So, today was one of those days where you go from low low to high high. I had just returned from a trip to New England and had a minor injury on the plane so I spent most of the day at the Emergency Room of a local hospital. I bumped my head while boarding the plane yesterday and after a couple of hours, I realized it wasn't just a casual knock on the head. It turned out that everything was fine and the doctor sent me home with the advice to take some ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and get some rest.
About two hours ago, I decided to check my email again and I realized there was a message regarding a contest I'd entered earlier this year. I am now a finalist and the contest coordinator told me that my entry was "impressive" and that the judges said it was one of the most "seductive, compelling, and well-written" entries. I was totally stoked as Inez Kelly would say!
My bumpy morning turned out to be a terrific evening. And, the best part is that the sexual tension scene I submitted to the contest will now be passed on to two senior editors at a couple of big epublishers and if they like it, I can get this book sold and published! Or, should I say published and sold? I love knowing that this time next year, the book could be for sale online.
My excited ramble has come to an end, but the hope and joyful anticipation live on...
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
A song for a character
I'm up later than usual tonight. I decided to make a soundtrack for my current WIP. I've always liked to listen to mood music when I write. When I was younger, I tended to pop in the Corrs first album, Forgiven Not Forgotten, or Sarah McLachlan's Surfacing Album. It wasn't until a few years ago when I was reading a book called Plot & Structure
that I had ever heard of anyone actually making a "soundtrack" to a novel. The author calls it a brainstorming tool.
While writing my last book, I did create a soundtrack and discovered I could still write well to pop and R&B songs. So, this time, I went through my CD and itunes library and picked out several songs, but I got inspired to give each character a playlist and make a special folder just for this novel in my itunes library. It was interesting to do because I realized each character had a mood. One of my suspects is into early jazz (Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday) and her songs are moody and melancholic. All of her songs feature lost love, wrong love, or unrequited love.
Both my hero, Sebastian, and the victim in this book both favor pop. Their songs are overtly sensual and in-your-face. Sebastian favors Usher and Justin Timberlake while the victim favors Fergie. My heroine likes Natalie Imbruglia's first album.
I had never before considered having songs for each character. But, I find that now that I've thought about it, I like it. There is a sense of individuality in the songs, something which I hope will come through in the writing.
Do you pick certain CDs or songs for your novels? And, do certain songs specifically reflect a character or do they tend to reflect on the relationship or the tone of the novel as a whole?
that I had ever heard of anyone actually making a "soundtrack" to a novel. The author calls it a brainstorming tool.While writing my last book, I did create a soundtrack and discovered I could still write well to pop and R&B songs. So, this time, I went through my CD and itunes library and picked out several songs, but I got inspired to give each character a playlist and make a special folder just for this novel in my itunes library. It was interesting to do because I realized each character had a mood. One of my suspects is into early jazz (Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday) and her songs are moody and melancholic. All of her songs feature lost love, wrong love, or unrequited love.
Both my hero, Sebastian, and the victim in this book both favor pop. Their songs are overtly sensual and in-your-face. Sebastian favors Usher and Justin Timberlake while the victim favors Fergie. My heroine likes Natalie Imbruglia's first album.
I had never before considered having songs for each character. But, I find that now that I've thought about it, I like it. There is a sense of individuality in the songs, something which I hope will come through in the writing.
Do you pick certain CDs or songs for your novels? And, do certain songs specifically reflect a character or do they tend to reflect on the relationship or the tone of the novel as a whole?
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