Wiley Wednesday: Music and Editing

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by

Getting Back In the Mood

I’ve been working on editing my first book, which comes out later this year from Samhain Publishing. I wrote it with my coauthor, Rachel Wilder. While we work together extensively, when I’m at my keyboard working on edits it’s usually by myself. Since we wrote Burning Bright last year, we’ve developed two new series in very different universes, as well as wrote more material in the Burning Bright universe but with other characters. So how do I recapture the mood I was in when first writing Burning Bright?

One of the ways, obviously, is to re-read the manuscript. But since the first draft was 87,000 words, that’s not the fastest method. Add to that the fact that we’re required to do multiple content edits (three in this case, since it was our first time with this editor), re-reading the manuscript doesn’t help me capture the mood I need so that I know what to cut from the manuscript.

To solve that problem, I use music. I develop specific playlists for novels and series, targeted to the specific characters and the world we’ve created. While I sometimes use the music my husband and I own in our library, I find Pandora online radio to be exceedingly valuable because it will develop “stations” based on artists or songs, and then give back songs that are related to it – but that I may not (and quite probably don’t) have in my library.

Which makes it like a stranger’s library.

In other words, it is like my character is a separate person from me, and I’m listening to their music choices. I don’t have to make them up, because Pandora does it for me.

How do you do this? Visit the Pandora website. You can either set up a free account (which is all I have at the moment), or you can subscribe to Pandora One for $36 USD a year. If you decide to use the free version, you can listen, with ads, for 40 hours a month. When you hit about 35 hours, it will tell you that you’re approaching the limit and offer to upgrade you, or tell you that your free time is over until the next month begins.

Unfortunately, I don’t believe the service works outside the U.S. (a fellow writer in Canada said she’s not able to access it), because of the record company’s strict licensing requirements. (Too strict, in my opinion.) But if you are in the states, you can sign up and develop stations based on particular artists or songs – and their mix is VERY eclectic. It’s not just mainstream music.

If you don’t have access to Pandora, then iTunes Genius does the same thing, using similar technology. It will use music you already own, or suggest stuff to buy, which is why I don’t use it (I don’t have extra music money in my budget for this, which is why I like the free Pandora service).

Are there other music services out there that you like? Other ways you use music in your writing? Tell me in the comments, I’d love to hear!

Wiley Wednesday – Having an Artsy Attitude

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by
I’m not sure if this fits the definition of a Wiley for this fine Wednesday, but I ran into something I simply had to share. You could most definitely say it fits with the Artist’s Way teachings of Julia Cameron, at any rate.

While reading a magazine the other day, I found an interesting interview with a comic book artist. This man admits to sometimes not being able to make a living with his art, at time forced to work a factory job. All the same, he doesn’t regret his choice.

And he didn’t exactly get encouragement, either. His parents, unsupportive to epic proportions, actually demanded he earn an engineering degree.

What really caught my attention was something specific that happened during his school days. A teacher, whom he defends, actually tore up one of his drawings! Apparently, this man considered the work to have been a waste of time despite the care put into the effort. I really felt for that young artist, who happened to have been proud of his achievement.

However, rather than expressing any bitterness, our hero accepts each pitfall as a step to his ultimate dream. I don’t know about you, but I find immense encouragement from that.

Whatever your medium of choice, I wish you happy creating!

Point of View

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I am in the midst of reading Ann Somerville’s “Games & Consequences” and it brings up for me an interesting question. First, an explanation.

The story is a sequel of sorts, following the tale “Remastering Jerna”. Set in a unique world with interesting alterations from our own, the tale is told from the perspective of Jerna, a wrongly accused man. I greatly enjoyed that read, and looked forward to the next.

“Games & Consequences” is good, too. I’m not disappointed. However, the changed perspective (now from Jerna’s male lover) brings up the question as to what readers prefer. Do most folks prefer that the author stick with one character’s point of view?

Knowing there are many schools of thought, I’d be curious to know your opinion.

The Words Unspoken

Writer Zen Garden Posted on by
After a busy day early this week, I came home and just wanted to rest my brain. For me that usually means watching something rather than reading or writing. The video of choice that night was Mansfield Park.
I know that people often have strong opinions about the 1999 movie version of Mansfield Park. In truth, I am inclined to agree that it does not qualify as a very faithful adaptation of Jane Austen’s book, but that does not prevent me from enjoying it for what it is. Fanny and Edward in the carriage headed back to Mansfield Park is one of my absolute favorite romantic scenes in any movie. It really gets to me, the idea that these two understand each other so perfectly that words are not necessary.
Remembering the scene as I was writing and editing this week really made me think about the difference between a movie and a written story.

A lot is conveyed by facial expression and body language in a movie, even when there are no spoken lines in a scene. Readers do not have that luxury. The images the story creates for them are based entirely upon the words on the page.
So, how do we as writers create these images? We are all familiar with the idea that we must “show, not tell,” so we can’t just spell it out directly. Well crafted dialog certainly can set the tone of a scene and give us some insight into the characters, too.
But what about when your characters are not speaking, at least not in words? How do you make the “speaking glance” your characters exchange actually speak to your readers?
The answer to that question is one I still struggle with at times. Body language, facial expression, internal monologue – there are any number of tools a writer can use. But how much of each, and when? Each story, each set of characters are different, so there is no one-size-fits-all rule to apply.
I guess my point here really is to remind us that our characters’ silence can, and should, speak just as loudly as their words. Use all the tools at your disposal to show their thoughts and emotions, and your characters will be that much more rounded and vivid to your readers.
And, if you can, give a movie that just happens to be called Mansfield Park a chance.