah and I are writing, too. Sometimes I'll hear a song and it will give me an idea, and so I listen to it and imagine it happening in detail. The play list grew throughout the course of the writing period. Often the song does not appear in the novel, it's just a song that I know has personal meaning for one of the characters.
ReplyDeleteI think music will be popping up in my novel a bit...in a crucial part of my book. But i have no idea what music my character will listen to...mainly because i can't categorize personalities/people by music or possibly because i only selectively listen for lyrics thus interpret songs however i feel like it. Point in case (did i use this correctly?) dashboard confession has heartwarming songs IMO not whiny emo songs that sam seems to think they sing.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean that my characters like a particular 'brand' or 'type' of music, I just feel like I know them really well, and therefore know what they would like, or a particular song strikes me as a song that one of the characters would be drawn to- like you, for whatever reason. For example, Katie and I have already decided that Fernando loves the song "Let it Rock" by 'Lil Wayne and that other guy. I don't know why, it just struck us both as being so right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments! I'm still not sure what I'll do for music, but I like the thought of finding inspiration there. Then again, Esmondes might be all the inspiration I need. (Wannabes included, of course, Scott!)
ReplyDelete