Thursday, October 2, 2014

Music, walkies, and one of those Eureka! moments

I'm taking care of my parents' house/pets/etc while they're out of town for a couple of weeks. One of the great things about that is Tynehead Park is (temporarily) within walking distance. I'm probably going to take my phone with me one day soon to snap some fall pictures of the park, which will appear on Bailiwick in the future.

In my stories, the contemporary ones at least, there are often a lot of music references. I love music, but never when I'm writing. I need quiet for that. I only listen to music when I'm in the car or when I'm walking Eva... and walking Eva is when story ideas bubble around in my brain like mad scientist's laboratory.. I think that's why music tends to show up in the stories (even though I write in silence), as they're connected to the moment the scattered puzzle pieces suddenly fit together into a cohesive picture.

So, today I was walking Eva (yup, the ribs have been staying in for the last week or so) with 'Black Black Heart' by David Usher (the faster remix, not the original) blasting through my headphones...

...and I was hit with a sudden moment of perfect clarity.

I now know how SCARLIGHT ends... everything with Jay's character arc, his relationships with Donny, Kell & Aricia. The results of the art competition, and the university/art school he'll end up in because of those results. Thankfully it will only require a few minor changes to what's already been written. Most of the pieces were already laid out like Easter eggs just waiting to be found (I really do think my unconscious brain is much smarter than my conscious brain...).

Even though I consider myself a pantsing-style writer, even though the thought of writing down story notes or (god forbid) an outline instantly turns the crisp deliciousness of a freshly plucked story idea into the culinary equivalent of wallpaper paste, I can admit that somewhere in the cracks and crevices of my brain synapses are firing and putting together connections that will one day spring out fully formed.

A little like Artemis, I suppose. Fully grown and heavily armed.

Yup, my unconscious brain can totally kick my conscious brain's ass... which is probably why I trust it to do it's own thing and don't condescend by allowing my conscious brain to do (stupid) things like write outlines... 'cause then the unconscious brain gets all pouty, bored, and wanders off to build new worlds in a dark corner somewhere...

Okay, I just reread that last paragraph, and I think I may be a little dehydrated/loopy :)

(forgive me?)

Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful autumn weather :)

4 comments:

  1. *laughs* it is always fun when that happens. I'm still waiting for that with Boy & Fox -- I know how it ends, but the beats to get there aren't formed yet and I suspect a good chunk of the opening won't survive another draft -- the character of Ambrose adds nothing to the story, nor does the plot involving him.

    I do know it ends ugly and grim and the idea of having to earn your own happy ending will carry over to the next novel. Which is an insanely weird piece of writing that is probably nigh-unpublishable even if I DO finish it... :)

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    1. Ah, that's kinda how I am with SCARLIGHT too... I've got the first 30,000 words written, and now I know the ending, but how to connect 'C' to 'F'...

      Okay, you have now completely hooked me again (re-hooked?) with the promise that B&F ends ugly & grim (love the use of the word 'grim' -> so fairytale-ish!).

      ...and unpublishable? when has that ever stopped you before?!?!

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    2. Heh! It is this set of stuff, which is a very, very odd story that even I have trouble following at times. It IS/was meant to be a sequel to boy and fox, but the tone and setting are vastly different.

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    3. ...y'know, that could totally work as a (slightly) off narrator... could you keep pockets of that voice and intersperse it with more linear writing so readers can follow better? Reminds me of Gollum a little :p

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Type me out a line of Shakespeare or a line of nonsense. Dumb-blonde-jokes & Irish jokes will make me laugh myself silly :)