Words are everywhere.
Sometimes they show up unexpectedly. Sometimes they dance, demanding to be noticed.
Sometimes they’re so common and disguised in the bustle of everyday life that even if they danced, no one would see it.
Sometimes they’re hiding in plain sight.
Sometimes they seem like just so much useless clutter. Sometimes they’re artfully arranged, full of hope and meaning.
Where have you found words lately?
I am entering this blog entry into a contest by Positive Writer called “You are a Writer.” Check out his blog for links to many other inspiring stories!
I’ve always loved stories—the more fantastical, the better. Alien planets, magical worlds, the supernatural living among us—I like it all.
I would wish, sometimes, that I could live in one of those stories. It’s not that I hated my life—I had a wonderful childhood, loving parents, all my basic needs met and a few luxuries on the side. A great environment to grow up in, but nothing special, or so I thought at the time.
I wanted to be special. To be the one who opened the wardrobe door and discovered Narnia. Or woke up in Oz and saved the day.
I wanted to fly with the hidden angel wings on my back. Or wield the magic sword. Or be the holder of the key to the secret land of the unicorns. I played games, and wrote stories, and read stories, and wished I was something special.
Why couldn’t I have a cool superpower like one of the X-Men? How come all the hidden trails in the woods always dead-ended at the edge of the highway instead of taking me to a magical fairy realm? No hole in the ground ever led to Wonderland, no ring I put on ever made me invisible. Nothing special.
Then suddenly one day, not so very long ago, I realized that I was wrong. All these years, daydreaming about things that didn’t exist, were not futile fancies or a waste of time. All this time, I’d been honing my magical talent, my special power.
I could tell stories. I could think of worlds and people that had never existed before, and never ever would if I didn’t think of them and give them life. I could create the places I longed to visit, the amazing creatures I longed to see, and share them with other people.
I’m a writer. That’s my superpower.
I have a mind, and a voice, and a pen. And I can use them to create magic or save the day.
You have a mind, and a voice, and a pen. What’s your superpower?
I usually post only on Wednesdays, but I wanted to share my latest guest-post spot. I’m taking a trip this fall to Iceland, and I have the honor of writing about it over at IdRatherBeInIceland.
You can read my post here. More writerly blogging coming on Wednesday!
Right now I’m more in editing (and rewriting) mode in my work than I am first-draft writing. But no matter what I’m writing, music is my tool for getting me out of daily life mode and into composing and storytelling mode.
Here’s a sampling of what I’ve been listening to lately:
Nothing like soothing instrumental music when I just want to let my mind relax. To properly brainstorm, I find that I need to be relaxed–or, at least, not all mentally involved in or stressed about something. The music of AO never fails to pull my mind into the music, and, by extension, pull me into the worlds I’m creating.
Since I’m writing a story that’s loosely inspired by the legends of Finland, it’s almost necessary that I listen to Finnish folk music and/or songs about their mythology. Besides, it’s a cool music video.
Ulla Pirttijärvi – Mattharaku askai
The Sami people of arctic Finland are important players in my story, so I use their music for both research and for inspiration. Ulla’s songs are some of my favorites.
The Two Towers – The Riders of Rohan
High fantasy, dramatic battles, and the Viking-like people of Rohan – what’s not inspirational about this track from Lord of the Rings? Specifically, though, Howard Shore’s amazing score (all of it – not just this track) plain gets me excited about storytelling.
Besides the fact that Eivør makes it onto almost any “music favorites” or “currently playing” list, the tribal arrangement of this song is powerful and empowering. Eivør’s voice is otherworldly, and always puts me in a writing frame of mind.
More instrumental music, this time with a primitive and folk-ish sound. Perfect for conjuring up images of people and places in my fantasy world.
What’s on your current writing playlist?
For this week’s blog post, I have the honor and privilege of contributing to Agile Writers, a writer’s club that helps writers create a first-draft novel in six months.
You can read my post about basic plot structure here. And check out the rest of what Agile Writers has to offer, as well!
StorytellerGirl 