Fill Your Soul and Writing With Music

Hi readers,

Here's another different post for this week, but I'm still staying with the writing theme. Two things actually gave me the idea for this post. The first was an article from helping writers become authors; 'how music affects writing process.' (linked below) Which discusses how listening to music can be important during writing and how it can have different affects. The second, though off topic, but just linking in, comes from a conversation about Sonic the Hedgehog Underground characters getting their own music themes. This was due to someone posting and suggesting pieces of music-which actually didn't match the characters- in the comments of that particular review on my boyfriend's YouTube channel.

Everyone has their own place and system for writing, even if you don't realize it or you do one or two simple things. I'd be shocked if anyone told me they just sit at their computer or notebook and wrote solidly for a few hours. Most people have chores or other jobs or must grab a coffee first. I'm not saying its impossible to just start writing straight way, but its rare to do that. At the start of my degree, I remember being given a task/writing technique to try, which meant that the first thing I had to do when I woke up was to write. Now it could be anything; a dream, a stream of conciseness, recording what I could sense, a story idea. It didn't matter as long as I spent my first awake moments writing.  I never actually got in the habit of that, but it was the beginnings of my thought documents, where I write a lot of stuff, mostly personal/story relented and often in a diary like way. It gives me a private space to just write and not think or edit.

I don't think I have an actual 'set' way of preparing myself to write. I know that I like to have eaten something and have a drink at my side. I will have checked out my favorite websites and updated things. I'll have watched some internet videos, but now have iTunes, Spotify, media player or my ipod on shuffle. Or else playing music from a certain artist or album. I still like to write in the afternoons and evenings, when I've had time to do other tasks and wake up fully. I've only recently become a fan of flavored coffees and have been drinking them to stay warm more then anything else! I might write in my thought doc or read a chapter/short story of my current book, before officially starting to write.

The one thing I couldn't write without though is my music. I find it impossible to work in silence or with the TV/movie on or with an internet video. The only time I've wrote without it was during school/college lunch times and free lessons, when I didn't have an ipod. Back then I was still learning about writing and found my stories very easy to escape into. Now though I sort of relay on music to help me escape. Listening to certain songs reminds of things, like right now Before I'm Dead by the Kidneythieves is on and it reminds me of the Queen of The Damned movie because it's part of the soundtrack. Thus, I think about vampires, Anne Rice novels and Lestat. It's not just about the lyrics or the singing though, when I write I feel more focused on the actual music. Is the beat fast or slow? Is it heavy or soft? Does it change or is it constant? How this going to affect my writing; speed wise, ideas/inspiration and the flow of the words?

In my brief research and thinking about it, I've found that music is a popular subject with writers. There are lots of different articles, posts and discussions out there. It was hard to stop myself reading them and becoming influenced by them whilst I'm writing this. There are recommendations for the type of music you should listen to whilst writing to achieve the highest out of it. I found some science also relenting to how and why music affects the brain -you can read all about that in the link below-. The interesting part is of course what you should be listening too. I half fancy following the suggestions and seeing what happens, though I'm very set in my choice of writing music!

This is a summary of the suggest way; (for it in full see the link to Keep It Lit below)

 Choose instrumental music. 

 Choose songs within a 50–70 bpm range. 

 Choose music with lots of repetition to encourage your brain to let go. 

 Consider the tone of the project you're working on. 

Pay attention to how you feel while listening to music. 

Experiment. 

 I recently got into listening to Natural Sounds-especially rainfall and stormy weather- I actually started listening to become more relaxed and sleep to, but I found it good to listen to during writing as well. The almost white noise/constant sounds just help you keep the flow going and also can help picture the settings a lot more. I've always said I write better when it's raining and now I can listen to it all the time without it actually raining! Brad McBride has a good YouTube channel for these; 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBoTun54dQmzQMTxWTdJ9Sg

Secondly, I've been listening to some Japanese instrument music. I'm not into classical or instrument unless its' heavy metal relented. My boyfriend got me into the Studio Ghibli movie soundtracks which I do like listening too, but I'm sure it's only because I know the music from the films. Expending out from this though, someone else introduced me to the Yoshida Brothers. I have found their music to be fascinating, though it can be a little bit too fast for me to write too. A YouTube channel for some of their music can be found here;  http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIvFJmgxa8wXAHs3AKVEsog

Another thing to consider relates to the second thought in my introduction; characters and music within the inner workings of the story. We are surrounded by music and sounds daily, but what about characters? In some stories music has no or a small role to play, whilst in others its' a major theme which helps the plot and reader along. For example Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood, named after The Beatles song, has a large part in the plot and has other connections with the characters. Music and artists named in the story can say a lot about characters, (though it can also conjure up stereotypes for readers) and also the writer. So, what kind of music your character likes is important for making a complete picture of them, even if you don't include it in the story.

The last part of this is that the story within the lyrics of songs can inspire you to write stories based or around them. My MA dissertation piece was a story inspired by Bullet For My Valentine's Your Betrayal. That actually helped create one of my best non-vampire antagonists, who also fascinated my tutor. Though she did make me concerned about which part of me she had come from. Though as I looked at in another post some time ago; when we write we aren't actually ourselves...

Hopefully, that's been useful for some people. All the other links are below for you to check out. Next week I'll be back to a book review. I wonder which on it'll be though!

Images from:
http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7967-words-and-music-our-60-favorite-music-books/
http://images.firstcovers.com/covers/flash/m/music_and_writing-12360.jpg?i
http://www.musicteachershelper.com/blog/words-worth-reading/


Websites:
 http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2012/12/how-music-affects-writing-process.html
http://www.backwoodsauthor.com/2013/08/26/guest-post-how-music-can-affect-your-writing-by-marcela-de-vivo/
http://keepitlit.squarespace.com/blog/2012/7/30/listen-up-how-music-affects-focus-creativity-and-mood.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-bRvd4-oHA

The Mammoth Book Anthologies Review

Hi readers,

I have always liked Woolly Mammoths. I guess there's just something about the way they look that I like. I've been interested in dinosaur and ancient animals since I can remember. I still have a few toy dinosaurs knocking around and I've a number of Woolly Mammoth soft toys. I wonder if they do mange to bring Mammoths back-as science has been looking into-what they'll actually be like and if they are just elephants with fur and longer tusks? Of course, they actually have nothing to do with this post, because the use of Mammoth in this content means huge. So, let's get to it.

I am reviewing The Mammoth Book Of .... series.   Now, because there is a LOT of these books covering fiction, non-fiction, photos (as I recently found out) and puzzles. across all genres and mostly in the format of short stories, extracts and novellas, I decided to just write about them as a whole and touch upon the ones I own. In trying to do some research about this series, I found that there wasn't much out there. I was hoping for a complete list of books or a history about where, why and how the series came to be, but I've been unable to find out the information I wanted. (if you can help, please comment below). Of course there is a list of currently available books that does differ in each or most of the Mammoth Books. Also an up to date one appears on the publishers website, which I've included at the end.

The books themselves are amongst the best anthologies I've read. No matter which one I pick up, they have a good range of stories in them, due to the variety of authors old and new from around the world and eras. The books also cover all genres and some like the Best New Horror and Best New SF  are published yearly with the latest stories of the year before appearing. That's what actually got me thinking about writing this post. I brought the Best New Horror 22 (2011) off Amazon last week and realized that I'd not wrote about a Mammoth Book before. I am not sure what my first Mammoth Book was, but its possible that I saw it in a library or someone brought me one. The chances are that it was one of the vampire or horror ones. Since then I've got a lot of them, though my collection contents only the books on vampires, supernaturals, horror, fantasy and romance. I also buy the SF ones for my dad as he really likes them, (though I don't really read them as I'm not into SF).

I'd love to actually go and find out which ones I had. Most of them are together on my shelf due to the fact I order my books more on genre then anything else. Anyway, the other reason why I like MB is because I can dip in and out of them and just read the stories in any order. They make a good break from a long novel or else if I know I'm going on a trip or holiday or weekend away and fear that I might need something to read. I'm a bit strange with my reading away from home as I don't like to read during traveling and whilst away I prefer to be doing other things. I guess I sort of take a break from reading at these times because I do so much of it at home. The size of the book doesn't make it difficult to pack either. They are all paperbacks and are about the same length of a normal book. They do have 500-600 pages, which does make them a little bulky, but that's normally no problem. Also, I have always found them to be cheap. Normally they sell for £7.99, which is about the same price as a normal novel and you always seem to pay a bit more for anthologies. However, if you spend a bit of time online or in a book store and you don't mind buying second hand, you can get them for a lot cheaper. Horror 22 cost me a 1p plus £2.60 P&P.

One slightly negative thing I would say about them is that sometimes the covers of certain titles can differ. As I found due to a reprint of a title that has been out of print for a few years. Or, they update the title by adding and removing stories, but they decided not to make a new anthology overall. Sometimes it also has to do with country it was published in. Really, though it's such a small thing, but I'm only bring it up because it caught me out with The Giant book of Vampires (1992) and The Mammoth Book Of Vampires (2006). The editor, Stephen Jones explains on his website (below) that the publishers wanted to reprint the first book but change some of the stories. I have to say though that both these books are on my favorite list of vampire stories and I've read them a lot. I am sure I've got all MB relenting to vampires. There is those two and then, Vampire stories by Women, Dracula, Vampire Romances 1 and 2. 

From Jones' website I was able to find out that that first Best New Horror anthology was published in 1990. There's has been a new one every year since then. I've actually just gone and brought this book on Amazon and had a look at some of the others. They are all available on Kindle, which is great because some are expensive second hand. So I might do a post about that in the future. It'll be nice to have them all actually, there is 24 all together. And I own only numbers 18 and 22, I believe. I have got some others like the ghost story ones, but yeah it would be nice to have some more of these. I just brought 1, 4, 5, 11 and 15 though! Yeah, I need to stop digressing and get on with the review.

Having a quick look through the titles, it seems that MB have published collection on everything and anything. There are some interesting titles and I would like to have Dark Magic and Celtic myths now. So MB really caterer to everyone's taste and fantasies! These books would make great presents and they would be useful for writers of that genre and also students/researches. In the book of Horror 22, there is a list of useful address for readers and writers to use, it contents publishers and magazines. (not sure if all MB do this though). There is also a Necrology chapter listing the deaths of writers, artists etc. The introduction is also packed with lots of information about the horror genre and the latest books to be published. So really, MB could be just the beginning for many readers and writers!

Overall, I would recommend Mammoth Book anthologies to everyone. There is a genre/topic to suit everyone. The books are cheap and great value. They take up just a bit more space then a normal book does on a shelf or in a bag/suitcase. They are good for dipping in and out of and great if you don't have a lot of time to spare. They are useful to writers as they can keep in touch with what's popular and find inspiration. There is an introduction to new writers and subjects. The covers are also well done and look very interesting. I would differently say I was addicted to reading and buying them!

Images:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/evolution/10301194/Climate-change-killed-the-woolly-mammoth-researchers-claim.html
http://stephenbacon.co.uk/2011/06/15/a-nod-to-the-editors/
http://www.stephenjoneseditor.com/article-sj-undead01.htm

Web Links:
http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?19097
http://www.stephenjoneseditor.com/book-01.htm
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_n_0?rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3Athe+mammoth+book+of&keywords=the+mammoth+book+of&ie=UTF8&qid=1392572692&rnid=1642204031
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&series=mammoth_books&home_page_feature=4

Social Writing - Writers on the Internet.

Hi readers, thought I'd write something a bit different today. So this is going to be a sort of informal essay style post discussing how the internet has made writers more sociable and the positives and negatives of this.

I want to look at this subject more closely due to my recent activity on a site called Readwave. This website allows people to put/publish their writings, though there is an 800 word limit. The one thing that really attracted me to Readwave was their weekly challenges, which they have been improving. Every week there is a different subject (now four) which is often connected with a theme. Writing can be fiction, non-fiction and biographically. You can add images, tag lines and summaries. Also, as far as I know there's no limit to the stories you can put up, but you can only enter a challenge once. You get your own page for your stories and can have a bio. There is share buttons for social websites. The best bit about Readwave is that people can comment on your stories and can share them. My page can be sen here;
http://www.readwave.com/hayley.hardman.7/

I think that's the key to most writing websites. The internet is allowing writers to interact in a new way which was not possible before. Writers know that they need isolation time and space in which to work, but afterwards, social interaction is needed. The writer wants and often needs a readers opinion and other minds to spot things that they have missed. Also new writers seek reassurance about they work. Thus the sites are very useful. The other side of this is that they allow readers to experience new genres and writers.

There are downsides to this though. A writer shouldn't let other people's opinions influence their on own every occasion. The writer needs to remain in control and do what they think is right. Over-posting needs to be avoided. The writer doesn't want to flood their page or their readers with too much at once by continuously putting up new or redrafted pieces. The writer also shouldn't think that just because they are gaining a large readership that they must post up more pieces to keep all the readers. Normally, posting once a week or month, the same as doing a blog, is a good strategy to have. Readers can become easily bored with the same or similar pieces.

 Lastly, don't let negative comments or lack of readers get to you. People always have opinions on things they don't like. Remember not to take it to heart and perhaps if they make suggestions you could see these as changes to bare in mind during redrafting. The internet is massive and there are so many other websites and stories that grab peoples' attentions. It can take a while to get a readership, the same with a blog and the way to do that is to keep publishing different stories and doing a bit of self-promotion.

There are all different kinds of websites for publishing too. Doing research into this could be beneficial for some writers, as if you have a piece on a certain topic or containing certain themes, which you wish to share with a connecting audience which some sites are tailored too. Fan fiction is a good example of this as some sites only accept fan related pieces and others sometimes don't.




For me, publishing on these websites does need to be taken seriously. That's because it is increasingly becoming the in between of officially unpublished and published writers. There are writers now who are earning a living through self-publishing online/kindle without an agent or a publishing company. Writers are also being picked up by agents and publishers after their work has been seen online. It can also be used as examples of writing for job applications or agents.

I publish though because doing the challenges means I have to write once a week and it's helped me get over my writers' block. It also allows for story subjects that are new or need a different take on them to happen. This is a good way to practice more and share your thoughts with others. I have also enjoyed reading and commenting on other peoples' works. That is something that really needs to be done, you need to give back as well as receive. Becoming an active member of a site can also attract more readers and help other writers to develop.

So there are a lot of good reasons why a writer should be getting themselves out there on the internet. That saying of you take out what you put in is very true and I believe that every writer will find publishing on writing websites beneficial in some way. It is a great chance to share your work, get a peoples' opinions and read the works of others. That idea of writers being anti-social is a fantasy, because we are a very supportive and respectful network.

That's it for this post then and next week I'm going to be writing a book review. It's going to be slightly different though. I hope this post has been helpful and the discussion can be carried on in the comments below. I've also included a list of websites for people to check out that relate to this post.

Images from:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Stipula_fountain_pen.jpg
http://www.openculture.com/2013/11/the-100-best-novels-1898.html
http://blog.moveguides.com/skilled-freelance-writers-wanted/


Websites:

http://www.readwave.com/
http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/
https://kdp.amazon.com/
http://www.lulu.com/
https://www.createspace.com/
http://www.writeandshare.co.uk/
http://www.writing.com/
https://www.fanfiction.net/

Lolita Review

Hi readers,

I'm not really sure when and why Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov was added to my reading list, but I got it for Christmas and was eager to start reading it. However, I've yet to finish it because I've been so busy making things and writing. Unlike my last book, City of Bone, I didn't have a problem getting into the novel or sticking with it and the subject matter doesn't get to me either. So, why have I not finished it yet?

Well, Lolita was written in the 1950's and the vocabulary reflects that, but it's also is very philosophical and shows the education of the main character and narrator Humbert Humbert. He is an unreliable narrator though and not just because of his bias point of view, but that he can't remember everything. Grant not many people can do! Though his lack of giving a complete picture doesn't actually effect the novel and it does make Humbert more human.

I've not read any classic literature recently, so this adds to the reason why I'm taking it slow with this book. It might only be just over 300 pages long, but there is a lot going on and time is needed to fully understand it. One of the reasons why I was drawn to Lolita was because of the controversy that still surrounds it. That's understandable as it tells the story of a pedophile, Humbert, in his own words and his relationship with a twelve year old girl, Dolores Haze, who he gives the name Lolita to.

When it was first published, Lolita was banned in the UK, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. Canada followed a few years later. In other countries it was restricted in sales and not published in its' full form. This was because it was viewed as having obscene content and subject matter. Now though, like a few other past banned books it's actually studied in schools and colleges.

So, far I've enjoyed reading it and its' interesting to see into the mindset of a character like Humbert. He does do a lot of bad things in the novel, such as marrying Lolita's mother and plotting to kill her, so that he can be closer to Lolita. He runs away with Lolita too and grooms her by buying her things and letting her indulge. It's also interesting to see how Humbert somewhat blames young girls for his attractiveness to them. He calls girls aged 9-14 Nymphets, meaning that they are sexually precocious. Also that they are like the Greek Nymphs, they are minor female- often young maidens- nature deities, who are know to attract men and led them astray. Humbert also suggests that the reason is the death of his childhood sweetheart.  Of course, that's no excuse.

I have also enjoyed how Humbert describes America. He was born in France and got some of his education in London. He goes to America due to the death of an uncle who left him an income if he went to run the business. This though he has little interest in and spends the time writing and translating. This actually reflects Nabokov's move from his Russian home to London and then America.

This novel is pretty interesting though and it would be good to study. I guess I should go and finish it!


Image from:

 http://www.looksandbooks.com/2011/06/23/fashion-book-lolita/

Other information used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita#Publication_and_reception
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nymph