WIP Wednesday: Week 22

Days Worked On: I've . . . stopped keeping track of this.
Morale: *shrug* Decent?
Total Word Count: 99,058 (-409 from last week)

What I Worked On: Chapter 8. And everything else.

Thoughts: Well, last's week revelation was a false alarm. So I spent most of this week re-reading all the other parts of my book and figuring out ways to fix their problems.

It's actually kind of nice to still be working on my WIP without looking at all of the stuff that's been frustrating me. It was also pretty helpful to refresh on later stuff and see what I need to fix in this section to keep everything cohesive, since this is the part of my story where the characters starting jumping to bizarre conclusions.

It doesn't seem like I was very productive, but I think one of the hardest things to explains to non-writers is how much non-writing we actually do while writing. There's so much thinking and gathering of ideas, and even though we don't have any progress to show for it, things in our stories have been clarified and perfected. Without all of that non-writing, our writing would never get anywhere.

Writing Song of the Week: Still Breath of Life. What can I say, I'm boring. But to be less boring, let me tell you about my writing song from a couple weeks ago: "Apotheosis" from the Journey original soundtrack, which was composed by Austin Wintory. The entire Journey soundtrack is beautiful, but "Apotheosis" is not only seven minutes long, but it's dramatic and orchestral and gives me feeeeelings.

WIP Wednesday: Week 21

Days Worked On: ALL THE DAYS.
Morale: Mostly irritated . . . which occasional bouts of optimism that were quickly crushed beneath the irritation again.
Total Word Count: 99,467 (+870 from last week)

What I Worked On: Chapter 8. I talked with CPs, I worked on the corkboard timeline thing, and I wrote about ten different openings for the chapter. The conclusion I've come to? It's time to re-work chapter 6-3 (which comes before 8 chronologically).

Thoughts: I have a public service announcement: when having problems with a certain section of your story, it may help to re-read the chapter that comes before the one you're working on. Seriously. Don't skim it. READ IT. Because then you might notice something that you'd forgotten about that may possibly fix all of the problems you've been agonizing over for the last two weeks. *head desk*

Writing Song of the Week: Because I talk about music enough that it deserves its own section. This week featuring Florence + the Machine's new single, "Breath of Life." It's the theme for Snow White and the Huntsman and not only is the song gorgeous, but it's gotten me super psyched for the movie. Just watch this music video:

Good to be a geek

Well, I went to see The Avengers this past weekend. It was wonderful beyond words . . . but instead of boring you guys with endless rambling about how marvelous it was (the pretty people and the explosions and the one-liners and the helicarrier and all the things), I'm just gonna tell you to go see it.

SO GO SEE IT.

Also, a geek-tastic music video. Because this is the start of a promising summer for superheroes. *thumbs up*

*
So have any of you seen The Avengers yet? If not, do you have plans to? It is, after all, a great combination of action and drama and humor and badassery . . . and yes. Go see it. Ahem. If not The Avengers, what's your geeky movie/hobby/whatever of choice? Tell me in the comments!

*Oh, and the Hank Green cover, for all of you Nerdfighters. :)

JOURNEY

Okay, I've tried to write this post three times without any level of coherency. First it was going to be part of another 5 video games writers should play post. Then it was going to be another ost lowdown post. And now it's just a ridiculous mess and to hell with it.

Uhh . . . Journey?
Journey is a video game designed and developed by thatgamecompany for the PlayStation 3. And I love it. Irrationally, irrevocably, and, uhh, irresistibly.

thatgamecompany describes Journey as "an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with others" . . . which just sounds weird. And Journey is more than that. While there's a plot, this is a game you experience instead of just play . . . so there's a huge emphasis on atmosphere and mood and what you as a player put into it.

This isn't your standard shoot-em-up. This is a game about feelings.

And if that's not enough to hook you, there's singing and scarves and magical carpet things and ruins and sand and glyphs and mysterious other players and a mysterious history to uncover. *flail*

Let me tell you how lovely it is
Because it's really lovely. Just look at these pictures. Tell me they aren't epic. I dare you.

Okay, MAYBE I'm biased. And MAYBE I'm like a crow with something shiny . . . but still, you've got to admit: pretty! thatgamecompany may have picked a fairly simple aesthetic, but it works.

And the visuals are only half the package--the score for Journey is some of the best music I've ever heard in a video game. Yes, it's that good. I just . . . there's no way to describe this without sounding ridiculous. But if you like sweeping, epic glory, you'll love it. And if you like writing to sweeping, epic glory, you'll really love it. Seriously. And if you need one more push, you might be interested to know that all 18 tracks are on iTunes (or the PSN) for only $5.

You should care
Yes. Yes you should. And here's why: as writers we are trying to create stories that make people feel something. We want our writing to have power.

Although Journey is simple, it achieved that goal and made freaking waves in the gaming community. Not only has it become the fastest selling game on the PlayStation Network ever, but it freaking moves people (including the tough dudes playing those aforementioned shoot-em-up), and the reason you can buy the soundtrack is because fans demanded it. Craziness!

So I guess my point is that I've learned things from Journey. And it was beautiful and heartbreaking and wonderful and I want you to learn them too. So play the game if you can, or at least give the soundtrack a quite listen. You won't be disappointed.

Okay, now that I've babbled like a fangirl and italicized half of the words in this post, I want to hear from you. How do you feel about video games? Have you ever played one that moved you, or are you mostly familiar with Angry Birds? Give me a heads up in the comments!

Safe & Sound

Okay, this is old news, but I thought I'd share for anyone who hasn't stumbled upon it yet. Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars have put together a gorgeous song for the film adaption of The Hunger Games and, well, I want you to listen to it. Because it's pretty and all but screams Katniss and Prim.


So, thoughts? Did you hear about this weeks ago, when it was first released? Or did I get to enlighten at least on person? And, most important, do you think this is an appropriate song for The Hunger Games? Tell me in the comments.

OST Lowdown: PotC - At World's End

Okay, so yeah. This soundtrack is kind of old. *cough*it came out in 2007*cough* But it's also one of my favorites to write to, so in the spirit of sharing the goodness, it's the subject of this week's OST Lowdown. Let the review begin!

Ooo, look how  misty it is!

Album details--composer, number of songs, etc, etc?
Music was composed by the infamous Hans Zimmer, and there are 13 tracks that range anywhere from a minute and half to 10 and a half minutes long. Get the full details on Amazon.

What are your favorite tracks and why?
At Wit's End--Lovely, long montage goodness
Up is Down--Bright and playful and full of movement
I See Dead People in Boats--Quiet, but with power
I Don't Think Now is the Best Time--ACTION SEQUENCE
One Day--A bit depressing, but nice
Drink Up Me Hearties--It's the main theme medley people

So, from a writing standpoint?
Most of the music has a lot of punch, so I think it'd be good to listen to while writing scenes with power. By that, I mean scenes where something important is happening--scenes with action and scenes where your characters are definitely feeling something. It might be too heavy-handed for some writers though, because the orchestra and chorus are well-utilized, so this definitely isn't a calm soundtrack.

And your overall impression?
I already told you guys that I like this soundtrack. There's a lot of power in the music, and that's something I particularly like to find in instrumental pieces. The tracks are incredibly complex and varied, so unlike the soundtracks for the first two Pirates movies, it doesn't stick to the sea shanty motif 100% of the time. There are recurring motifs, but they always feel fresh, and there's plenty of unique moments (see Singapore or Multiple Jacks) to keep the mood alive. Two thumbs up from me!

OST Lowdown: X-Men First Class

Some of you might remember when I begged for some new soundtrack suggestions. It was sad and pitiful, but I got some great suggestions. Then I was lucky enough to get one of the early Spotify accounts and it became a whole lot easier to find something good without forking any money over.

So I decided to create a new blog feature: the OST Lowdown. What does that mean? Well, OST is a common acronym for Original Soundtrack. Make more sense? As I listen to new soundtracks, I'm going to be sharing my thoughts on them and how they might work for you guys as writers. I don't have a musical bone in my body, so my opinion is super unprofessional, but it should be fun anyway.

And the X-Men are our first contenders!

Album details--composer, number of songs, etc, etc?
Well, the composer is Henry Jackman, and there are 20 tracks that range anywhere from a minute and half to nearly five minutes long. But I'm not going to list them here. Get the full details on Amazon.

What are your favorite tracks and why?
First Class--Main theme, which means it's suitably epic
Frankenstein's Monster--Dark and a little eerie
X-Training--Dramatic montage sequence music
Rage and Serenity--Love how it slowly builds up
Coup D'état--Eerie and ethereal at the same time

So, from a writing standpoint?
I'd suggest this soundtrack for a story with action and a darker undertone. Mostly because of a recurring piece of music that I think of as the "Magneto Theme." It's predominant in Frankenstein's Monster, but threads of it show up ALL OVER THE PLACE. Even in softer songs. And many of the songs it doesn't show up it--like action sequence tracks--also depend on harsher, electronic sounds.

And your overall impression?
Not my favorite. Probably because of the main themes. They're a powerful combination of orchestral and electronic, and they make the soundtrack, but I can't say they stood out as anything particularly special. It doesn't help that they show up a lot and relatively unaltered. To the point where I felt like I could listen to certain tracks on repeat and get all of the feeling I wanted/needed from the music. That's not to say that many of the pieces aren't lovely, because they are, I just wanted variation.

What soundtracks do you write to?

Like most writers, I like listening to music while I'm writing. Unlike a lot of writers, my soundtracks usually consist of music with lyrics. As of late, however, this has become an issue. The same songs I was writing to a month ago have become super distracting. So I've turned to soundtracks.

Now I have a decent soundtrack collection. Unfortunately, it's not very writing friendly. For example, the music from Lord of the Rings is so iconic that I can't separate the two in my brain. Some of my other soundtracks are heavy on the ambiance. The Hours has some lovely piano pieces, but it's all a bit ghostly. The Portal 2 soundtrack is fun, but a bit too electronica at times.

I'm looking for something epic and dramatic and meaningful and perfect to write to. But I don't have it.

This is where you guys come in. Because I need your help. Do any of you write to soundtracks? Are you partial to any composers or any soundtracks in particular? I've heard some good things about the music from Stardust, Inception, and Hotel Rwanda, but can anyone confirm or deny? Give me some recommendations in the comments!

Music can psyche you up

So, lately I've been freaking out about Florence + The Machine. There's just something about Florence Welch's voice that melts my bones. I mean, just listen to Drumming Song. There's no rhyme or reason to it, but that song reminds me so much of my WIP.

A lot of songs remind me of my WIP though. I kind of have it on the brain at all times. But I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. Writers in general like to find songs that fit their stories, be it because of the lyrics or the mood of the music. Some writers stick to soundtracks because they find vocals distracting, and others need the passion of a voice.

While I adore soundtracks, I usually write to angry rock music. Despite being a semi-epic fantasy, my current WIP has been primarily composed to the dulcet tones of The Offspring, Red, Flyleaf, and Shinedown. And yes, I have been asked how I can focus on writing with angry rock music playing in the background. Do I have an answer to this question? Not really.

But music is important though. It  can set a mental mood or propel you through a difficult scene. In fact, if you don't write to music, it might be a good idea to start.

Why? Well, if you start listening to specific song while writing, that music will become a kind of trigger: your brain will start associating it with your writing, which is kind of awesome. That way, if you want to pump yourself up for the work to come, you can do all sorts of things while listening to your soundtrack. Cook breakfast, clean your house, buy groceries--all while prepping your brain for writing! Then, when it's time to sit down, you're already in the zone!

So what kind of music do you write to? Instrumental? Angry rock? Florence + The Machine? By some strange coincidence do we write to the same music?! Or do you think I'm insane? Tell me in the comments.