I know I said in my last post that I would love to do some sort of communal writing project, where a small group of us would either get the ball rolling with the use of one theme or line. But I guess maybe it'd be better over a long vacation, such as either Spring Break or summer vacation, so that academic or job deadlines won't be an issue. I myself have a pelting of exams to zip through in the upcoming weeks. So, this literary challenge is post-poned, at least for now.
Meanwhile, thanks to the recommendations made by my friend, Liliana (whose blog can be found here), I was able to uncover some new music that could possibly work as background music during one of my story-storming and writing sessions. These have an overall dark mood - perfect for scenes meant to feel creepy or loaded with fast-paced action.
The first one is by Gossip, called "Heavy Cross." Really haunting with the beat and the girl's vocals. It feels like a '70s kung-pow disco kind of vibe - fresh, funky cool. ;)
I heard about Florence + the Machine about a year ago when I was searching Youtube for some clips of Fox's hit tv series, "Bones." A fan had made a video of scenes between Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan with the song "Kiss with a Fist" in the background. I thought the song was weird (it's about a dysfunctional relationship, if you haven't already guessed), but really groovy. So I downloaded it and put it in my mp3 player. I'd been meaning to search for more songs by Florence + the Machine, but I just never found the time or it would always slip my mind.
And let me tell you, I fell absolutely in love with her music all over again, especially with "Drumming Song" and "Howl." They're absolutely fantastic, filled with passion and charged with the hot vibrancy of conflict. I was easily able to write some more details for the action scene I'm currently working on.
Here they are below, courtesy of Youtube...
First, "Drumming Song"
And now here's my absolute favorite, which was also featured in a trailor for season 4 of "The Tudors." This one is called "Howl."
Dark, seductive, and fast-paced aren't they? Absolutely compelling.
Then, during another search, I came across this excellent band named Explosions in the Sky. They mostly do instrumental compositions - lots of melody and great balance between light and dark moods, kind of like the musical scores done in movies. So if you're the kind of writer who prefers songs without sung lyrics, this may be a great group to listen to as you're crafting your story. This particular song is called "Greet Death."
If you like more music like this, and more bands similar to Explosions in the Sky, there's another band that I noticed many people liked.
Listen to the band Sigur Ros if you're more into lighter melodies for easy listening, especially if you're writing a fantasy story. They're an Icelandic band, and although you might not understand the language they're singing in, their songs are very soothing and optimistic. I wouldn't be surprised if they were included in a Pure Moods compilation; their music is beautiful.
Here's one of Sigur Ros's songs, called "Staralfur," for example. Give it a go, and I promise you that you'll feel a comforting calm wash over you.
I have a lot more on my list of story-writing songs, so check back later the next time I blog about music. I'll try to find some more interesting songs for writing as time goes on. You're also more than welcome to add any of your suggestions. In the meantime, enjoy the tune-age! ;)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sentence + Song Suggestions, Anyone?
Okay. So I have writer's block. Not that I don't have ideas floating around in my sleep-deprived brain or anything - in fact, it's actually quite the opposite.
I have so many ideas and scenarios in my head that I'm having some trouble transposing them into legible sense. If I can't understand my own thoughts, what more my readers? I would hate to confuse anyone and have the story ruined as a result of my brain farts (and partly due to an insomniac cat outside my house that whines incessantly all night and provides me with ample distraction. Though, I kind of feel bad for it sometimes, but that's besides the point.)
Two of the characters in my novel have reached a point where they're both running through the woods at the edge of town from something insatiable and sinister.
Consider this sentence and please tell me if it's a good line to put during a chase scene such as the one previously described:
Breathing - heavy, harsh, and heated - followed right behind us...
Is the alliteration too much, or does it add something to the suspense? Please tell me what you think.
Also, wouldn't it be cool if we all wrote a story or a poem using a particular line or phrase and see what we each come up with? You know, kind of like what Mary Shelley did with her literary friends (hence we have Frankenstein), or the song-writing challenges that Jason Mraz would do with his fellow music buddies (The Dynamo of Volition, for instance, came about from the challenge of writing a song using the phrase "blind man's bike"). Isn't creativity a wondrous thing? ;)
For inspiration, I've been listening to UnderOath's "Reinventing Your Exit" on repeat during the tense, adrenaline-filled moments of my story. I could never really tap into the zone of writing these particular scenes without it. The odd thing is that even though I absolutely love rock music, I'm not particularly fond of the screamo kind. But this song is one of the few that's made my list of exceptions. I guess it has to do with the fact that the harsh, grating screaming is balanced with really compelling and really good singing. Together, the song strikes a great balance between anger, desperation, and raw power. This song's been on my mp3 player since I was 16, so maybe that means something, hehe.
If you guys also happen to have some song suggestions for action/suspense scenes, please share them. I'd love to hear them - I'm always in search of awe-inspiring music.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in the song that I'm talking about, here it is, along with the lyrics on the screen.
Lately I've also been listening to the dynamic duo Tegan & Sara. They're amazing! Here's the acoustic version of their song "The Con," which also plays in my head occasionally during my story-storming sessions.
Enjoy! Maybe these songs can invoke some kind of inspiration for you, too. ;)
I have so many ideas and scenarios in my head that I'm having some trouble transposing them into legible sense. If I can't understand my own thoughts, what more my readers? I would hate to confuse anyone and have the story ruined as a result of my brain farts (and partly due to an insomniac cat outside my house that whines incessantly all night and provides me with ample distraction. Though, I kind of feel bad for it sometimes, but that's besides the point.)
Two of the characters in my novel have reached a point where they're both running through the woods at the edge of town from something insatiable and sinister.
Consider this sentence and please tell me if it's a good line to put during a chase scene such as the one previously described:
Breathing - heavy, harsh, and heated - followed right behind us...
Is the alliteration too much, or does it add something to the suspense? Please tell me what you think.
Also, wouldn't it be cool if we all wrote a story or a poem using a particular line or phrase and see what we each come up with? You know, kind of like what Mary Shelley did with her literary friends (hence we have Frankenstein), or the song-writing challenges that Jason Mraz would do with his fellow music buddies (The Dynamo of Volition, for instance, came about from the challenge of writing a song using the phrase "blind man's bike"). Isn't creativity a wondrous thing? ;)
For inspiration, I've been listening to UnderOath's "Reinventing Your Exit" on repeat during the tense, adrenaline-filled moments of my story. I could never really tap into the zone of writing these particular scenes without it. The odd thing is that even though I absolutely love rock music, I'm not particularly fond of the screamo kind. But this song is one of the few that's made my list of exceptions. I guess it has to do with the fact that the harsh, grating screaming is balanced with really compelling and really good singing. Together, the song strikes a great balance between anger, desperation, and raw power. This song's been on my mp3 player since I was 16, so maybe that means something, hehe.
If you guys also happen to have some song suggestions for action/suspense scenes, please share them. I'd love to hear them - I'm always in search of awe-inspiring music.
Meanwhile, if you're interested in the song that I'm talking about, here it is, along with the lyrics on the screen.
Lately I've also been listening to the dynamic duo Tegan & Sara. They're amazing! Here's the acoustic version of their song "The Con," which also plays in my head occasionally during my story-storming sessions.
Enjoy! Maybe these songs can invoke some kind of inspiration for you, too. ;)
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
One-Liner Limits
I should have started studying for my Statistics test hours ago. But my sister kept bugging me to proofread her cause-and-effect essay on reality television (another blog will be dedicated to this topic sometime in the future). I edited it for her, and on top of that, pretty much expanded her paper... but we had to cut back some paragraphs and sentences in order to fit her anal retentive teacher's requirement of an absolute maximum of three pages. The guy actually threatened to deduct a complete letter grade if his students did not "strictly adhere" (his favorite word, according to my sis) to his requirements. What a picky, picky butthead. Whatever happened to quality and not quantity? No wonder journalism didn't work out for the dude.
Sorry I sound so irritable right now.
But I have as much ownership to that essay as my sister does, and I feel that required page numbers are arbitrary. If the point is clearly stated and duly supported with specific examples, as well as a host of critiques on existing views, then the essay would be sound and at least offer some interesting insights. Why the heck should page numbers matter?
Society has gone batty. I mean that in the most serious way. Blogs - well, aside from the usual celebrity gossipmonger sites - are slowly becoming extinct. I'm sure everyone's heard of Twitter, an entire website dedicated solely to one-liners frequently updated (every 10 seconds or so for some people) based on the question, "What are you doing?"
But who really cares? What's the point of these so-called status updates? Aren't we limiting our capacity for self-expression by sticking to word-limited one-liners?
Okay... so maybe they're meant as conversation starters. But how far can these conversations go? About how your butt really itches right now, or how the eerily perfect Edward Cullen rocks your world (when he's really just a figment of imagination), or how you just ate a sandwich, or how you just got totally wasted at some random party and are retching miserably in your sleep... Unless you and your fellow conversationalists have somehow rambled on and found something substantial and meaningful to talk about. But my guess is not very far, given such topics of no consequence.
It's like society has attention-deficit disorder. Are we running out of patience? Out of creativity? Out of individuality? All because of the desire for instant gratification - here, now, within the span of a finger snap, just like that.
Well, let me tell you something. I refuse to let word limits and page limits define who I am. Screw that. I'm not going to go on ranting madly in the style of "Grrr, I am Woman, hear me ROAR!" But words... they're powerful instruments. I just wish people used them a bit more wisely and sought something deeper than the superficial.
Anyway, I should really get back to studying. More later.
Sorry I sound so irritable right now.
But I have as much ownership to that essay as my sister does, and I feel that required page numbers are arbitrary. If the point is clearly stated and duly supported with specific examples, as well as a host of critiques on existing views, then the essay would be sound and at least offer some interesting insights. Why the heck should page numbers matter?
Society has gone batty. I mean that in the most serious way. Blogs - well, aside from the usual celebrity gossipmonger sites - are slowly becoming extinct. I'm sure everyone's heard of Twitter, an entire website dedicated solely to one-liners frequently updated (every 10 seconds or so for some people) based on the question, "What are you doing?"
But who really cares? What's the point of these so-called status updates? Aren't we limiting our capacity for self-expression by sticking to word-limited one-liners?
Okay... so maybe they're meant as conversation starters. But how far can these conversations go? About how your butt really itches right now, or how the eerily perfect Edward Cullen rocks your world (when he's really just a figment of imagination), or how you just ate a sandwich, or how you just got totally wasted at some random party and are retching miserably in your sleep... Unless you and your fellow conversationalists have somehow rambled on and found something substantial and meaningful to talk about. But my guess is not very far, given such topics of no consequence.
It's like society has attention-deficit disorder. Are we running out of patience? Out of creativity? Out of individuality? All because of the desire for instant gratification - here, now, within the span of a finger snap, just like that.
Well, let me tell you something. I refuse to let word limits and page limits define who I am. Screw that. I'm not going to go on ranting madly in the style of "Grrr, I am Woman, hear me ROAR!" But words... they're powerful instruments. I just wish people used them a bit more wisely and sought something deeper than the superficial.
Anyway, I should really get back to studying. More later.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Twenteen and counting...
Today at around 4:01 PM, I will officially be twenteen. A big shout out and thank you to everyone who wished me well for my birthday! You guys are awesome -- or as my good friend Tegan puts it, "awesometastic!" :)
As you can probably guess, I still wish I could be a teenager forever. Whereas most people would rub their hands together with sheer delight at the prospect of getting one step closer to the legal drinking age limit, it wouldn't have mattered much to me. I kind of like my liver the way it is. Okay.. maybe when I turn 21 next year, I'll indulge in a couple sips of white wine. It's the only alcoholic beverage that tastes as sweet as it smells. But anyway, that's besides the point.
Do I even have a point? (Laughs to Self.)
This might just be one of my rambling blog posts, unfocused and everywhere all at once, so please just bear with me if you're actually reading this.
I've been feeling a bit scatterbrained lately, ever since I became Worthy Advisor of my assembly in Rainbow. Just yesterday the girls and I initiated 4 new members -- my youngest sister Juvy, Judith's friend Julia, and two other girls from another assembly in upstate. It was a LONG day of rehearsals (the entire afternoon and evening), and after memorizing paragraphs and pages of the ceremony, all of that hard work paid off. I'm so happy that my friends in Rainbow have done a great job. Let your true colors always shine through! :)
Hmm... what else? Sports.
I don't follow football, but I just thought it would be interesting to mention that the priest that visited my church today made a somewhat funny joke at the end of mass. We all knew which team he was rooting for -- because God was supposedly rooting for them, as well. And good for them -- the Saints won! :)
On the other hand, switching over to the sport that I actually do follow.... The Knicks really need to pick it up a little and kick it up another notch! From the looks of it, the dream of making it to the playoffs seems a little farther and farther with each loss.
And let's see... School.
My classes are getting along fine. One of these classes is a requirement for all Psych majors -- Psych 248: Statistical Methods in Psychology (a very expensive class, I might add, due to the required texts). I was freaking out Thursday night because of the mumbo jumbo in my textbook regarding central tendency. It comes as no surprise that mean, median, and mode would be the concepts discussed in the chapters, but reading it was just so long and the explanations so confusing that I pretty much panicked for a bit. But after making myself a soothing cup of hot papaya-and-pomegranate tea, I calmed down a little and tried to take a stab at my homework.
After that, I signed onto Facebook and at the request of my friend Kim, I signed onto AIM. The funny thing was, I had to relearn how to use it and forgot the online aliases of a majority of the people on my buddy list. The only ones I remembered were my close friends' screen names. But everything else was just a blur. I would clean out the clutter, but I don't want to accidentally delete anyone. Because that would be inadvertently mean.
Sometimes it's a little awkward to talk someone via IM, especially if they're IMing you or you're IMing them for the first time. Since there's obviously no way to decipher who's who on the basis of facial recognition, we're forced to ask the impertinent question of "WHO ARE YOU?" (Not in caps lock, of course... but don't deny it. You were probably thinking in caps lock inside your head, like a fight or flight reflex at encountering an unfamiliar stimulus.) But then a silly giggle escapes your breath once you realize the person behind the unfamiliar screen name is actually a really nice girl you shared your Math B class with in high school. Another thing that I had to retrain my brain to get accustomed to was the experience of having three different conversations at once.
Multi-tasking gets a bit more complicated with AIM -- at least, in my recent experience. I just need to get the hang of it again.
Some people have been wondering how far I've come so far with my novel. Eighteen chapters (about 120 pages), is the status as of now. But with the spring semester of my college sophomore year starting, I haven't had the time to outline and sketch out Chapter 19. When I try, my brain feels a little fried from everything else I've been reading or studying, or my hand would feel a little achy from scribbling notes down all day. Other days, I just feel like this poor little kitten:
But I'll get back to the story when I can. I'm trying to take things a little easy in my free time. But I'm keeping my mind open to new possibilities and new twists and turns that pop in my head occasionally that could possibly work for Danica & co. I'm trying to draw inspiration from my Theatre 101 class - some of the plays that we're going to read seem very promising. So I shall soak in all of it, and squeegee my creativity onto the pages of my novel whenever I get the chance.
Speaking of theatre, I have to see a theatre production within this month for a review paper to be submitted in March. The Hunter College theatre department, while very good at announcing free performances at Hunter for students toting a Hunter ID card, won't actually have another production until April. How unfortunate for me. So I had to ask my mother if she could somehow get an employee discount at her job for some cheap Broadway tickets. I'm kind of hoping she can score some for Wicked.
As for other awesometastic performances...
The conclusion of the mini-series of "Emma" on Masterpiece Theatre Classic on PBS was tonight. I have yet to see it, and I can hardly wait to switch on the television tomorrow once my Statistics homework is all done and after I've eaten at least three helpings of my birthday cake. Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley just gets better and better with each performance. This guy is an amazing actor! You should see him portray the poet Lord Byron in the BBC production of "Byron". PLUS, he's pretty dreamy... almost hotter than Gallo.
I explored the website for "Emma" and was just clicking through. I guess you could say I became somewhat obsessed with this movie. It's just that GOOD. You've got to see it -- the full episodes are online (until March 9th)! But anyway, I took a fun quiz -- "Bachelors of Highbury quiz" -- and guess who's my perfect match?
I just about swooned when I found out the result. I wish I had my own Mr. Knightley for Valentine's Day. I really, really, really want the DVD!!!!!!!! :)
So I shall leave you with happy thoughts and happy dreams of tomorrow!
As you can probably guess, I still wish I could be a teenager forever. Whereas most people would rub their hands together with sheer delight at the prospect of getting one step closer to the legal drinking age limit, it wouldn't have mattered much to me. I kind of like my liver the way it is. Okay.. maybe when I turn 21 next year, I'll indulge in a couple sips of white wine. It's the only alcoholic beverage that tastes as sweet as it smells. But anyway, that's besides the point.
Do I even have a point? (Laughs to Self.)
This might just be one of my rambling blog posts, unfocused and everywhere all at once, so please just bear with me if you're actually reading this.
I've been feeling a bit scatterbrained lately, ever since I became Worthy Advisor of my assembly in Rainbow. Just yesterday the girls and I initiated 4 new members -- my youngest sister Juvy, Judith's friend Julia, and two other girls from another assembly in upstate. It was a LONG day of rehearsals (the entire afternoon and evening), and after memorizing paragraphs and pages of the ceremony, all of that hard work paid off. I'm so happy that my friends in Rainbow have done a great job. Let your true colors always shine through! :)
That's us Rainbow girls up there. ;)
Hmm... what else? Sports.
I don't follow football, but I just thought it would be interesting to mention that the priest that visited my church today made a somewhat funny joke at the end of mass. We all knew which team he was rooting for -- because God was supposedly rooting for them, as well. And good for them -- the Saints won! :)
On the other hand, switching over to the sport that I actually do follow.... The Knicks really need to pick it up a little and kick it up another notch! From the looks of it, the dream of making it to the playoffs seems a little farther and farther with each loss.
This pic above pretty much says it all...
I just hope the Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow!
I just hope the Knicks beat the Sacramento Kings tomorrow!
And let's see... School.
My classes are getting along fine. One of these classes is a requirement for all Psych majors -- Psych 248: Statistical Methods in Psychology (a very expensive class, I might add, due to the required texts). I was freaking out Thursday night because of the mumbo jumbo in my textbook regarding central tendency. It comes as no surprise that mean, median, and mode would be the concepts discussed in the chapters, but reading it was just so long and the explanations so confusing that I pretty much panicked for a bit. But after making myself a soothing cup of hot papaya-and-pomegranate tea, I calmed down a little and tried to take a stab at my homework.
After that, I signed onto Facebook and at the request of my friend Kim, I signed onto AIM. The funny thing was, I had to relearn how to use it and forgot the online aliases of a majority of the people on my buddy list. The only ones I remembered were my close friends' screen names. But everything else was just a blur. I would clean out the clutter, but I don't want to accidentally delete anyone. Because that would be inadvertently mean.
Sometimes it's a little awkward to talk someone via IM, especially if they're IMing you or you're IMing them for the first time. Since there's obviously no way to decipher who's who on the basis of facial recognition, we're forced to ask the impertinent question of "WHO ARE YOU?" (Not in caps lock, of course... but don't deny it. You were probably thinking in caps lock inside your head, like a fight or flight reflex at encountering an unfamiliar stimulus.) But then a silly giggle escapes your breath once you realize the person behind the unfamiliar screen name is actually a really nice girl you shared your Math B class with in high school. Another thing that I had to retrain my brain to get accustomed to was the experience of having three different conversations at once.
Multi-tasking gets a bit more complicated with AIM -- at least, in my recent experience. I just need to get the hang of it again.
Some people have been wondering how far I've come so far with my novel. Eighteen chapters (about 120 pages), is the status as of now. But with the spring semester of my college sophomore year starting, I haven't had the time to outline and sketch out Chapter 19. When I try, my brain feels a little fried from everything else I've been reading or studying, or my hand would feel a little achy from scribbling notes down all day. Other days, I just feel like this poor little kitten:
But I'll get back to the story when I can. I'm trying to take things a little easy in my free time. But I'm keeping my mind open to new possibilities and new twists and turns that pop in my head occasionally that could possibly work for Danica & co. I'm trying to draw inspiration from my Theatre 101 class - some of the plays that we're going to read seem very promising. So I shall soak in all of it, and squeegee my creativity onto the pages of my novel whenever I get the chance.
Speaking of theatre, I have to see a theatre production within this month for a review paper to be submitted in March. The Hunter College theatre department, while very good at announcing free performances at Hunter for students toting a Hunter ID card, won't actually have another production until April. How unfortunate for me. So I had to ask my mother if she could somehow get an employee discount at her job for some cheap Broadway tickets. I'm kind of hoping she can score some for Wicked.
I would LOVE to defy gravity if I could. ;)
As for other awesometastic performances...
The conclusion of the mini-series of "Emma" on Masterpiece Theatre Classic on PBS was tonight. I have yet to see it, and I can hardly wait to switch on the television tomorrow once my Statistics homework is all done and after I've eaten at least three helpings of my birthday cake. Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightley just gets better and better with each performance. This guy is an amazing actor! You should see him portray the poet Lord Byron in the BBC production of "Byron". PLUS, he's pretty dreamy... almost hotter than Gallo.
I explored the website for "Emma" and was just clicking through. I guess you could say I became somewhat obsessed with this movie. It's just that GOOD. You've got to see it -- the full episodes are online (until March 9th)! But anyway, I took a fun quiz -- "Bachelors of Highbury quiz" -- and guess who's my perfect match?
I just about swooned when I found out the result. I wish I had my own Mr. Knightley for Valentine's Day. I really, really, really want the DVD!!!!!!!! :)
So I shall leave you with happy thoughts and happy dreams of tomorrow!
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