Tag Archives: music

Jul 10 2013

Hot…oh so hot…time to drink water and write


Okay I did my usual go outside, water the plants and take photos…early today.  I mean damn it is hot out.  And Yes I am complaining.  I was not expecting to be covered in sweat by just stepping outside to water the tomato plants…I mean this is Canada right?  Well since it is so bad I have the perfect excuse to sit, write and hopefully finish blackbird.

It is coming along and I worked out what will be happening next in the classic writers way.  I lay down, closed my eyes and thought.  Yes I know it sounds like I took a nap but really writers do this all the time.  Part of writing is working out your ideas.  I know some schools of thought think you should just sent pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and have mental diarrhea all  over the page but I don’t.  Part of why I generally don’t have to cut cut and cut what I have written is that I work out things in my head before I write them down.

Since I can’t seem to outline like those famous writers who get paid tons of money for formula books I do things in a natural flow.  Being an Aquarius means I have to be a bit of a mental rebel, a weirdo and an oddball.  Anyone who has read my work knows that I generally do short and to the point stuff with description thrown in.  Fun bits that take you where you weren’t quite expecting.  This is how I do it.

Yes a lot of things inspire me to write a story.  Lately as you know it has been the music in my life.  And yes I have a lot of it in many different styles.  I may not be able to play an instrument and I can’t sing in front of too many people but I adore music.  The words that evoke images in my head is really helpful.

Now a lot of writers are putting their playlists into the books as additional notes.  I think that is interesting but how many of them have actually written a story because of a song I say?  Blackbird was inspired by If I were a Blackbird by Silly Wizard.  A great Scottish group of folk musicians.  Classic cultural music will do this to me.  But then what is cultural music?

Growing up in the 60s,70s and 80s..(okay being born ’64 meant an interesting mix) I never really got too deep into what was hot and cool..yes I listened to it but then I listened to anything I could.   Having parents into country music and a brother into metal and hair bands I had to sneak in my choices, generally in my room.    I hope that I gave and give my daughters the chance to find and appreciate their own type of music.  My youngest will actually steal my IPod so she can listen to my music or watch the videos I have on it.

 

And whoa I have been babbling here haven’t I?  All this because I am trying to work through ideas for the next part of Blackbird.  Well that and working out where to go with the next fantasy romance short…I think that will by Singer of the Blood Song.  It might be a paranormal vampire…it might now…I only have a few pages but they are sexy *grin*

Jun 12 2013

It has happened again….


What you ask has happened again?  Well a song has demanded that I use it for a story.  The past month and some it seems that the music on my IPod is the channel for the muse who uses me to tell tales.  First it was Cheating the Hangman, then Let’s Make a Memory, then I Can’t Love you Anymore and now it is the Blackbird.  Damn me but that is a lot of tales inspired by music.

This little tale is sort of a fantasy romance.  What happens when the girl you married turns away from you to go to a sorcerer?  Not necessarily what the song is about but the chorus is there.  “If I were a blackbird, I would whistle and sing and flutter my wings o’er her lily white breast.”  Yeah I listen a lot to Silly Wizard.

I have done stories from songs before.  A Bargain Made with Fur, When Shadows Rise and Night and Day all came from music.  A good writer is inspired by the world around them.  Music, tv, movies, trees, flowers, animals, butterflies and people.  They all find a way to spark something inside those who use words to tell the world of what they see.

Sometimes the tales take longer than others for sure.  But some write themselves in hours or days.  I Can’t Love you wrote itself in under two days.  An odd first person tale for me because it keeps switching POV.  I try not to do that in first person stories but this one it made sense.  Submitted it for the Writer’s Stuff anthology.  Now if I can finish Blackbird  I just might submit it too.  It is different enough I think.  Me and my odd little tales.

 

May 8 2013

Music is the muse today


Music is definitely my muse right now.  The two ghost stories I have put up over the past two weeks were both inspired by songs on my IPod.  I have another started that I am not sure will be a ghost story or something from what I am tentatively calling my horror series.  anyone who knows me or has read my work realizes that I am no HP Lovecraft or EA Poe.  I write stuff that is odd yes but not necessarily that dark but it seems I have a number of stories (in pieces right now) that would really be more a horror story than a fantasy.  They are dark for me (which can be quite dark) and don’t have a happy ending for sure. 

My original dark tale was Descents, which is in the Gates collection.  Dark and eerie it fit in that book because of the gate in the story.  Though I will admit I am thinking of a new set of tales once I get Descents and the others back.  With titles like Man’s Roads, And Darkness Claims it all, Light search the Night and Walk Blind Into the Night these tales would be darker than my usual.  I guess I could call the series Descents into Darkness.  That would be a nice title don’t you think?

Course not all of my tales are dark.  I do have lighter more romantic fair just waiting for me to finish them up and put them out.  Flame Vixen is one of them and Singer of the Blood Song another.  They will of course have me normal odd fantasy flavor but with romance as a big component.  What to call them I have no idea.

Now I finally put up the last of my finished erotica stories.  And He makes three is pretty much smut but well you never know what sells right?  I obviously would rather my fantasy sell but I will take sales where they come. 

Today I started writing to Richard Marx.  One of my all time favorite singers.  His songs have inspired me to write poetry and of course short stories.  Hazards is based on his song Hazard and Children should be heard is based on Children of the Night.  So this now story, Now and Forever, is of course based on the lines of that song but it always has bits inspired by other songs from the same album.  While I have only typed as of now 710 words, it is a start.  Who knows where it will go.  This man telling this tale is doomed for sure though.  Never ever sign a contract with blood, no matter who tells you to do it.

I will post excerpts from some of the tales I have mentioned over on books by Lisa Williamson and of course the two covers on my newest stories over on Window of my mind.

May 1 2013

Ideas from the world around me


I started the morning a wee bit miffed from the emails from my publishers yesterday.  I thought one contract was over sicne I didnt meet their sales goals and that i would get my rights back to my tales but they emailed me back that they were keeping them.  Even though sales on that collection was more than anemic.  I mean really six total sales?  They should just toss them back and me and wash their hands of that book.  But oh well.  That didn’t annoy me as much as being told I was not doing enough from the other one.  In the old days publishers did the work of advertising your book.  They did not expect the writer to do the writing, editing, proofreading and marketing!

I know very well that the work I sent to the publishers needed editing.  I had expected them to edit them and tell me what to fix to make them more saleable, not publish them untouched.  It was enough to make my blood boil but it did get me working again.  If they won’t give them back and let me fix them then I will just go on to more and different work that I will publish myself.

As always ideas come from all over for me.  Yesterday when I was asked to join the Rabbit Hole well it started a story.  I have 2K in words now and it is doing what is usual for me.  I is spinning out in a totally different story than I thought it was going to be.  Sort of a new world story.  Now that can be interesting and I can only hope some reader will enjoy it when it is done.

With spring being sprung finally I am seeing more flowers blooming.  I did not think to bring my camera this morning and well now that I have to stay inside to wait on the hot water heater inspection (yes a second one no idea why) I so want to just hop outside and take photos.  I have got to remember to charge my batteries at night and take my camera with me when I go out every day.  It is the time of year when I will be getting lots of new photos for use are book covers, book trailers, poem videos and of course poetry collections.  I might not have the best camera but I do take some really good photos and I plan on continuing to do so.

Right now I am jsut sitting here, drinking cold chai and listening to Billy Joel tell me he wants me just the way I am.   I had thoguht I would try to write something sweet and romantic today.  A short story of course but a loving set in the real world type story.  Just as an exercise to see if I could do it.  Looks like the odd part of my brain said nope.  I am the mad writer and I guess i have to write mad tales.  Hope People continue to read them.