It's a gloomy, rainy day and I'm supposed to be working on the latest chapter of my novel but for some reason I just can't bring myself to start writing.
I've learned recently that my mood strongly influences my desire to write, but I guess that's everyone. Although, there are some writers who can get words down regardless of how they feel. They're hardwired to do the hard work even when they'd rather not be working at all. I'm learning from them, bird by bird as the author of a famed book on writing once said.
Today I've tried a few things to get me in the writing groove. One of my favorite things to do is search Pinterest for new images to put in my inspiration board. I'm hard at work saving images to Everlight's board. Sometimes I can be quite picky choosing images and I do find myself going back to delete whatever I think doesn't match the aesthetic.
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This time I'm going for a dark, moody theme, with a quote here and there, and bits about every character. This time, since I'm working on a series, I've decided to group all of the images together into one board. I'm not sure how well this will work though because I'm only on the first book. I've shared a song by singer Phildel that I think matches the books tone wonderfully, and lines from La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats that I like as an epigraph for the story. It's always so much fun putting together a new storyboard. Building a story image by image really helps you dig in, knuckles deep into what you're envisioning. Creating a storyboard on Pinterest has become a part of my storytelling ritual. There's just something about finding that perfect image. You think that when you do you'll truly understand why you're writing this book.
When I'm thinking about the story itself, I tend to imagine the tone I'd like to convey. As a writer, everything becomes material for a future story. We keep all of our favorite books, movies, music, and TV shows on a tidy shelf, selecting a scene from a movie, a line from a song, or a bit of dialogue from a favorite character for inspiration once we're ready to write.
I know all of mine by heart and I bet you know yours too.
This scene from Pride and Prejudice is one of my all times favorites, the music as Darcy is coming to meet Elizabeth is breathtaking. I'd love to able to achieve the feeling this scene gives me in one of my stories one day.
I've talked about it before but my story Augustine was inspired partly by the movie An Education. I love the scene when the main character first meets the love interest. You can see it in her eyes right away how enamored she is by him, despite how taboo it might be. It's the look she gives him that I'd like to capture in writing.
There are so many movies I could name, but this scene from Atonement is a true classic. I highly recommend the movie. From start to finish, it's a true masterpiece. The soldiers' singing gets to me every time. I haven't read the book yet but I'd love to soon because I think it'll be even better.
Bright Star--the poetry--Ben Whishaw reciting John Keats has gotten me out of so many writing slumps. I settled on the scene with the butterflies but the entire movie is pure writing magic.
I've since learned that you don't have to write purple prose to be considered a beautiful writer. It's all in the rhythm of your words, the sentence, and the paragraph. I'm always on the lookout for books, movies, and music that embody a particular tone, hoping that I can replicate it in my writing. Do you write the same way?
