Archive for March, 2009

I can write without music, but I certainly don’t like to. Music sets the mood and gets the story flowing. When I’m “in the zone,” as I like to call it, I’ve got a pair of headphones on and Ryan’s Playlist on shuffle.

Ryan is one of the main characters in my WIP. Renata and Ryan care a lot about music and it trickles into what they’re doing every now and again. In some ways they have their own built in soundtrack, which I think is pretty cool. Their common interest in music and particular artists is one of the reasons they fell head over heels for each other, so it has to be important for me as the writer to make them feel connected to it. Ryan’s Playlist does just that. It’s not only the playlist that helps me find my story but it is sometimes literally what they are listening to or talking about within the story itself. Many times Renata will comment that Ryan put on one of his great playlists while they drove in the car or sat by the fireplace.

As a rule, even when I don’t find time in my day to write, I always listen to Ryan’s Playlist, whether I’m in the car, or working out, or working at my day job. It helps me stay connected to my characters and connected to my story even when I can’t put words onto paper for them.

I love the way that Ryan’s Playlist evolves. There are about thirty songs that are permanent and the rest kind of float in and out. If I hear a song that’s not already on the list, but makes me feel connected to them, then I add it. Every now and again a song that’s on the list just isn’t doing it for me and so it comes off. Like if I find that I’m skipping ahead every time it comes on while I’m writing, then it’s taken off the list. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ll every now and again see tweets about songs being added or taken off.

So today, this is where Ryan’s Playlist stands, the ones in bold actually make an appearance in my story either through dialogue or background situations.

“Different” by Acceptance
“Anyday” by Ani DiFranco
“She’s Losing It” by Belle and Sebastian
“Eyes On Fire” by Blue Foundation
“First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes
“No Other Love” by Chuck Prophet
“Don’t Panic” by Coldplay
“High Speed” by Coldplay
“Low” by Coldplay
“Lullaby” by The Cure
“Fascination Street” by The Cure
“Strange Attraction [Album Mix]” by The Cure
“The Professor (Live)” by Damien Rice
“Cannonball” Damien Rice
“9 Crimes” by Damien Rice
“Cold Water” by Damien Rice
“A Lack of Color” by Death Cab For Cutie
“The Water (Red Demos)” by Feist
“Say Goodbye” by Fleetwood Mac
“Hundred” by The Fray
“Once” by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová
“Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron & Wine
“Ache” by James Carrington
“Clockwatching” by Jason Mraz
“Je N’en Connais Pas La Fin [Live]” by Jeff Buckley
“What Will You Say [Live]” by Jeff Buckley
“Venn Diagram” by Lisa Hannigan
“I Don’t Know” by Lisa Hannigan
“Paper Planes” by M.I.A.
“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star
“The Wrong Girl” by Missy Higgins
“Supermassive Black Hole” by Muse
“Spotlight (Twilight Mix)” by Mutemath
“Decode” by Paramore
“I Caught Myself” by Paramore
“Carmen” by Paula Cole
“Go All the Way (Into the Twilight)” by Perry Farrell
“All Mine” by Portishead
“Only You” by Portishead
“15 Step” by Radiohead
“Reckoner” by Radiohead
“Dreamworld” by Rilo Kiley
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones
“Sympathy for the Devil” by The Rolling Stones
“Before the Worst” by The Script
“The Dangling Conversation” by Simon & Garfunkel
“You Could Be Happy” by Snow Patrol
“The Planets Bend Between Us” by Snow Patrol
“Awkward Duet” by Sons and Daughters
“Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly Caught In His Hair” by Sufjan Stevens
“Caramel” by Suzanne Vega
“The Eraser” by Thom Yorke
“Crumbs from Your Table” by U2
“In The Waiting Line” by Zero 7

Yesterday people all over the world turned off their lights for one hour to participate in Earth Hour. I was lucky enough to catch on in the early evening that yesterday was the day. I had participated in it last year, and so I was glad I didn’t miss it.

My first inclination was to read with a book light during that hour, but I was never able to find it. So I had to change plans. I decided to make more progress on my WIP. So at 8:30 sharp, we turned out the lights, lit some candles, and I unplugged my laptop.

The end result was about 400 words that amounted to some really good stuff. Maybe it was the candlelight, but my writing was more romantically themed than what I usually do, which turned out to be perfect for that moment in my story. It wasn’t hard to write a scene with Ryan and Renata in the dark English countryside while rain pelted against the windows, because it felt like an extension of what I was already doing.

Besides the good work that came out of it, it was also a nice change of pace personally. Me and all the other people I know who took part all agreed that Earth Hour is something that should happen much more often and not just once a year.

How many forms can inspiration take? I think countless. Because I’m writing a love story, it’s easy to find inspiration everywhere and everyday. In a way, love is tricky to write. Almost everyone’s got it to some extent, or has had it, but it’s a complex beast and it leads to interesting circumstances almost always. Romance is easy. Boy meets girl and they share romance and intimacy. It’s love that’s harder to pin down and express through words and action. In my own life, love has driven me to do things I never thought were possible. It’s made me behave erratically at times and it’s even made me turn my back on other people that I love. And because love is so individualistic and different in each instance, there is so much to observe.

One of my favorite websites to visit is called Le Love. Nearly everyday a new image is posted that represents love. Not romance, although that can be a common side benefit, but love. It’s a great inspiration.

While I’m writing my WIP, I’m trying to capture the spectrum of how love works between these two characters. From their happy moments, to their partnership, to the silence that comes between them every now and again because of insecurity. It’s broad. I don’t just want it to be love through my own filter and I don’t want it to be ideal and fairytale. I want it to be their love. And as my WIP develops and the plot, proverbially, thickens, Renata and Ryan’s love becomes one of a kind. Just like everyone else’s.

So today’s inspiration was this short film, that was actually posted on Le Love. I really like how you can feel his loneliness before he makes a connection with the girl across the way.

Welcome to my blog. Here I hope to report on any new developments with my writing, including my progress and my setbacks. I probably won’t go into plot development too much here because I need to focus that energy on the actual writing and not in the blog.

So to catch you up, I’m working on my first real novel. I’ve written scores of short stories, but this is the real deal. I’m mostly writing it for myself, but if something comes from it that would be great. I was first inspired for this particular story while working out one night. I swear there are two great places to come up with story ideas. First, while working out. Second, while in the shower. Well this one happened on the treadmill and then I solidified it in the shower afterwards.

Writing fiction for me used to be a little too out there. I was once so abstract that only I could ever understand it. Now I’m much more down to earth. I’m writing to make me happy and to make anyone who reads it happy.

So for this story I’ve got roughly 300 pages written. Once it’s all written down, I imagine that my story will be between 500 and 600 pages. Clearly it will need a good editing, but I figure it’s good to get it all out there and then pull back and tighten it.

I’m in the midst of a four-day weekend and it would be so great to make really significant progress. I’m hoping to connect two story points that I’ve been writing in parallel.

Details of my current work (WIP), for future reference:

• Nickname: Never
• Main characters: Renata and Ryan
• Locations: Seattle, Providence, London, Somerset, Oxford, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and New York City (phew).
• Genre: Chick lit
• Perspective: first-person narratives switching back and forth between Renata and Ryan.