Monday 30 December 2013

Inspiration & Other Such Writing Tools

I know it probably doesn’t matter, being as I’m new into this world, and you probably don’t care what a newbie says in terms of writing, but I created this blog for one thing, my writing, and recently I’ve decided that I’m going to go with all the things that come to mind along the way of being a newbie.
 
Inspiration is a weird tool.
It can come in terms of pictures of people (I used a set of pic’s off Tumblr that inspired My Kevin). I also used other people’s stories that I read, that triggered a thought; a wont to know what would happen if I wrote it. How I would make it different? If I’d still be left with that flow I saw in the work I was reading.
 
But the thing is, I have this insecurities, that makes it hard for me to read certain authors and write that same day. My biggest one is Josh Lanyon, that man…well, I can’t write shit after reading anything he wrote, so I generally won’t read he’s books if I need to be creative later.
 
But there are other books out there that make me want to write. They inspire that creative part of me, and it’s not because there bad writers, or bad stories, it’s because they have the same type of flow, and it’s a generic story that’s written over and over without feeling old.
I love the writers that I have this with, I like the series that help me get up and start writing, and generally, reading something of theirs helps me write more in one day than I have in a week.
 
It doesn’t always work. Or sometimes I have to get to the end of the series before this need kicks in, and there are a lot of books in them. But they are authors that I can read, and not have to worry when I decide to do it.
 
They are the ones that I can read between writing a chapter. Like if I’m in a lull, I can pick up a story from a series and it will let my mind rest, while kick-start that need to write myself.
 
  The series are:
·         The Lost Shifter series by Stephani Hecht
·         Wolves of Stone Ridge series by Charlie Richards and all the series connected to it
·         Moon Pack series, Dragon Men series, The Wizards Touch… yeah, okay, I’m an Amber Kell fan and generally all her stories spark in me a need to write
·         Holland Brother & Atherton Pack series by Toni Griffin (these don’t always work)
 
There are others:
·         RJ Scott, Kim Dare, Sean Michaels,
And I’m sure there are a few others, but off the top of my head, these are the authors or the books I go to when I’m in a slump (presently) and want something to spark it up and allow my imagination to flow in the right direction.
 
I use to watch telly, back when I wasn’t use to the silence, and I also had babies that I couldn’t put music on (well, I actually couldn’t because I blew up my CD player)
 
I couldn’t watch Criminal Minds or NCIS because I’d get to interested in the show, even if I’d watched over and over again, and knew everything that was bout to happen (yeah, I get that obsessive) but I found, Pushing Daisies which was fun and I loved it, and when it was on, I would write until my forearms cramped.
 
Now, if I need something visual to watch, or I start watching it while eating breakfast (I hate daytime telly with a passion), I can put on Supernatural and it will let me write, while it’s on. but the down side to it is, that if it’s actually interesting I can find myself on the other side of the day without getting off my lounge for more than food and pee breaks.
 
Anyway, I think maybe there was a point to all this. but it’s heading into the New Year, and well, it’s something I thought about lately, as I read something and suddenly I couldn’t get to the computer fast enough.
 
I think, mostly, you need to have something that helps. Especially when you’re new. If it’s that you write for two hours after the kids have gone to sleep, because that’s the only time you have, and so you put on some slow relaxing music and let it hum in the background while you type away.
It doesn’t really matter, as long as there’s something that snaps at you, and makes you want to forget everything there is and just write.
 
I listen to alternative: Tegan and Sara, the Killer, Kings of Leon, Lime Cordial, Jezebels, Washington, and a few others I’d have to look up to remember. I get them from my sister, feel in love with them, and are now the third wheel whenever there’s a concert for anything.
 
Anyway, it’s an insight to the wonderful mine of Me.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever told you all this before, but I like to know what helps authors around me, and I thought maybe it’s something you’d be interested in.
 
Also, it’s the week between Chrissy and New Year, I ain’t thinking of anything but what I’m gonna do (what I’m gonna drink) and start my stressing over My Kevin, because New Year’s Day I’m going to my sister, getting the cover art designed and working out how to publish the fucking thing on Smashwords.
I’m not sure if it’s gonna work, because I want it to be free, so I may snag somewhere along the line, and I know I should get it all settled before hand, but the cover can’t be made until that day so we all have to wait. and really, worse case, it will be a few days late, and I don’t see why that will happen, even if I have to put more money into the bloody thing.
 
Well thanks for the time.