This is the final blog post about IFFBoston. It was a great event and I plan on going back again next year.
CAIRO TIME
Premise: Juliette (Patricia Clarkson), the wife of a UN officer, travels to Cairo for a vacation. She meets Tareq (Alexander Siddig), her husband's former right-hand man. They share a delightful time in Cairo until her husband returns from Gaza.
Reaction: I think, besides Drones, this was the best film at the festival, hands down. The cinematography and the score/soundtrack was beautfiul. The film was completely shot in Eygpt (a feat never before done. There were scenes at the pryamids and the White Desert (an 8 hour drive out of Cairo). Truly, fantastic. The storyline reminded me a lot of an irish film that showed at Sundance a few years back; Once. That was a sort of love story where both main characters went their separate ways at the end. Here, Juliet went with her husband, Mark, and Tareq went his own way.
I have to say I was really rooting for Juliet and Tareq. I mean, they enjoyed each other's company and even shared a kiss. But the thing I've leaned about independent films is that they rarely have the traditional happy ending. I will definitely buy this film on DVD.
Afterwards, there was a Q&A and with the director, Ruba Nadda. She was delightful and answered everyone's questions, even the ones that were critical of her casting choices. I didn't think that was necessary and I guess most people wouldn't know there was anything wrong. But this film was really the perfect way to end my festival experience.
Rating: * * * * *
We'll be back next week with writing-related posts. Cheers.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Drones
Here we are, back for the final movie from Saturday.
DRONES
Premise: Brian (Johnathan M. Woodward) is a regular guy working in an office until he finds out his friend, Clark and his girlfriend, Amy (Angela Bettis) are aliens. They have a week to save the planet.
Reaction: By far, this was the best movie of the day on Saturday. And no, I'm not just saying it because it's related to Amber Benson and Adam Busch. Well okay, so maybe a little. But I really enjoyed it. The humor was great and everyone laughed at just the right times. The alien names were hilarious and watching Brian try to say them was even better.
The fun part was that Clark and Amy didn't know the other was an alien until Brian pointed it out. and even better, their races are diametrically opposed to each other. Clark's people just want to enslave humanity and hey, Brian would get a pay raise out of it. Amy on the other hand wants to destroy Earth and use it as fuel. Well clearly, that plan sucks for Brian and the rest of humanity. But all is saved when Cooperman, a fellow officemate and alien called a Bingo (they're basically hippies) evolves humanity. It saves the planet and everyone is happy, even Amy. Since now she gets to spend the next 50 years regathering her data and dating Brian.
On a slightly non-related note, I did get to see Amber again. She'd been watching in the balcony and had come down for the Q&A which I had to miss. But I saw her and her first words to me were "you made it!" I was so thrilled that she remembered me. And she was so happy I'd come and enjoyed the film. It really was a great way to end the night and a fun day of movie going with my parents.
Rating: * * * * *
Check back in a short while for the final film recap.
DRONES
Premise: Brian (Johnathan M. Woodward) is a regular guy working in an office until he finds out his friend, Clark and his girlfriend, Amy (Angela Bettis) are aliens. They have a week to save the planet.
Reaction: By far, this was the best movie of the day on Saturday. And no, I'm not just saying it because it's related to Amber Benson and Adam Busch. Well okay, so maybe a little. But I really enjoyed it. The humor was great and everyone laughed at just the right times. The alien names were hilarious and watching Brian try to say them was even better.
The fun part was that Clark and Amy didn't know the other was an alien until Brian pointed it out. and even better, their races are diametrically opposed to each other. Clark's people just want to enslave humanity and hey, Brian would get a pay raise out of it. Amy on the other hand wants to destroy Earth and use it as fuel. Well clearly, that plan sucks for Brian and the rest of humanity. But all is saved when Cooperman, a fellow officemate and alien called a Bingo (they're basically hippies) evolves humanity. It saves the planet and everyone is happy, even Amy. Since now she gets to spend the next 50 years regathering her data and dating Brian.
On a slightly non-related note, I did get to see Amber again. She'd been watching in the balcony and had come down for the Q&A which I had to miss. But I saw her and her first words to me were "you made it!" I was so thrilled that she remembered me. And she was so happy I'd come and enjoyed the film. It really was a great way to end the night and a fun day of movie going with my parents.
Rating: * * * * *
Check back in a short while for the final film recap.
Lovers of Hate
And I'm back with the final 3 films I saw at the film festival.
LOVERS OF HATE
Premise: Two brothers are caught between the same woman. One brother, Paul, a successful novelist and the other, Rudy, a failure. Paul invites Rudy's soon-to-be-ex up to his mansion in Park City, Utah for a weekend. Little do they know Rudy's already there and spying on them.
Raction: So I saw this film partly because it had writers in it and partly because the film I was going to see at the same timeslot was all in Italian. As we found out with Seeds of the Fall, subtitles and I don't get along very well. So I went to this one instead. It was pretty good. I liked the writing aspect of it, you know the struggling novelist. The title of the film is actually the title of Rudy's novel that he's probably never going to finish.
The house where it was filmed for the most part was enormous. There was one part with about four sets of stairs (it was 4 stories, go figure). Rooms everywhere. Pretty impressive. None of the characters were overly wonderful though. I mean, the ex was sleeping with her brother-in-law even before the divorce was final. And Rudy doesn't make things any easier when they finally find out he's actually there.
I will say that the ned was interesting. She finds out pretty much that she should hae ditched both guys years ago because they just use her for their own tug-of-war. Not sure I'd see it again, but for what it was, it was decent.
Rating * * *
LOVERS OF HATE
Premise: Two brothers are caught between the same woman. One brother, Paul, a successful novelist and the other, Rudy, a failure. Paul invites Rudy's soon-to-be-ex up to his mansion in Park City, Utah for a weekend. Little do they know Rudy's already there and spying on them.
Raction: So I saw this film partly because it had writers in it and partly because the film I was going to see at the same timeslot was all in Italian. As we found out with Seeds of the Fall, subtitles and I don't get along very well. So I went to this one instead. It was pretty good. I liked the writing aspect of it, you know the struggling novelist. The title of the film is actually the title of Rudy's novel that he's probably never going to finish.
The house where it was filmed for the most part was enormous. There was one part with about four sets of stairs (it was 4 stories, go figure). Rooms everywhere. Pretty impressive. None of the characters were overly wonderful though. I mean, the ex was sleeping with her brother-in-law even before the divorce was final. And Rudy doesn't make things any easier when they finally find out he's actually there.
I will say that the ned was interesting. She finds out pretty much that she should hae ditched both guys years ago because they just use her for their own tug-of-war. Not sure I'd see it again, but for what it was, it was decent.
Rating * * *
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Freebie
Back again with another post about the second film I saw on Saturday.
THE FREEBIE
Premise: A married couple (of 7 years) decides they are going to grant each other one night out, for a one night stand. They agree not to ask questions afterwards but it doesn’t go as planned. They blow up at the end, only to end up happy again.
Reaction I found this film pretty good. The concept seemed a little stupid, as the characters themselves acknowledged. They thought it would be a good idea because their sex life was fairly nonexistent in their marriage. They thought that by having a one night stand, it would reignite the spark they feel for each other.
Yeah, that didn’t happen at all. They both go out and it appears they do go through with their respective one night stands. Of course they both deny it after their huge fight. Personally, I didn’t believe them at all. Not one bit. But they at least eventually acknowledge that their idea was pretty stupid.
Rating: * * *
I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of the last 3 films I saw over the remainder of the festival.
THE FREEBIE
Premise: A married couple (of 7 years) decides they are going to grant each other one night out, for a one night stand. They agree not to ask questions afterwards but it doesn’t go as planned. They blow up at the end, only to end up happy again.
Reaction I found this film pretty good. The concept seemed a little stupid, as the characters themselves acknowledged. They thought it would be a good idea because their sex life was fairly nonexistent in their marriage. They thought that by having a one night stand, it would reignite the spark they feel for each other.
Yeah, that didn’t happen at all. They both go out and it appears they do go through with their respective one night stands. Of course they both deny it after their huge fight. Personally, I didn’t believe them at all. Not one bit. But they at least eventually acknowledge that their idea was pretty stupid.
Rating: * * *
I’ll be back tomorrow with a recap of the last 3 films I saw over the remainder of the festival.
Shorts
And I'm back with another review of what I've seen at IFFBoston.
SHORTS
GOD OF LOVE
Premise: This was a 10-15 minute film about a guy who prays to God (whose name he doesn't know) to make the drummer in his jazz band fall for him. In response, he gets magic love darts. The guy is a master dart thrower and it works, for a short time. The dart's magic lasts six hours in which he must convince the girl to fall for him. Despite his efforts, her love for the guitarist shines through.
Reaction: OF all the shorts I saw in this set, this was by far the best. It had a story that had a beginning, middle and ending. It was a happy ending, too which didn't hurt. We see him ride off on his bike with a quiver and arrows, a modern day cupid. He's bee able to find love for all sorts of people, including all of his band and most of the audience. Definitely worth seeing again. Plus, the director/lead actor was there for a short Q&A after the film and he was very personable.
Rating: * * * *
THE GAYBY
Premise: Two friends from college decide to have a baby, even though the guy is gay.
Reaction Yes, the premise really is that simple. Unlike God Of Love, this film didn't have a solid resolution. It ends with the pair sitting on the roof for a smoke (even though neither are actually smoking) waiting for the pregnancy test. They discuss the reason for the baby and it was kind of interesting. Apparently, this is quite a common arrangement, women getting pregnant by their gay friends, hence the title of the film. I enjoyed it overall but I do wish we could have found out if it had worked. I will say that the sex scene was quite entertaining, if a bit strained. But it fit the situation very well.
Rating * * * *
BLACKHEAD
Premise: A guy develops a huge blackhead on his back and there are very disgusting consequences to his actions.
Reaction This film was absolutely revolting. Nothing funny about it at all. Almost immediately you knew what was going to happen (finding a homeless guy to screw him...there). Yeah, I sat there with my eyes covered most of the time. Even thinking about it now makes me kind of sick to my stomach. Highly NOT recommended.
Rating *
THE ARMOIRE
Premise: A boy's friend goes missing and they eventually find him buried on school grounds. The adults in the boy's life try to figure out what happened.
Reaction This was a really strange film. We see the boy counting down and running all over the house trying to find his friend. They’re playing hide and seek. Seems normal enough and when the boy can’t find his friend, everyone and their brother it seems shows up to question him. He sees a shrink and trough hypnosis we see what really happened. The boys were playing truth or dare and the boy dared his friend to stick his (metal) fork in the power socket. I think we all know how that ends. So yeah, very weird.
Rating * * *
SEEDS OF THE FALL
Premise: A Swedish couple's bedroom bets bulldozed by a diabetic guy in the middle of the night and their neighbors stop by asking for help in conceiving a child.
Reaction First off, let me say I had no idea this was a foreign film. Subtitles and I do not mix one bit. Especially when most of the text appeared against a white background. And yes, the text was also white. So that made it hard to figure out what was going on. Also, it was kind of hard to tell what happened anyway. There was a carpenter named Stefan who ended up sleeping with the neighbor’s wife (the hubby got hit by an ice cream truck). Just a very bizarre film.
Rating * *
SHORTS
GOD OF LOVE
Premise: This was a 10-15 minute film about a guy who prays to God (whose name he doesn't know) to make the drummer in his jazz band fall for him. In response, he gets magic love darts. The guy is a master dart thrower and it works, for a short time. The dart's magic lasts six hours in which he must convince the girl to fall for him. Despite his efforts, her love for the guitarist shines through.
Reaction: OF all the shorts I saw in this set, this was by far the best. It had a story that had a beginning, middle and ending. It was a happy ending, too which didn't hurt. We see him ride off on his bike with a quiver and arrows, a modern day cupid. He's bee able to find love for all sorts of people, including all of his band and most of the audience. Definitely worth seeing again. Plus, the director/lead actor was there for a short Q&A after the film and he was very personable.
Rating: * * * *
THE GAYBY
Premise: Two friends from college decide to have a baby, even though the guy is gay.
Reaction Yes, the premise really is that simple. Unlike God Of Love, this film didn't have a solid resolution. It ends with the pair sitting on the roof for a smoke (even though neither are actually smoking) waiting for the pregnancy test. They discuss the reason for the baby and it was kind of interesting. Apparently, this is quite a common arrangement, women getting pregnant by their gay friends, hence the title of the film. I enjoyed it overall but I do wish we could have found out if it had worked. I will say that the sex scene was quite entertaining, if a bit strained. But it fit the situation very well.
Rating * * * *
BLACKHEAD
Premise: A guy develops a huge blackhead on his back and there are very disgusting consequences to his actions.
Reaction This film was absolutely revolting. Nothing funny about it at all. Almost immediately you knew what was going to happen (finding a homeless guy to screw him...there). Yeah, I sat there with my eyes covered most of the time. Even thinking about it now makes me kind of sick to my stomach. Highly NOT recommended.
Rating *
THE ARMOIRE
Premise: A boy's friend goes missing and they eventually find him buried on school grounds. The adults in the boy's life try to figure out what happened.
Reaction This was a really strange film. We see the boy counting down and running all over the house trying to find his friend. They’re playing hide and seek. Seems normal enough and when the boy can’t find his friend, everyone and their brother it seems shows up to question him. He sees a shrink and trough hypnosis we see what really happened. The boys were playing truth or dare and the boy dared his friend to stick his (metal) fork in the power socket. I think we all know how that ends. So yeah, very weird.
Rating * * *
SEEDS OF THE FALL
Premise: A Swedish couple's bedroom bets bulldozed by a diabetic guy in the middle of the night and their neighbors stop by asking for help in conceiving a child.
Reaction First off, let me say I had no idea this was a foreign film. Subtitles and I do not mix one bit. Especially when most of the text appeared against a white background. And yes, the text was also white. So that made it hard to figure out what was going on. Also, it was kind of hard to tell what happened anyway. There was a carpenter named Stefan who ended up sleeping with the neighbor’s wife (the hubby got hit by an ice cream truck). Just a very bizarre film.
Rating * *
Perrier's Bounty
So I'm back (finally) with my recaps of the films I've seen so far at IFFBoston. I'll be blogging about each film (or in the case of the Shorts, films,) separately. So here we go!
PERRIER'S BOUNTY
Premise: A young man, Michael (Cillian Murphy), owes Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson) 1,000 pounds and he's got 2 days to get the money or else he'll die. He teams up with his downstairs neighbor, Brenda, and his dad (Jim Broadbent) to get he money. Along the way, they encounter other thugs, drug dealers and dog fighting trainers. In the end, it's Perrier who has to worry about a bounty.
Reaction: First word that comes to mind about this film; violent. People are forever getting knocked out and shot and beat up. In the end, there's a very disturbing (though thankfully not much is shown) scene in which all of the dogs are set upon Perrier. Not a pretty picture, at all.
But I thought the film was very well done. The cinematography was decent and it was set in Dublin so I was happy. I like Irish films, even if the accents are a little hard to understand at times. I really liked seeing Jim Broadbent's character, so different from the one he portrays in the Harry Potter world. His character Michael's estranged father, shows up and tells his son he's dying. And the wya in which he fears he will die is quite amusing. He's convinced if he falls alseep, the Reaper will get him. He's proven wrong though, only to be shot. Poor bloke.
For my first film at a festival, it was a good choice. There were certainly a few tings a little bit better that I've seen over the weekend but it was definitely a good choice. And while I don't 100% agree with my mom, Cillian Murphy does have a certain cuteness to him. Not hot, mind you, but cute.
Rating: * * * *
PERRIER'S BOUNTY
Premise: A young man, Michael (Cillian Murphy), owes Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson) 1,000 pounds and he's got 2 days to get the money or else he'll die. He teams up with his downstairs neighbor, Brenda, and his dad (Jim Broadbent) to get he money. Along the way, they encounter other thugs, drug dealers and dog fighting trainers. In the end, it's Perrier who has to worry about a bounty.
Reaction: First word that comes to mind about this film; violent. People are forever getting knocked out and shot and beat up. In the end, there's a very disturbing (though thankfully not much is shown) scene in which all of the dogs are set upon Perrier. Not a pretty picture, at all.
But I thought the film was very well done. The cinematography was decent and it was set in Dublin so I was happy. I like Irish films, even if the accents are a little hard to understand at times. I really liked seeing Jim Broadbent's character, so different from the one he portrays in the Harry Potter world. His character Michael's estranged father, shows up and tells his son he's dying. And the wya in which he fears he will die is quite amusing. He's convinced if he falls alseep, the Reaper will get him. He's proven wrong though, only to be shot. Poor bloke.
For my first film at a festival, it was a good choice. There were certainly a few tings a little bit better that I've seen over the weekend but it was definitely a good choice. And while I don't 100% agree with my mom, Cillian Murphy does have a certain cuteness to him. Not hot, mind you, but cute.
Rating: * * * *
Monday, April 19, 2010
A slight change of pace
The next 2 weeks are going to be a slight departure from a writing focus. The 21-28 of April is the Boston Independent Film Festival, which I will be attending. So instead of once a week posts about something writing related, I will be recapping the films I see. That's 10 films in the next 2 weeks. So, I hope I can recount them and make things interesting for you all.
This is my first forray into the film festival scene. Needless to say, my parents were thrilled. They'll be joining me for a day of film going on the 24th. I'm quite excited about it. It's going to be a long day but it's well worth it. I'll be blogging about a certain film from that day. You'll just have to check back to see which one and what's so special about it.
This is my first forray into the film festival scene. Needless to say, my parents were thrilled. They'll be joining me for a day of film going on the 24th. I'm quite excited about it. It's going to be a long day but it's well worth it. I'll be blogging about a certain film from that day. You'll just have to check back to see which one and what's so special about it.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Euterpe's Song update
Hey all!
As promised on Sunday, I'm back with a quick update on where EUTERPE'S SONG is in the publishing rounds.
Not much has changed. We've still only gotten one rejection. It was a nice enough one. I've learned that editors don't want to give you any really useful information in their rejections. I suppose it's because they don't want to appear foolish when the book actually does get published. But as rejections go, I'll take it.
By the end of the month we will be out with 5 houses, all top honchos in the biz;
S&S, HMH, RH, Penguin and HC. We'll see where things stand at the end of finals time.
Until next week. Cheers all.
As promised on Sunday, I'm back with a quick update on where EUTERPE'S SONG is in the publishing rounds.
Not much has changed. We've still only gotten one rejection. It was a nice enough one. I've learned that editors don't want to give you any really useful information in their rejections. I suppose it's because they don't want to appear foolish when the book actually does get published. But as rejections go, I'll take it.
By the end of the month we will be out with 5 houses, all top honchos in the biz;
S&S, HMH, RH, Penguin and HC. We'll see where things stand at the end of finals time.
Until next week. Cheers all.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Comic Con Recap!
Hey all!
As promised, I'm back this week with a recap of my time at the Boston Comic Con.
I arrived at the venue around 8:40am and stood in line. There were probably 30-ish people ahead of me but it was fine. I chatted with a couple of fellow first-timers and read a bit of Death's Daughter, Amber's first solo book. Around 10:05, they finally let us inside the venue (which was great because it was a bit chilly out). I made my way downstairs and into the convention area. There were tables everywhere. Luckily I found a couple of people who were looking for Amber and we ended up scouting out her table. They left after we found it and she wasn't there. I waited, probably 20-25 minutes until Amber arrived.
That meant I was first in line. Pretty freaking cool! So once she got settled, Amber and I chatted for a bit. She autographed my copy of Death's Daughter and we snapped a picture together.
I have to say, she is probably one of the nicest, sweetest people I've ever met. She was really easy to talk to. I mentioned how excited I was for the Boston Independent Film Festival in a couple weeks and she said it was cool that I was going and maybe we'd see each other at the screening of her newest directorial accomplishment, DRONES. She also mentioned there's oging to be a Q&A. I predicct the 24th-25th are going to be LONG days. But it's totally going to be worth it.
On the book front, Amber answered a couple questions about her newwest book, Among the Ghosts that comes out in August and is publisehd by Aladdin books (imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). I'll be scooping that up once it arrives!
She wished me luck in my own submissions and said she'll keep her fingers crossed for me. How cool! Hopefully, if/when I see her on the 24th, I'll have an update.
Now, on to the two pictures I took at the whole event (I spotted a couple storm troopers but didn't pull out my camera fast enough).
Amber and I
Amber's autograph on my copy of Death's Daughter
I'll be doing a second blog post this week after I have my 3-month status call with Roger, my agent on the 14th. So fingers crosse for some good news there!
As promised, I'm back this week with a recap of my time at the Boston Comic Con.
I arrived at the venue around 8:40am and stood in line. There were probably 30-ish people ahead of me but it was fine. I chatted with a couple of fellow first-timers and read a bit of Death's Daughter, Amber's first solo book. Around 10:05, they finally let us inside the venue (which was great because it was a bit chilly out). I made my way downstairs and into the convention area. There were tables everywhere. Luckily I found a couple of people who were looking for Amber and we ended up scouting out her table. They left after we found it and she wasn't there. I waited, probably 20-25 minutes until Amber arrived.
That meant I was first in line. Pretty freaking cool! So once she got settled, Amber and I chatted for a bit. She autographed my copy of Death's Daughter and we snapped a picture together.
I have to say, she is probably one of the nicest, sweetest people I've ever met. She was really easy to talk to. I mentioned how excited I was for the Boston Independent Film Festival in a couple weeks and she said it was cool that I was going and maybe we'd see each other at the screening of her newest directorial accomplishment, DRONES. She also mentioned there's oging to be a Q&A. I predicct the 24th-25th are going to be LONG days. But it's totally going to be worth it.
On the book front, Amber answered a couple questions about her newwest book, Among the Ghosts that comes out in August and is publisehd by Aladdin books (imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). I'll be scooping that up once it arrives!
She wished me luck in my own submissions and said she'll keep her fingers crossed for me. How cool! Hopefully, if/when I see her on the 24th, I'll have an update.
Now, on to the two pictures I took at the whole event (I spotted a couple storm troopers but didn't pull out my camera fast enough).
Amber and I
Amber's autograph on my copy of Death's Daughter
I'll be doing a second blog post this week after I have my 3-month status call with Roger, my agent on the 14th. So fingers crosse for some good news there!
Monday, April 5, 2010
What's Your Soundtrack?
As I thought about what to write about this week, I realized I hadn't written about one of the most important pieces of my writing process; music. I love music. From singing in my church choir from age 5 to dabbling in music composition and joining a music centric sorority, I have always loved music. And these days there's no exception.
So, as the title of today's post indicates, I have a soundtrack for my writing. It helps me get in the right headspace for whatever I'm working on. But I don't have just one soundtrack. That wouldn't be useful. I have several. I really recommend using a soundtrack to get you in the right space. Just don't get too distracted singing along (waves hand around with a guilty look on her face).
So I thought I'd share some of what's on my writing soundtrack for the last few projects I've done and the one I'm working on now.
ACCORDING TO OWEN (adult contemporary)
I relied heavily on my miscellaneous playlist while writing this novel. It helped that the story had kind of a modern feel. The list was a mixture of indie rock (3 Doors Down, Brandi Carlile), a dash of country (Christian Kane) and some fun filled TV soundtracks (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Glee).
UNPLANNED (women's fiction)
I used my exclusive Glee playlist while writing most of this novel. Somehow writing about unplanned pregnancy seemed easier with the upbeat tunes from the McKinley High Glee Club. Near the end of the process, I added my exclusive Christian Kane playlist made up mostly of his new EP that was released in early March. I found that his wildly alcoholic filled songs were just what I needed to get me through the hard portions of the storyline with each of the four main characters.
PHARAOH'S LINK (middle grade urban fantasy)
This novel took me a bit by surprise soundtrack wise. I started writing it on Friday on the train ride home for Easter. I thought something upbeat like Glee would work, or even my miscellaneous would work. I was wrong. Dead wrong in fact. Let's just say I rediscovered my youth on this one.
For those of you that know me, you know I am a huge Hanson fan. I've been into their music since the beginning (and am anxiously awaiting their new album on June 8th). I've collected quite a lot of their music over the years and it's been sitting in it's own special playlist on itunes for years. I have some of their stuff in my miscellaneous playlist and a few smaller lists but not like this. So on a whim, Friday on the train I turned it on and started with my old reliable, "MMMBop". And then the words flowed like water. Okay, so that's a bit dramatic but whatever. The point is, I'd found my soundtrack for this novel.
It also served to remmind me where my love of music comes from. The stuff that made me smile and squee as a child. And that's what I need for this new novel. The excitement of a child about to go on a wild adventure.
So that's my little bit of writing wisdom for the week. Check back next week for a recap of the Boston Comic Con (where I will be meeting Buffy alum and fellow author, Amber Benson).
So, as the title of today's post indicates, I have a soundtrack for my writing. It helps me get in the right headspace for whatever I'm working on. But I don't have just one soundtrack. That wouldn't be useful. I have several. I really recommend using a soundtrack to get you in the right space. Just don't get too distracted singing along (waves hand around with a guilty look on her face).
So I thought I'd share some of what's on my writing soundtrack for the last few projects I've done and the one I'm working on now.
ACCORDING TO OWEN (adult contemporary)
I relied heavily on my miscellaneous playlist while writing this novel. It helped that the story had kind of a modern feel. The list was a mixture of indie rock (3 Doors Down, Brandi Carlile), a dash of country (Christian Kane) and some fun filled TV soundtracks (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Glee).
UNPLANNED (women's fiction)
I used my exclusive Glee playlist while writing most of this novel. Somehow writing about unplanned pregnancy seemed easier with the upbeat tunes from the McKinley High Glee Club. Near the end of the process, I added my exclusive Christian Kane playlist made up mostly of his new EP that was released in early March. I found that his wildly alcoholic filled songs were just what I needed to get me through the hard portions of the storyline with each of the four main characters.
PHARAOH'S LINK (middle grade urban fantasy)
This novel took me a bit by surprise soundtrack wise. I started writing it on Friday on the train ride home for Easter. I thought something upbeat like Glee would work, or even my miscellaneous would work. I was wrong. Dead wrong in fact. Let's just say I rediscovered my youth on this one.
For those of you that know me, you know I am a huge Hanson fan. I've been into their music since the beginning (and am anxiously awaiting their new album on June 8th). I've collected quite a lot of their music over the years and it's been sitting in it's own special playlist on itunes for years. I have some of their stuff in my miscellaneous playlist and a few smaller lists but not like this. So on a whim, Friday on the train I turned it on and started with my old reliable, "MMMBop". And then the words flowed like water. Okay, so that's a bit dramatic but whatever. The point is, I'd found my soundtrack for this novel.
It also served to remmind me where my love of music comes from. The stuff that made me smile and squee as a child. And that's what I need for this new novel. The excitement of a child about to go on a wild adventure.
So that's my little bit of writing wisdom for the week. Check back next week for a recap of the Boston Comic Con (where I will be meeting Buffy alum and fellow author, Amber Benson).
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Not an April Fool's Joke
So as I sit here on April 1 and reflect back on March, I realize just how tough this biz can be. I started the month believing I could easily handle everything that needed to get done. School and writing alike. Unfortunately, I was wrong. School went well enough, as I had no choice in the matter. But writing really took a hit.
I really think March epitomized the phrase "the best laid plans...". I had every good intention of keeping to my writing schedule but many times my motivation was just lacking. I certainly had some days where I managed to churn out large amounts of wods. The 29th for instance I churned out 6,000 words and the 30th saw 7,000 words. But, in the end I did not meet my March goal.
Still, I am happy to report that I was only 1 day late. I finished my women's fiction piece, UNPLANNED, this afternoon. It clocks in at 81,000 words. I'm very proud that I managed to exceed my expected goal.
So now it is on to new projects. I will begin writing a new middle grade novel today, titled PHARAOH'S LINK. You'll just have to wait and see what becomes of the main character on his exciting adventure through modern day Egypt. I've been waiting quite some time to tackle this project and I think my vigor in getting it written will sustain me through April and keep me on track.
I really think March epitomized the phrase "the best laid plans...". I had every good intention of keeping to my writing schedule but many times my motivation was just lacking. I certainly had some days where I managed to churn out large amounts of wods. The 29th for instance I churned out 6,000 words and the 30th saw 7,000 words. But, in the end I did not meet my March goal.
Still, I am happy to report that I was only 1 day late. I finished my women's fiction piece, UNPLANNED, this afternoon. It clocks in at 81,000 words. I'm very proud that I managed to exceed my expected goal.
So now it is on to new projects. I will begin writing a new middle grade novel today, titled PHARAOH'S LINK. You'll just have to wait and see what becomes of the main character on his exciting adventure through modern day Egypt. I've been waiting quite some time to tackle this project and I think my vigor in getting it written will sustain me through April and keep me on track.
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