That's enough about me; now on to the exciting stuff. I know a lot of people who are aspiring writers (I think we tend to gravitate toward each other naturally), most of whom aren't anywhere near finishing a book. I get asked a lot how I managed to write an entire book, how I come up with ideas, etc. and I'm not even published yet. The nice thing is it always gets me thinking about my writing process and I invariably give them one of three responses:
- know your characters
- know your story
- listen to music
I find that every time I start outlining and developing a new story idea, I subconsciously start putting together soundtracks for it as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning out the future movie based on my idea will sound. What I find myself doing, as I think about what's happening at certain points in the story and in certain scenes, is identifying songs that evoke the character's state of mind/emotion. I generally end up with a fairly eclectic selection of pieces (everything from rock to classical).
The most amazing thing is that as I begin to actually writing the story, listening to my "soundtrack" actually helps me get into the story more. And that's when writing really starts to be fun!
So, what do you do to help get your creative juices flowing?
I need total quiet. Music helps get me in the right mood for different scenes, but I can't have it on while I write. I usually get my ideas in the shower, driving in the car, or just sitting staring at the blank space of air in front of me. Pretty much anytime my kids are leaving me alone. That's great that you use music to guide you :)
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