Tag Archives: Lord of the Rings

Music to Write By – My Current Playlist

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses by

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:

AOMusic – Edge Walkers

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.

Gjallarhorn – Suvetar 

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.

Eivør – Min Modir (My Mother)

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.

Valravn – Marsk

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?

The ABCs of My Awesome Life

Posted in Music, Movies, and other Muses, Writings about Writing by

I totally stole this idea from The Magic Violinist. She has a great blog, so pop on over there (after you’re done reading my blog, of course!) So in this post, I reveal many deep secrets (or not) about myself, in alphabetical order.

Ambition: My ambition is to be a successful author. What makes a successful author? Having ten loyal fans? A hundred? A bazillion? Dunno. But I’ll start my journey of success by getting published first (hopefully by the end of this year/early next year).

Bad Habits: Sleeping late. Personally, I don’t consider this a bad habit unto itself—except that the world is run by morning people, so I wind up looking lazy by trying to sleep in till a decent hour.

Celebrity Crushes: That guy who played Hawkeye in Avengers. And the guy who played Thor. I don’t keep up with celebrities, and I’m too lazy to go look up the actors’ names. But who doesn’t like hunky superheroes?

Drink: XS Energy drink. I’m not an energy drink fan, really, but since XS is more of a nutritional drink than a standard “energy” drink, I’m all about it. Lots of flavors to chose from, too. Which is good, because I like variety.

Education: Always. I have a college degree, but I don’t think that education should be defined by the number of schools attended or the certificates on your wall. If you read, or connect with new people, or basically live life with your eyes open, you’re learning (or you should be). My education is increasing every day.

Food: Chocolate. Peanut butter. Chocolate and peanut butter. I also like fresh fruits and veggies, and hotdogs that have been cooked over an open fire and are all crispy and burnt on the outside.

Guilty Pleasures: I’ve never been quite sure what this is supposed to mean. I try not to do things that I will feel guilty about later. With the possible exception of eating cheese or ice cream. I’m lactose intolerant, but man, I love dairy. Sigh.

Hometown: Richmond, VA

Ice Cream: Love it. Except, as I just mentioned, I can’t have diary. Sigh.

Jonesing for: Ice cream, since I’ve been writing about it. Sigh.

Kryptonite: Bunny rabbits. And music. If I’m out in public and a song I like is on the muzak, then I’m pretty much ignoring my shopping or my lunch partner till it’s over.

Lookalike: Periodically, I’m informed by random strangers that I look like Meg Ryan. And a friend recently said that I look like Eivør, which I find flattering beyond words. When I grow up, I want to be as pretty and talented and famous as Eivør is…

Movies: Lord of the Rings (all of Peter Jackson’s thus far to date). Star Wars (all of them, but mostly the original trilogy). Miss Potter. Clue (y’know, that 80s movie based on the board game). August Rush. Most anything starring Will Smith.

Nickname: Don’t really have one. Some people call me “Gracie,” which is fine.

Obsessions: Music. Writing fantasy stories. And those forbidden dairy products. Sigh.

Perfume: I don’t use it.

Quirk: Which one? I’m rather quirky (aren’t all writers, really?) I’d be happy to live every day and go everywhere in sock feet. I’m borderline neurotic about checking my notifications on my phone, Facebook, etc. It bugs me to have a bunch of little icons or red flags in my notification bar.

Regret: I don’t do regrets. Sure, there are some things in the past that I wish I’d done or hadn’t done. But since I can’t change the past, I’d rather devote my mental energy to making sure that I don’t do or neglect to do something in the future.

Starbucks: Nope. I don’t like coffee. And there are cheaper places to get tea or giant cookies.

The Last Book You Read: I’m always reading 2-4 books at once. Some recent reads I enjoyed: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Wisdom by Bonnie Watson. You can always stalk me on Goodreads if you really want to know what I’m currently reading.

Vacation: I went to England and Norway a couple of years ago, and I’m hoping to go to Iceland later this year.

Wine: Don’t drink it much—maybe one glass a month. I prefer red over white.

X: X-Men. I spent my college years and most of my 20s reading nearly every X-Men comic in existence.

Years: I’ve lived a few, and I intend to live many many more.

Zen: I guess this means what brings me bliss or peace? Music. Long walks in the woods. Scratching my rabbits’ ears.

A Father’s Day tribute to Great Dads of Literature

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This coming Sunday we celebrate the fathers in our lives. So, in keeping with my earlier blog post about Mother’s Day, here’s my Father’s Day celebration of dads in books.

5. Pongo, from The Hundred and One Dalmatians, by Dodie Smith

Pongo’s wife Missus made it into my Mother’s Day list of literary moms. Pongo, like his wife, was loyal to his spouse, loyal to his children, and loyal to his Dalmatian friends Perdita and Prince. And compassionate enough to adopt eighty-some other puppies as his own kids.

4. Pa Ingalls, from The Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Perhaps Charles Ingalls doesn’t belong on this list, since he was actually a real person. But he was a top-notch dad nonetheless. He led his family into the great unknown of the west, because he believed it would be the best opportunity for his family and provide his children with the best future. And all through sicknesses, natural disasters, and the general hard labor of a farmer, he kept a positive attitude, kept his love for God, and always showed love for his daughters.

3. James Henry Alden, from The Boxcar Children series, by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Grandfather Alden must have been a good dad, because he was an excellent granddad. The parents of the Boxcar Children had passed away, and so Mr. Alden went hunting for his elusive grandchildren. The self-sufficient kids were delighted to have a family again, but Mr. Alden never let them lose the independence they’d gained. He provided a home, love, support, and advice, and was there to bail them out if they truly got into danger—but he let his grandkids explore their world in their own way, and always treated them with respect, no matter their age.

2. Samwise Gamgee, from the Lord of the Rings series, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Sam didn’t actually become a father until the very end of the last book. But we learned what sort of father that he would be based on his undying loyalty to Frodo and his determination to always do what was right. These traits, along with his eternal hopefulness and his love of all living things, earned him hero status. Every dad wants to be a hero to his children, and Sam achieved this—despite his best efforts to remain a respectable hobbit and stay at home in his garden.

1. Mark Christopher, from The Choice, by Og Mandino

Mark did all the right things as a dad—provided a stable and loving home for his family, and showed his kids how to pursue a dream and deal with the consequences of achieving it, both good and bad. And he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice—to lay down his own life to save his son’s. That’s a loving dad.

Don’t forget to wish your dad a happy father’s day!

Overcoming Writer’s Block

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I don’t believe in writer’s block. Yes, I believe that writers can get stuck, frustrated with, disillusioned by, and tired of their writing projects. I believe this because I’ve experienced all of these things.

However, “writer’s block” to me sounds permanent and insurmountable. And it is most certainly neither of these. So whether you’re experiencing writer’s block, writer’s pause, frustration with your characters, or uninspired by your plot, there is a way out. Here are three tips that I use when I get stuck.

Go for a walk.

Or a run, or a swim, or vacuum your house. In other words, do something besides sitting there staring at the blank page. Physical movement helps—it gets blood flowing, and distracts you. And if you haven’t cleaned in a while, well, then you’re killing two birds with one stone. Double your productivity! But seriously, I do some of my best thinking while I’m doing physical tasks that require very little conscious thought, such as vacuuming or talking a long walk.

Recently I’ve been stuck on my current WIP (work in progress). Not blocked, just not sure how to proceed. I know the ending of the story, and a few key events that I want to have happen—I just didn’t know what the next few scenes needed to be. Going for several longs walks helped me to sort out ideas; sometimes I purposefully brainstormed, other times I just let my mind wander.  But it helped, and I now have a clearer picture of where I need to go.

Write a future scene, or one that won’t be in the book.

If you’re stuck like I was, knowing some of the future of the book but just not where to go next, then write a scene out of order. I do this periodically, whether I’m stuck or not, usually if I’m hit with an idea for scene or event.

But it’s also a good exercise to try to keep your mind on your characters and your WIP, while letting your mind get away from that part that’s got you stuck. Whether the scene is a complete scene or not, or ends up in the final draft of the book or not, doesn’t matter. Sometimes, it’s the very act of writing that will loosen things up and get your creative juices going again.

Read a book or watch a movie.

Sometimes I read a favorite scene from a book or watch a favorite movie to get myself inspired, and sometimes just for a plain distraction. This is not to say that you should just spend all of your allotted writing time reading or vegging in front of the TV, but viewing someone else’s creativity can help you with your own.

For me, my go-to things to watch when I get stuck or am feeling particularly uninspired are the Lord of the Rings movies or The Chronicles of Narnia. These are my favorites in both the book and the movie realms, and—especially with Narnia—some of my greatest sources of inspiration ever since childhood.

I don’t take ideas right out of these works, but to me, Tolkien and Lewis were some of the greatest fantasy storytellers ever, and simply witnessing their genius gets me excited. I do have to exercise some discipline, though. I don’t want to spend three nights watching movies I’ve seen before, and feeling very inspired, only to realize that I’m way behind on my writing goals because I’ve been watching movies instead of writing.

Discipline and temperance are key, but don’t be afraid to use someone else’s ideas to break loose that block in your own mind.

Does anyone else have any tried and true techniques for getting past those blocks, getting unstuck, or getting re-inspired? Please share!

A Year Uncaged

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“What do you fear, lady?” he [Aragorn] asked.

“A cage,” she [Éowyn] said. “To stay behind bars, until use and old age accept them, and all chance of doing great deeds is gone beyond recall or desire. …Yet I do not bid you flee from peril, but to ride to battle where your sword may win renown and victory. I would not see a thing that is high and excellent cast away needlessly.”

Like any good fantasy writer, I’m fond of Tolkien’s work, and during the Christmas/New Year’s holiday, I was having a Lord of the Rings moment. (Quick confession—at the time of this writing, I have not yet seen The Hobbit. I know, absolutely shameful).

So since I wasn’t spending money at the theater to see the newest film, I decided to re-watch The Two Towers (because nothing says “Christmas holiday” like orcs storming Helm’s Deep, right?)

The scene I quoted above is from the book of The Return of the King, although it was put into the film of The Two Towers. It works well either place, I think. Éowyn’s words ring true, for all of us here in the real world.

Usually the bars in our lives are self-inflicted, or at least are under our control to one degree or another. Fear of taking that risk that would have outstanding rewards if you succeeded? Fear of the unknown? Shame from having made that resolution last January that you gave up on by February? Weariness from being so busy doing what everyone else says you should do instead of pursuing that dream that’s buried inside?

Remove the bars before your regrets outweigh your desires. As Éowyn says, don’t run away from challenges, but ride into battle—not taking stupid risks or being careless, but go towards that thing that’s holding you back. Your sword—your effort and determination—can win you renown and victory, or whatever you desire.

Every person is uniquely created, “a thing that is high and excellent.” Don’t cast yourself and your potential away needlessly. There is someone somewhere who is waiting for you to accomplish that task or make that change or go after that dream.

Let’s make this a year of no regrets. Remove the bars in your life and live uncaged!