NaNo Buddies and the Importance of Passion

I’m lucky. I have a best friend who loves writing just as much as I do. It’s wonderful to be able to bounce ideas off of one another while listening to music that inspires a scene, character, or relationship.

She really helped when I wrote a novel in a year, and even more so in a month.

A lot of us are participating in NaNoWriMo this month. If you’re like me, you start to panic when you get behind, staring at a blank Microsoft Word page and thinking “What the hell do I type next? I need a thousand more words before I complete my daily quota!”

Writing buddies are a powerful tool. A few nights ago I participated in a very miniature write in with my best friend from 2pm-4am, taking a midnight shopping break to buy goodies that would help us get through the next few hours. We had a word war, and I am proud to say I completed 1000 words in less than a half an hour, which, for poor little short attention span me, is very, VERY good.

Why is it so much easier to buckle down and write when you have another writer there? This applies even in a cyberspace sense, for those of you who have participated in the world wide webfamous Friday Night Writes. Is it the slight or large competitive side of us? Is it the companionship–the idea that a person close by is as crazy as you, trying to complete 10,000 words in a day? Is it the ability to bounce a fresh idea off of someone instead of keeping it bottled up inside?

I don’t know. Does the reason really matter? It’s NaNo time, ladies and gents. Word count is all that matters. Whether it’s a writing partner or five trips to Starbucks, find what gets you typing the fastest in your limited amount of free time this month.

 

Sarah

Media Inspiration–What’s Yours?

This post is going to require everyone’s cooperation, so grab your keyboards and get ready!

I want to hear about your muses. You know–when you go to the movie theatre with a big bag of popcorn, and that film on the silver screen gives you a fantastic idea for your WIP in the strangest way. Or maybe the one rock album you’ve studied the lyrics to a million times trying to get every song to fit one of your character’s journeys. You know what I’m talking about. So spill it, and if you can tell us why, the better. I’ll start.

Movies:

Lord of the Rings– the movies that jumpstarted my high school writing spree. The acting and direction sparked my imagination for the way I imagined dramatic scenes in THE ILLUMINATED.

Transformers– Humor and cinematography opened some doors.

Slumdog Millionare– beauty of using culture as an art form

The Goonies– opened my love for teamwork and bonding, creepy caves, and puzzles

Alice in Wonderland– Inspired my MC Jordan Adeline

I will also leave you with two amazing artists that every time I listen to I can’t help but develop scenes. Check them out:

Secret and Whisper — Great White Whale

Eisley — Room Noises / Combinations

So I must know, what are some of the art forms that have inspired your work, and how? Do you have any recommendations for me?

-Sarah