Thursday Thirteen

I had to re-post this because the formatting gave me so much trouble. 

Yesterday’s post inspired me to share with you what motivated me to start writing.

I’ve always loved music. In fact, growing up I always thought that’s what I would do professionally. I did it for a while, and I loved performing and I was doing well,  but it didn’t satisfy me. Thing I love most about music is the story behind every song, and in commercial performances that’s forgotten most of the time. So, I threw down my mic and picked up a pen and I’ve been happy ever since, but that doesn’t mean I gave up music. Every story I write is motivated in some way by a song. I love giving life to the melody.

Now that it’s NaNo time, I imagine many of you will be looking for motivation. While I won’t be participating (my life’s too crazy this time of year), I will share thirteen songs that I’ve been dying to bring to life and maybe they’ll inspire you.

1. The Story of Your Life – To Have Heroes

“So I’m trying to read ‘cause I’m dying to see
Who I will be in the story of your life
Where will I be if you close the book tonight?” 

2. Glass – Thompson Square

“Trying to live and love
With a heart that can’t be broken
Is like trying to see the light
With eyes that can’t be opened”

 3. Faded Away – Luke Bryan

“Like the tan on my skin, our names in the sand
Like the sound of the boat
Starting up, heading out of the bay
Girl you… faded away.”

 

 4. One Grain of Sand – Ron Pope

“I would rather learn what it feels like to burn
Than feel nothing at all”

 

5. A Drop In the Ocean – Ron Pope

“Just a drop in the ocean,
A change in the weather,
I was praying that you and me might end up together”

6. Wanna Be Close – Avant

“I wanna be the seed
That bare ya life brand new”

7. Almost Lover – A Fine Frenzy

“Goodbye, my almost lover
Goodbye, my hopeless dream
I’m trying not to think about you
Can’t you just let me be?”

8. Hurricane – Dustin Lynch

“She said she was a running from her past
Every breath she stole felt like my last
And her kiss told me ‘better get outta there                                                                         But I was too far to care”

 

9. Crystal Ball – P!nk

“Oh I’ve felt that fire and I’ve been burned
But I wouldn’t trade the pain for what I’ve learned
I wouldn’t trade the pain for what I’ve learned”

10. California King Bed

“Just when I felt like giving up on us
You turned around and gave me one last touch
That made everything feel better
And even then my eyes got wetter
So confused wanna ask you if you love me
But I don’t wanna seem so weak”

11. You Bring Me Back – Steven Clawson

                                                   “Maybe you were forbidden                                                                                                           Or maybe I was just a fool                                                                                                   Still through the distance                                                                                                           I never stayed far from you” 

12. He Heals Me – Indie Arie

“I have no idea, how long he’ll be here
A season or a lifetime, forever or a year” 

 13. What You Gonna Do – Hunter Hayes

“Tell me whatchya ya gonna do when I’m gone
Oh and where you gonna go when there’s nobody home
And who’s gonna love you when you’re all alone”

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great holiday! I’ve been meaning to pop in and post something, anything, but I just haven’t had the chance. Halloween is as good a time as any to get back into the swing of things.

First, I want to start off sharing a little treat with you. Thanks to The Vampire Diaries, (I have no shame in admitting I love the show) I stumbled across this amazing artist, Ron Pope. He has some of the most beautiful love songs and such a unique voice. If you like alternative artist, you must give this guy a listen. He’s AMAZING.

Secondly, I have great news. I officially sold my first cover this week. The author is keeping the project under wraps for now, so I won’t steal her thunder, but as soon as she releases her cover I’ll share it with you. Also, while on that note, I’ve been trying to get my website together. There’s a lot that goes into designing a template so I don’t see that getting completed anytime soon, especially not with Christmas rolling around.

I want to end this post by thanking everyone for all the supportive emails I’ve been getting. Everyone has been so encouraging, and I can’t thank you enough.

Well, I better end this post before I miss my 12 p.m. deadline.

Halfway to Heaven

Brantley Gilbert’s newest album, Halfway to Heaven (Deluxe Edition), is being released tomorrow, September 13, 2011.

Where Has My Muse Gone?

It’s mental constipation. It’s not pretty. It’s not pleasant. It’s a part of every writers’ life. Writers block happens, and sadly there’s no ex-lax for creativity. However, I do have some pointers to help you get those creative juices flowing again.

1. DON’T STOP! Just because everything you’re writing at the moment sucks, doesn’t mean you should give up completely. Some of your ideas may be salvageable, but more importantly when you just give up you’re just making the situation worse. Have you ever noticed that when kids are beginning a sport and it gets hard, they always try to sit a game out? They’re afraid of failure, and coaches know that letting the kids sit it out just heightens their fear. If you quit the first time, it’ll be easier to quit the next time, so stick with it.

2. Make a soundtrack. Movies get soundtracks, why can’t books have them, too? When you’re running low on inspiration, browse through your music collection and look for background music. Let your book play out like a movie in your mind’s eye, and set music to the scenes. Once you have picked out your music, try writing the scene to the music.

3. Try writing in first-person point-of-view for a while. If you’re already writing your book in first-person this won’t help you, but for everyone else this could be the key to getting through tough spots. When writing gets hard, switch to first person so that telling the story is more personal. Once you get back in your groove, switch back to your original point-of-view. And don’t worry about the first-person scene, you can fix it during your revisions.

4. Read a book. It’s not okay to give up, but it is okay to take a break. When writing gets hard for me, I’ve found that it’s usually because I’ve spent too much time with my manuscript, and the best way to distance myself from it without losing my motivation is to read a book because reading makes me want to write.