Saturday, September 11, 2010

IN THE MOOD

What gets you in the mood to write? For me personally, it's music. I've always been a fan of movie soundtracks. Maybe that's because the key points in movies are always accompanied by music to enhance the impression made on the audience. "What a Feeling" from Flashdance, "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun, "Must Have Been Love" from Pretty Woman, "I Will Always Love You" from the Body Guard, "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky, and so on.

When I'm prepping to write a particular scene, I listen to music beforehand. If I'm writing a fight scene, I'll select something with a fast pace, and it will probably be hard rock or some hateful rap (edited, though). Something that makes me want to scrap. If I'm writing a first-kiss scene, I usually go for 80's love songs, because they tend to be sweeter, and they build to a climax, like a first-kiss. And if my character is overwhelmed by loss, well, then, there are plenty of depressing songs out there for that.

But what gets you in the mood? Meditation? Reading other works in your genre? Exercise?

Monday, September 6, 2010

LOSING MOMENTUM

Okay, so not as many words this week as last week. I only churned out 6k words, so I'm at a total of about 23k words. What I'm finding is that I'm more meticulous in word selection now. And being meticulous is time-consuming. While my word-count goal is still important, I don't want to rush this story. This story needs to be told, but it needs to be told right.

A few of you mentioned that I don't have to submit it the very first day the contest opens. While I want to get as close to that date as possible, all of it would be a waste if I turned in a rushed manuscript. It would be like baking a cake but forgetting a key ingredient. It looks delicious, the icing is pretty, but when you dig in...something is missing.

I don't want the judges to spit my manuscript in their napkins. So, meticulous it is. Is this the right decision?