How I Write Novels, Part Two
This time, I would like to focus on some of the tricks I use to complete novels. Last time, I discussed general methods that I use to write, whereas this time I would like to share some of the more quirky methods that I use to get through difficult points in the writing process.
Soundtracks
The credit for this idea belongs to a mangaka (manga creator) that I took some online drawing lessons from a few years ago. One of the more interesting things that he talked about had nothing to do with drawing - it was technique he used to inspire himself when he felt short on good ideas, or lacked the desire to write. In order to have a ready-made source inspiration, he created soundtracks for his book, so if he got stuck, he could play the music that he associated with the work.
I liked this idea a great deal - partly because I always work with music on. But, for me, I needed something a bit more specific - something like theme songs for every character in The Central Series, for example. That way, when I was working on a scene featuring Eerie, or Alice Gallow, or whomever, and I got stuck, I could simply play the song I had associated with the character.
Just for fun, here is my playlist for The Academy:
Overall Novel - Fever Ray, Fever Ray
Alex Warner - Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Eerie - Electrocute, On The Beat
Alice Gallow - Darkthrone, Too Old, Too Cold
Anastasia Martynova - Jucifer, Queen B
Mitsuru Aoki - Queen Adreena, Kitty Collar Tight
Margot Feld - Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Warrior
Rebecca Levy - Stiff Little Fingers, 78 rpm
Emily Muir - Cat Power, Maybe Not
Not that the song lyrics necessarily have a specific relationship with the character, but something about the overall feel and tone of the music inspires thoughts of the character for me. This is one of my favorite ways to move beyond a point in the novel were I am struggling.
As an interesting (to me, anyway) side note, most of those songs changed completely for The Anathema.
Endless Interrogations of Friends and Loved Ones
Virtually every conversation in The Central Series is based on something that happened to me, something that I overheard, or something that happened to one of my friends or my wife. In cases were there was no solid basis from my personal experience to base an interaction on, I would attempt to find someone I knew who had traits in common with the character involved, and ask their opinion.
My wife really should get partial credit for The Central Series, because she answered a thousands questions about her own experiences as a teenage girl, romance, gossip, and all that chick stuff. She went over every female character, the statements they made, and the actions they took, in order to make sure they were consistent with reality and a female point of view.
Most of my friends and associates suffered similarly, though to less of an extreme. The people I know are a resource, and I shamelessly mine them for useful material, opinions and thoughts to help with the writing process, and to make sure viewpoints that I am not personal familiar with are authentically depicted.
Voices
My wife suspects that some of the outrage over my grammar comes from Alex and Rebecca's habitual mutilation of the English language. I tend to agree with her, at least in part.
When I realized that I was going to be using one main character as a general focal point for a series of books hundreds of thousands of words in length, I knew I would need to feel confident and natural using his voice. Being that I was still fairly new at this, I took a convenient and effective shortcut: I made the characters voice similar to my own.
Not that I am a sullen, self-absorbed teenager - not any more - but rather that Alex and I both come from a similar part of southern California, and we talk like it. Even in foreign countries, it generally only takes a few minutes for people to identify my point of origin, because of the distinctive slang and accent that goes with it. Both Rebecca and Alex have this same origin, meaning I could use either of their voices with total confidence in their authenticity.
I don't think this I am cheating by doing this, any more than Ian Rankin is for setting his stories in Scotland. It did, however, make the book easier to write, since I can hear Alex's voice in my head very naturally.
That's it for this time. Next, I will discuss the particulars of my experience with self-publishing. Cheers!
Soundtracks
The credit for this idea belongs to a mangaka (manga creator) that I took some online drawing lessons from a few years ago. One of the more interesting things that he talked about had nothing to do with drawing - it was technique he used to inspire himself when he felt short on good ideas, or lacked the desire to write. In order to have a ready-made source inspiration, he created soundtracks for his book, so if he got stuck, he could play the music that he associated with the work.
I liked this idea a great deal - partly because I always work with music on. But, for me, I needed something a bit more specific - something like theme songs for every character in The Central Series, for example. That way, when I was working on a scene featuring Eerie, or Alice Gallow, or whomever, and I got stuck, I could simply play the song I had associated with the character.
Just for fun, here is my playlist for The Academy:
Overall Novel - Fever Ray, Fever Ray
Alex Warner - Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Eerie - Electrocute, On The Beat
Alice Gallow - Darkthrone, Too Old, Too Cold
Anastasia Martynova - Jucifer, Queen B
Mitsuru Aoki - Queen Adreena, Kitty Collar Tight
Margot Feld - Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Warrior
Rebecca Levy - Stiff Little Fingers, 78 rpm
Emily Muir - Cat Power, Maybe Not
Not that the song lyrics necessarily have a specific relationship with the character, but something about the overall feel and tone of the music inspires thoughts of the character for me. This is one of my favorite ways to move beyond a point in the novel were I am struggling.
As an interesting (to me, anyway) side note, most of those songs changed completely for The Anathema.
Endless Interrogations of Friends and Loved Ones
Virtually every conversation in The Central Series is based on something that happened to me, something that I overheard, or something that happened to one of my friends or my wife. In cases were there was no solid basis from my personal experience to base an interaction on, I would attempt to find someone I knew who had traits in common with the character involved, and ask their opinion.
My wife really should get partial credit for The Central Series, because she answered a thousands questions about her own experiences as a teenage girl, romance, gossip, and all that chick stuff. She went over every female character, the statements they made, and the actions they took, in order to make sure they were consistent with reality and a female point of view.
Most of my friends and associates suffered similarly, though to less of an extreme. The people I know are a resource, and I shamelessly mine them for useful material, opinions and thoughts to help with the writing process, and to make sure viewpoints that I am not personal familiar with are authentically depicted.
Voices
My wife suspects that some of the outrage over my grammar comes from Alex and Rebecca's habitual mutilation of the English language. I tend to agree with her, at least in part.
When I realized that I was going to be using one main character as a general focal point for a series of books hundreds of thousands of words in length, I knew I would need to feel confident and natural using his voice. Being that I was still fairly new at this, I took a convenient and effective shortcut: I made the characters voice similar to my own.
Not that I am a sullen, self-absorbed teenager - not any more - but rather that Alex and I both come from a similar part of southern California, and we talk like it. Even in foreign countries, it generally only takes a few minutes for people to identify my point of origin, because of the distinctive slang and accent that goes with it. Both Rebecca and Alex have this same origin, meaning I could use either of their voices with total confidence in their authenticity.
I don't think this I am cheating by doing this, any more than Ian Rankin is for setting his stories in Scotland. It did, however, make the book easier to write, since I can hear Alex's voice in my head very naturally.
That's it for this time. Next, I will discuss the particulars of my experience with self-publishing. Cheers!
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