Letters from Camp: There I was…

Wow, I just have to say… last night was amazing!  There I was, just minding my own business… working on rewriting a section, since I have been struggling so much, and chatting with a friend about life.  And wouldn’t you know it, the next thing I know I am knee deep in giant felines, and I have a couple hundred words on one of the scenes I was struggling with!  I couldn’t believe it!  I don’t even remember switching over to work on it.  I just know, one minute I was rewriting, and chatting with my friend and the next, BLAM! two hundred plus words in that new scene!  I really couldn’t be more excited!

In honor of that, I will leave you with a few words from last night!

Working together with my crew, and almost hand in hand with Kyi, we all buckle down to help the planet recover from the latest in a string of pretty bad disasters. The earthquake that took me out for a while seemed to give Kyi new purpose. Never leaving my side, as if afraid I am going to fade or pass out or something.
I can not believe the connection to him. It is almost as if we move in perfect synchronization, our movements mirroring one another without any effort. I almost feel as if we are two planets orbiting one another.
“It is because you are finally accepting it. Do you notice the difference around the two of you? How the people seem different after they have worked with you?” Kieran asks me slyly.
Reaching out I swat at him, only to hear a low rumble. Looking over to ask him what has gotten into him, I notice that it is not him I have swatted, it is in fact Árdghal. Heat flushes up my face, “I am sorry dara athair. I thought…” I trail off, not really having anything to say.
He chuffs and tackles me, rolling around like I do with Kieran, leaving me breathless and laughing. When out of no where he is flying off of me, a cat I have not seen before standing over me, rumbling. I go perfectly still, not sure what is going on, or what the newcomer is upset over.
Rumbling comes from all around me, with the new cat still standing over me, I do not dare move.
“What ever you do, hold still” Kyi’s thoughts filter quietly into my mind.
“You think” I retort, making sure he catches the eye roll that goes with it. Holding desperately to humor, anything to not think about the danger the cat represents.

What about you?!? Have you had those moments?  Times where you planned to work on one thing and found yourself magically working through another, with no knowledge of how you got there?

Letters from Camp: Today at Camp

So, today at camp I was totally inspired while talking about my draft. You would image that means I did a bunch of writing, but no. I just talked about it, and dreamed up some great ideas that might work to get the end started. I gotta get the ball rolling on that! I can’t believe here we are, already nine days into camp and I have only written a measly thousand some odd words!  Sad right?  Well, don’t despair and give up on me yet! I can still do this!  I have high hopes for later this day! To get some more words out there!    And yes, I know that I have another award to post about, look for that later this week!

What about you? Are you feeling stuck? What do you think is hardest, writing the beginning of a novel or the end?  Where are you on your writing goals?  Hope your camp experience is treating you well!

Inspiration Struck

Alright, so I totally had a different topic planned for today, but I wanted to share with you this bit of inspiration I had the other day.  You see, I have been really busy! Like… gone every day for a month now, busy.  So with that has been a lot of time spent in the car driving, which of course gives one too much time to think.  I had this major apostrophe!

http://imgur.com/gallery/0NvfDa6

So here it is, I write songs every once in a while and I had been thinking, how cool would it be to make a soundtrack for Mo Thuras, right?  Well… then after I am home I hop in the shower, why does the best ideas always happen in the shower where we can’t write them down?!?, and had this amazing tune, and the chorus to Melody’s life story pop in my head!

So, just to share with you, here is a little bit of the song that I created Sunday night.

Don’t forget to tell me what you think!  How about you? Do you ever dabble in other mediums?  Do you have creative ideas to go along with your writing?  Would you be interested if your favorite books had soundtracks of music written just for them?

Finding Inspiration: New Writing Tools

So I am finally finding my inner inspiration once more. Working hard on writing, and pursuing my dreams. That said, something that always inspires me is new writing tools! I mean, who doesn’t love a new notebook or pen!  Recently I tried a fountain pen for the first time ever and I have to say, I am in LOVE!  They are amazing… (when they work right) and nothing flows over the page as smoothly!  I received this little beauty from a great writerly friend, who is one of my best friends!

Oh, abut that little side note, yes I am having a bit of trouble with my beautiful new pen, but in part I think it comes from not knowing a thing about them!  So I will be doing some research into fountain pens in the very near future.  I did a little digging today and learned that the tips are just suppose to get better with time, and they “learn” your writing style, so you should never borrow out your fountain pen!

Also, because it is too beautiful not to share, here is an amazing dip pen I had received from my wife!

What inspires you? Do you love new writing tools? What about fountain pens, have you ever tried them?  What do you really enjoy?

A bit of Inspiration

So, I have managed to fall a few days behind on my writing, but today that is not what I want to share with you.  Instead, I want to share my day’s distraction.  A video that speaks to the deepest parts of our selves.

This is a big part of why I write in the New Adult genre.  The exploration of identity, of why we are who we are, of trying despite the odds stacked against us… it is powerful!

 

What do you think?  What goes through your mind when watching this video?  What emotions does it evoke?

A Bit Late

 

Well, this update is coming a bit late, but I struggled ALL day with my word count.  Could not get anything out.  For the first time ever I have a complete outline (that I did in just a couple of days) and I even know the plot before writing the story!  These are big things for me!  But what I am finding is… I have not been able to write.  I don’t know if the characters are just that shy that they are not really speaking through me, or if I am stuck thinking about my outline.  All I know is I was well and truly stuck! managing only 36 whole words before 10 pm tonight!

courtesy of Google

Well, all of that has changed thanks to one of my wonderful writerly friends!!!  Her suggestion… well let me warn you it was totally off the wall crazy! (So crazy it just might work!) *falls over giggling*

Anyway, the idea was this:  Write the exact opposite of your outline.  Instead of people coming in killing, have a group of good guys coming in and giving hugs, and instead of keeping the main character alive, maybe they accidentally kill her off.  Now I don’t know what is exactly is going to happen from all of this nonsense, but let me tell ya, in 15 minutes I had managed over 750 words!  And it was fun, and I know for a fact I even managed to learn several details about my story!

That said, never be afraid to play with your work!  It doesn’t matter if it is just going to be tossed.  Even taking fifteen minutes to be silly, you never know what you will get.  Hey! I am even thinking the whole tone of my story might change from this!  The serious piece I was starting to write, just might change to a satire piece, or just something light and fluffy!  You never know where the writing trails may lead!  One of the best things about NaNo!

 

How about you?  Are you managing to get your word count?  Or are you stuck like I was?  If so, take my friends advice!  Even take one scene and write it the opposite of what you have, who knows where it might take you!  If you do I would love to hear from you!  Either way, let me know how the writing is going!

Inspiration: Picture ‘N Poem

On The Water

 

The last light of day,

the first rays of dawn,

show the rivers of flame

dancing on the waters!

 

Tempting you deeper,

Look inside

bathe your soul and heart,

find your desire!

 

Fulfilled by a promise,

the elements merge

Guiding you onward,

cleansing your spirit!

 

By: White Raven, 9.23.2013

 

A special thank you to Lunasa Photography for the use of her inspiring image!  Please, take a moment to click the photo and check out many other wonderful works by Lunasa Photography!

Share your thoughts and feelings inspired by this beautiful image, or even the poem.  Or better yet, share a bit of writing of your own inspired by the picture!

WIP Update 4-2: So close I can taste it

So, I am so close to finishing Mo Thuras I can taste it.  I want to say the Outline/draft is finished, but that would be “cheating” even for me. *grins* So in the meantime I read a fun idea over on Legends of Windemere, and thought I would enjoy something similar.  So, here is another sneak peak inside the workings of Mo Thuras.  Enjoy.

Melody’s Top Five Countdown

1. To find out her past
2. To figure out who she is
3. Exploring the galaxy
4. Create her own family
5. Learn her culture

Kyi’s Top Five

1. To be free
2. Find his heartmate
3. To live  happily
4. Make a new home
5. Find a place he belongs

To have a sneak peak into some more of my inspiration for my story, here is the current pinterest board I am using! That gets updated as I find different ideas fitting for my story.

 

 

What about you? What do you use as you write to “see” your characters/places/things? Do you utilize Pinterest in your writing? Do you print and create a “storyboard”? What motivates your characters most?

WIP Updates 4-1

Well, in keeping with my goals this week, and realizing how late it is in the week already I thought I would share with you a bit of Mo Thuras and its inspiration…

 

My synopsis (at least as it is right now):

Melody Joy is a woman captain in a male driven role. When she gets a unique piece of technology in the mail, after discovering the secret of a lifetime, she sets off on a journey of discovery. In her ship Mo Thuras, she sets out to find a planet no one has heard of and find a bit of her past.
Along the way she picks up a ragtag crew who, like her, are different and never seem to fit in. Always searching for a family of their own. Together they find a strength they never had before, along with a sense of belonging.
Finding new relationships after betrayal. Finding she is herself all along, this journey is filled with reflection and discovery.

 

This is the Playlist I have created:

 

 

I have found these songs really resonate with my main character Melody. Now a short interview clip from Melody herself!

Dreamland’s Insurgents*: Hi Melody! I want to start by saying, you’re incredibly brave for being a female captain in a man’s universe.
Melody Joy: Thanks so much for the kind words *blushes*
Dreamland’s Insurgents*: When this voyage to find your roots is over, what do you think you will do then?
Melody Joy: Well, after I find where I belong… and who I really am, I figure I will know what I am suppose to do. I mean, really it is just so hard, not knowing who I am.
Dreamland’s Insurgents*: What are you hoping to find on your world of origin, and what do you want to take away with you?
Melody Joy: I really just hope that by finding my home I can finally figure out who I am, who I am suppose to be. I really want to take a sense of finally belonging… somewhere. To find my place, and fit in.

*Special thanks to Dreamland’s Insurgents for these inspiring questions.
 

What about you? Are there different things you do to help you get “in that space” when you are having trouble writing? Things that make you instantly think of your story?!?  Do you find working on your synopsis helpful in drafting your story?  DO you make playlists from music that reminds you of your WIP?  Do you find interviews to be helpful ways to get to know your characters?

Weekly Inspiration: Novels

Todays bit of inspiration is from a picture I stumbled upon on Facebook.  As writers, our novels are so much more than just words on a page.  They are the very essence of who we are!  This was just so fitting that I knew the moment I seen it that I had to share it with all of you!

What about you?  Does the words resonate in you?  Do you also find it to be true in your writing, that the words on the page are so much more than just words, but your very essence?  Your heart and soul?