The Writing Environment...

The new manuscript is away!  Let's hope Caitlin approves it for shopping around...can't wait!

Sorry for not writing more frequently, but when you're in revision mode, it's either all or nothing - when you sink yourself into it, you have to go all out...

So anyway, today's topic - the writing environment.  In this I'm focusing on a question someone posed to me:  do you write with music?

Answer:  ABSO-FRIGGIN'-LUTELY!

I love writing to good music.  I'm a bit of a movie fan (if you haven't guessed), and writing fiction to music makes the movie come alive in my head.  It's gotta fit, of course, but when it does, hoo boy, I can do 5-10,000 words in one sitting!  And when it's REALLY good, I look up and an hour or two has magically passed without me ever knowing it.

Here are some of my favorite songs to write to:

Iona - The Book of Kells - Matthew-The Man.  11 minutes of dynamic, theme-changing music.  Awesome.
Harry Gregson-Williams - The Chronicles of Narnia - The Battle.  Awesome for any fight scene.  Same with the next two:
Hans Zimmer - Gladiator - The Battle
Trevor Jones - Excalibur Soundtrack - Carmin Burana
Disney's Reflections of Earth from their Tapestry of Dreams CD.  Very regal and intense
Anything from V for Vendetta (except for the two vocal songs)
Symphony #1 in C Minor by Brahms.
Dvorak's 9th - New World Symphony.  Two classics for intensity and drama.
James Horner - Glory Soundtrack - Charging Fort Wagner.  Hopelessness, heart, desire, facing death.
The Braveheart Soundtrack.  Terrific melody for sadness, but also some great battle music.

Give these a listen and you'll see what I mean.  Forget the movies, (even better if you've never seen them), but just picture your story in the background.  If it fits.

Sometimes these orchestral pieces won't fit.  If I'm writing YA, I'll listen to whatever kids are listening to today.  Not to be hip, but because most of what's written today is the soundtrack to these teens lives.  You can engross yourself in their world that way.

Anyway, the work environment is totally personal, so take my advice only if it fits.  Just thought I'd throw out some examples.

Write on!