Midweek Motivator

Today, I thought I'd share some music by Jakatta.  They released an album back in 2002, and it's always had a home on my iPod. 

This first track is American Dream.  I've always found it inspirational and great to daydream with ;) It's quite mellow and I love how it slows down around the 2:50 mark.  Have a listen!

My second favourite from the album is "My Vision", featuring Seal.

And finally, here's "So Lonely"... which is remarkably upbeat considering the title!

Have I made any Jakatta fans out of you? ;)

Prologues - Pros

I know there's tons of debate about whether or not to use prologues, so I thought I'd share some thoughts about them this week.  Today I'll share the pros and on Friday I'll share the cons.

I do believe prologues can work, although I should say the ones I've read and liked are in third person narratives.  I don't think I've ever read one in first person, so I can't say for sure how well they'd work.  Any recommendations?

The prologues I like work one of two ways - an inciting incident taking place before the main story OR a hint of what's to come for the character and how they're going to get there.  That second example is used is a lot of television shows.  You know, the episode starts and the main character is in a world of trouble, then after the credits "twenty-four hours earlier" flashes on the screen.  I think these can work in books too.

So! Prologue Pros!!!

• Prologues can create excellent hooks by hinting at what's to come.
• They offer the chance to broaden the perspective the story is told from.  
• Can set up important world building backstory that needs to be told but doesn't fit in the main body of the story.  
• It offers the chance to tell a story back to front.  You could start at the end and use the rest of the book to reveal the characters' journeys.  

I'm quite curious to know how you all feel about prologues, especially if you're using them when popular opinion suggests you do this to them:

Sunday Inspiration - London Pride

It's a big year for London, what with the Jubilee and the Olympics.  Covent Garden is ready!

I can't believe it's the Diamond Jubilee next weekend! To think it's been ten years since the Golden Jubilee.  Maybe I'll share the story of what I did during the last Jubilee next week ^_^ Or you could try asking Laura.  She knows what happened in June 2002 ;)

It was also quite interesting going to London after my time in Mumbai back in March and April.  Such different cities!

So, does anyone have any plans for the Jubilee weekend? Or, for those of you not in the UK, how could a national celebration inspire your writing? I think it's quite a good world building idea!

Final Boss! - Miss Cole's Best Battle Music.

I mentioned on Twitter yesterday that years of gaming has led me to refer to the climax of my novel as the final boss battle.  It's the final fight between the protagonist and the antagonist, the moment your whole book has built up to!

If your final showdown involves some kind of fight, don't let your readers or your characters down by having everything fizzle out.  Keep the tension high! Even if your book is headed for a cliffhanger, don't let the end sink.  Make it pop! Make your reader gasp! Or cry.  Crying is also acceptable ;)

So, whether it's a sword fight, a gun battle, a shoot out in the middle of space or a kung-fu showdown, have fun writing it, and I hope this music can help!

Such a menacing piece of music from one of my favourite OSTs of all time.

Another fantastic OST.  SKYFALL, I AM READY!!!!

Well, I could hardly refer to boss battles and not post Sephiroth!

So how do all of you get in the mood for those final battles?

Midweek Motivator - K-Pop!

The sun is shining! The air is warm! Flowers are blooming! Birds and bugs keep smacking into the living room window!

IT MUST BE SUMMER! And as such, it's totally time for upbeat Korean music videos! 
 

Yeah, I wish I could dance like that.  I look a bit more like this...

Especially when I'm writing and dancing at the same time :P

And I know I've shared this song before, but I LOVE IT SO MUCH I have to post it again ;)

Hooray for cheery music!

Vintage English Inspiration

Today I went back to Brighton's Blackbird Tea Rooms.  I think it's my new favourite place.  I hope the 1900s setting will inspire you all!

 

I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful bathroom tea room, and I'm so happy it's in Brighton! HOORAY!

Sunday Inspiration - FIGHT!

Need some fight scene inspiration? Allow me to share more of Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy series, because it's freaking awesome.

Looooooove it!

How about all of you? Have a favourite fight scene you always love to use for inspiration?

It's Not All Doom and Gloom

One of my favourite programmes is Russell Howard's Good News.  It's a funny look at the week's news and he always ends with a segment called "It's Not All Doom and Gloom".  He shows a story of hope and happiness, and today I want to share some hope and happiness too!

Doom and Gloom first though, okay? Prepare yourselves...

It's so easy to be disheartened, isn't it? You read something amazing and think "well, I'm never going to compare to that" and your self-confidence takes a hit.  And there's so much "this trend is dead!" or "That genre is so 1990s!" or "THIS IS THE NEXT BEST THING, YOU BETTER WRITE IT NOW!!!!" buzzing around the blogging world you wonder if you're doing anything right.  Oh, and let's not forget the guilt - why aren't you writing about these types of character? Why aren't you writing something daring and different? Why aren't you in a steady writing habit? Why aren't you using this method of plotting your novel? And I'm not exactly innocent, because what if my way of sharing how I write upsets someone when all I want to do is offer choices and...and...

...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Lovely readers and fellow writers, IT IS OKAY! Advice on blogs is a suggestion, not a law to be followed.  And we all have our own ways of writing.

But let's forget blogs and trends and gossip and book deals and who has an agent and who doesn't and remember the reason we're all here:

We love to write and we're good at it!

I want to be published, I have for years.  But that's not why I write.  I write because I love it, and I have a lot of stories to tell. 

So chill - you've got it.  Don't lose faith in yourself and your work just because of things on the Internet or rejections.  And if you want to rant about the highs and lows of writing, you can always leave me a message :) After all, we're all friends, right?

Midweek Motivator - WiP Playlists

One of my favourite parts of writing is making playlists.  It's a way of planning - I know what kind of emotion I need certain parts of the story to convey, so I assign appropriate music.  And I'll use just about anything that works! My iPod is very multicultural.

Here's a taster of my completed manuscript and my new WiP:

For the opening chapters of my manuscript:

Sorry, it's quite quiet, but oh so menacing. Thank you for your existence, Silent Hill soundtrack!

Fight scenes:

Oooh I love a bit of JPop!!!

And lastly, for a key location in new WiP:

Aaah, Kingdom Hearts... is LIGHT!

*ahem*

How about you? ^_^ Where do you get your writing music from?

New Project Love

Oh how good it is to have a new project! To have new characters tramping around your brain, making demands of your time.  Plot elements are coming together, the world is blossoming in your mind and all you want to do is write, write write!

I get to use a nice shiny new notebook, doodle new characters and take them on a brand new adventure full of new challenges and twists!

All is right in the world ^_^

It's really early days in my new project, but I'm soooo excited about it!!!! What can I tell you about it? Well, I can share a piece of music that's on the WiP's playlist:

Oooh what fate awaits my new characters?!?!?!?!?!

So, how do you feel about new projects?

Sunday Inspiration - Beautiful Music Edition

On Friday I posted about how great anime is for visual imaginations.  The lovely Emma mentioned an anime called Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which I then watched (occassionally through tears).  If you ever want to see how to turn a genre on its head, watch a regular magical girl anime and then Puella Magi Madoka Magica. 

As I watched I kept thinking how familiar the series' soundtrack sounded.  I realised it was composed by a favourite of mine - Yuki Kajiura.  She knows how to create really haunting music.  I've featured a few songs of hers before, but I'll share some my favourites:

I love this piece.  It's great for those life changing moments!

Essential fantasy writing music.  It's nowhere near as pink and cheery as that album cover.  The whole show is dark dark daaaaaaaaaark.

Chilling and a little creepy.

But if you want something less heavy, how about you BREAK THE SWORD OF JUSTICE?! ;)

Let me know if any of the music helps, or if you have any favourites by Yuki Kajiura!

Happy Sunday!

Anime = Awesome For Visual Imaginations

The interesting thing about blogging with other writers is discussing how we imagine our stories.  The awesome thing is no one way is the right way! Yaaaaaay for being different! 

I know I've talked before about how my "Coleplex" imagination works as a cinema, but I know other writers who hear their stories before they write them.  I really like the idea of characters talking to you like that.  Mine like to have arguments, but I see most things, especially the BIG action scenes.  My lovely beta reader Laura then has the the joy of wading through my excessive descriptions and telling me the point where it all gets too much. 

Years of watching anime (in Japanese with subtitles, because I'm 1) a snob, apparently and 2) can't deal with lazy English-language dubs) has left me with a love of the choreography in a really well animated show.  It's how I picture fight scenes in my head.  Sometimes it works in writing and sometimes it doesn't translate.  But if you have a visual imagination and you've never watched anime, watch some.  Right now.  If you want something cute, Cardcaptor Sakura is PERFECT.  It's an adorable fantasy series and the first anime I ever watched from start to finish in Japanese. They cut a lot out of the American version ;_;

 If you want something deeper, darker and FREAKING AWESOME, you have got to watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  Nothing compares to this story.  I could dedicate an entire blog to how awesome it is.  The characters, the plot, the animation, the music.... it's just so perfect.  Right, Ed?

"..."

The types of anime I watch really suit my Coleplex Imagination(TM).  There's a great post over at Zap's Lobster Tank explaining how anime can pull off epic plots.  FMA:B is really, really epic and is a great example of smaller plots linking into the main story arc.  It also has some of the most amazing plot twists of all time.  Ed up there is the lead of a superb cast, each with their own backstories and motivations.

So, what other forms of media suit the way your imagination works? How does your imagination work?

Midweek Motivator - The Final Push

I'm sooooooo close to querying.  I've tweaked the small details in my manuscript, my cover letter is ready and I'm nearly done with the final version(s) of the synopsis.  By the end of the month, I will be contacting agents!

BRING. IT.

So, how do I feel? ;)

Learning to Write With Role Playing Games

If you've never played a role-playing game, they're a lot like interactive books, especially the non-talking games from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s.  You play as the main characters and take them through the story.  Why are RPGs so great for writers? Because playing through a story is a fantastic way to learn how story structures and character development arcs works. 

My absolute favourite RPG of all time is 1997's Final Fantasy VII.  The story consumed me, the characters meant something to me and OH MY GOSH THE END OF DISK ONE WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Talk about learning how to deliver an insane twist.

The characters really stand out in this game, and it's a good lesson for those of us with big casts.  There are nine playable characters and each one is has a detailed and intricate backstory leading them to where they are.  Everyone is fleshed out and no one feels like they are there to serve as a plot point or to fill empty space.

The dream team (Source)

Every character leaps out of the game as their own person. The characters grow, they learn from each other, they face up to personal demons and change for the better.  It proves large casts work so long as every character is unique and properly developed.

RPGs are also a really great way of learning how to crank up the tension.  In Final Fantasy VII, you start out trying to save the planet from an evil cooperation, which leads to travelling across the planet to stop the bad guy, only to discover the real problem is far worse than originally thought.  Each twist is perfectly placed, driving the story to its conclusion.

Subplots are always a huge part of RPGs.  Whether it's a character's backstory, a romance or world building history, the subplots always affect the main story.  In Final Fantasy VII, one subplot revolves around a love triangle.  Yeah.  Miss Cole, she who is dead inside, totally picked a team too.

World building is evident throughout. From the locations to the mythology, everything exists for a reason.  Exploring down to the tiniest detail is half the fun.

So, what do you think? Good writing tool? Any Final Fantasy VII fans among you, lovely followers?

...Time to dust off the old copy methinks!

Sunday Inspiration - City Nights

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs? Aaaaawesome name! This music makes me feel like I should explore an urban environment at night ^_^

Or maybe your characters are lost in a city at night.  There's music for that too!

Exploring? Lost? Either way, I hope you're feeling inspired!

The Great British Giveaway WINNERS!!!! :D

Who's excited? :D

Ready?

Congratualtions tooooooooooo...

LG Smith!
Robin Moran!
Jaime!
Irene!

Congratulations!!!!!! Pick your book then drop me an e-mail! My contact details are here.

Thanks for all your awesome music choices too! You all have excellent taste.

Retroactive Planning

Long time followers of my blog will know I'm a pantser.  Plotting before I write isn't something I do beyond making a few minimal notes.  And as much as I love all you plotting planners out there who use spreadsheets and epic timelines and notebooks and post-its before you sit down to write you awesome stories... I can't.  I just can't.  I want to.  I want to be super organised.  But as soon as I try, I am overwhelmed by frustration.  "No!" Pantser!Cole yells.  "This will not do! Less planning, more writing!" And that's how I write a draft - with little clue of how I'll get from start to finish but muddling my way through nonetheless.
I plan when I reach the editing phase.   I make notes of what needs changing where, link early changes to things that require rewriting later in the plot and create detailed character charts.

My whiteboard really makes itself useful during my retroactive planning/editing phase.

I also have special notebooks dedicated to the editing phase.  They include notes on what needs work, and drafts of scenes, query letters and short versions of the synopsis.

And the manuscript itself becomes part of my retroactive planning! I leave notes on the digital and paper copies as I write/edit, highlighting areas in particular need of work or remind myself of changes I need to make to the plot.  And as ideas occur to me for changes or rewrites, I scribble them down on post-its and keep them in convenient locations.

There are worse addictions to have, okay!

So to the super organised among you, I salute you! For now, my messy way works for me.

Midweek Motivator - Time Travel Edition

 EIGHTY EIGHT MILES PER HOUR!!!!!

Yes, today we're going back...

...to the 90s!

I love that song.  It's so mellow :)

This isn't so mellow:

XD That also makes me think of Crazy Taxi :P

And, because no music collection is complete without some cheesy pop:

...Wow.  Wow.  That's cheesier than I remember ^^;

Hope the 90s can motivate you! Any 90s faves you'd like to share?

And don't forget to enter The Great British Giveaway before it ends on Friday!