Those Books Are For Kids!

After going through an old box of CDs, I pulled out a few and gave them a listen. Revisiting music I loved when I was between the ages of 10 and 15 brought back a lot of memories. I also came to the realization that, as a kid, I did not have the worldly experience that I would need to be able understand most of the lyrics. Clearly, I understand English and so I know what words mean, but I didn't understand the feelings behind them. I didn't have comparative experiences to what the singers were singing about and with adult ears, these lyrics and this music took on new meaning for me. Revisiting this music gave me a kind of "Ah-ha!" moment.

(Back in the day when I was listening to music it would take me years to truly understand.)
(I'm the one with the aversion to sunlight.)

At work I had to go through some lists of summer reading suggestions from area schools. Reading the titles of many of these books reminded me of ones I had read as a child or ones I never had the chance to read. Just like the music that had new meaning when revisiting it as an adult, I think the same can be said for children's literature. I'm not talking about the Adventures of Captain Underpants series, I mean classics like Tuck Everlasting, and The Diary of Anne Frank. Books that I read as a kid but had no context in which to put them in; books that left my memory almost as soon as I finished reading them because I didn't have personal experiences which allowed me to connect with the events in the stories on a more emotional level; books that were easily wasted on my youthful self.

As a student of literature, I've spent the last several years honing my ability to dig through a book and see the deeper meanings within a text. As a child I never had this ability - another way these books were wasted on me. But now I can fix that. I can go back and read those books again, take an afternoon and see what they were really about, compare them to my life now, make a connection to the deeper intentions of the story, find what makes these books classics and what makes them the kind of literature that schools want kids to read even if kids can't truly comprehend them or even remember them past childhood.

So that's what I'm going to try to do this summer. I'm cultivating a list and I'm planning on sitting down and really giving these books the focus they deserve and that my childhood self couldn't provide. And who knows, maybe by the end of this summer I'll have learned a few new things about writing that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. :)

Year of the Unicorn (February)

In the fine month of February, the Unicorn reminds us to remember the past. How best can we do this? Just listen to your heart...or your old CDs really.

Unicorns love music and what's the best way to remember and honor the past than busting out some old jams? Here are some old jams I'm listening to this month:

Some old school Collective Soul:

Some old school Dave Matthews Band:

To go even further back, some old school Phil Collins:

Last but not least, the first song I have a memory attached to. It was the mid-80s, we were riding in my Dad's Toyota Camry at night around Michigan State University campus and this was on the radio:

Theme Songs

I'm a big fan of utilizing music while writing. I think that music holds so much inspiritation that it can really help an author's mind develop scenes and charaters. There are many artists and composers that succesfully inspire me and my creative endeavors. One such composer is, unfortunately, John Williams.

I say unfortunately because while he writes decent music, okay better than decent, good music that is very visually stimulating, which makes sense why he's always asked to write for movies, but! he often steals from his own work which really pisses me off. Why should I care about such trivial things? Consider this, I'm watching Indiana Jones and I'm all like "ooh, here's the Nazi theme" and then I'm watching Star Wars and I'm all like: "There's the storm troopers and WHAT?!? it's the Nazi theme from Indiana Jones!" I don't like the soundtrack of a movie to confuse me. So other than the prevasive stealing, Williams is relatively alright as a composer.

I'm not a fan of embedding video in my blog, just like pictures and websites, when these things change I'm not ontop of it enough to go back and fix the broken links and lost videos; but to get my point across I have to share some of his music. One of Williams' best works, in my opinion:



I also listened recently to a Yo-Yo Ma piece that I enjoyed which apparently is written by Williams and preformed by him and Yo-Yo Ma (Williams is the pianist). I couldn't find this easily on the web, but it's on Yo-Yo's CD Appassionato. This piece, after several listens, upped my opinion of Williams although I still rue the day his music suggested that storm troopers (who are really just simple minded clones you know) are Nazis.

What's Better Than Mellow Hot Chocolate?

Nothing.

But here are some CDs that I've come across recently which have helped my writing muse and might nudge yours along as well (if you're into that sort of thing).

Bryn Terfel : Scarborough Fair - Songs from the British Isles

This is an interesting collection of traditional folk and celtic songs preformed by classically trained opera singer Bryn Terfel. He has a rich, deep voice which brings a new level of enchanment to some old tunes.

Niahm Parsons: Blackbirds and Thrushes

I first heard Niahm on an internet radio station and decided to look up any CD I could at the library and have a listen. I think she has a very "homey" feel to her voice, like a sibling or friend singing to us and her song choices completely fit with her sound and her style.


The Cast: The Winnowing



If I haven't raved about this before, I must now and again and again. I first heard this group on the radio show Thistle and Shammrock, and I've been in love with their work ever since. These two preformers need very little to make wonderful art as their insturments and vocals prove.


Other than listening to these CDs, here's what else is in my 6 CD changer right now:

Tori Amos: Under the Pink

One of Tori's first CDs, this is an interesting compilation of soulful lyrics and moving piano work. Not too abstract like some of her later work, this CD has songs that you connect with on an emotional level but also on a aesthetic level.

Collective Soul: Collective Soul

Their most recent CD and possibly their best yet. This band has put out numerous CDs since the 1990s some were hits, some were misses, but with this one they've found their stride. Utilizing strong guitar work, clever lyrics and great "power" ballads, Collective Soul has returned to some of their early sounds and has created a new CD that has definite replayability.


Lady Ga Ga: The Fame Monster [Deluxe Edition]
This set contains Lady Ga Ga's first and second CD. I haven't listen to the entirety of the first CD more than once yet, because my player keeps magically getting stuck on 'repeate' when Bad Romance plays, hmm...I should look into that. Anyways, the lyrics aren't always great but if you want to get up and move, Ga Ga will get you there.

Inspired, On Occasion.

When writing, I find inspiration in several places. While some authors tell you to people watch, I find that since I’m writing about fantastical worlds, looking at people in my world does not inspire characters. Now characters, in any genre, should resemble people we know (maybe not personally know) for the sake of the reader’s ability to sympathize with the character, but I find that most characters are created in the depth of my mind and I give them personal traits, not from people watching but from my own personal experiences.

One source of inspiration is artwork. Beautiful pictures create or reinforce stories in my mind. While working on a story about the four horsemen of the apocalypse and searching the web for research, I came across an awesome depiction of the four horsemen which I had to buy.

(http://www.revelationillustrated.com/shop/image08.asp)

This picture still sits on my desk to inspire me. I’m not saying you have to buy it; I’m just using it as an example.

Another source of inspiration is nature. Beautiful plants, trees and landscapes can bring up wonderful images in my mind. Also, the weather is a great inspiration. If I sit outside with a notebook while a storm is brewing, it is easier to create a dramatic or dark scene for my story.

Probably them most important inspiration is music. I enjoy all types of music and listen to different artists or genres to write different scenes or to get into different moods for writing. I love Gershwin and Tchaikovsky, Yo-Yo Ma and most things Celtic. World music and classical music hold such a variety of sounds that it inspires a plethora of images in my mind, while some rock inspires kick ass characters or fight scenes. With most stories I create a soundtrack, essentially. When I want to write a specific scene or about a specific character, I’ll listen to a specific song. At the bottom of this post I included an embedded music player (care of www.seeqpod.com an awesome site for finding songs to listen to without having to buy the entire CD), which contains a list of songs I listen to often when I write.

Whenever I feel uninspired to write, I listen to music, explore nature and view art. Hopefully this post makes you think of what inspires you and gives you more ways to inspire your own writing.