Tag: writing inspiration

Music Mondays: Part VIII

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Happy Leap Day!

I am quite busy this week, so I only have two writing playlist suggestions.

This particular mix was inspired by a W.B. Yeats poem, “He Wishes For The Cloths of Heaven.”

HAD I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

Drawing from great classic composers like Edward Elgar and Sergei Prokofiev and modern musicians like James Galway and John Williams, this is the perfect mix for dreaming up extraordinary worlds.

For every good dream there is a nightmare, and this next mix plays to your inner demons. Dark, brooding, and at times jarring, writing tales of infernal odds and corrupted characters will only feel natural when listening to this playlist.

Happy writing! 🙂

 

Top 10 Worldbuilding Resources for Writers

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Imagine that you’ve just sat down to dinner and someone sets an enormous plate of all your favorite foods in front of you. Mmm. For me, it would be baked ziti, my dad’s famous purple potatoes, and bread. Lots and lots of bread.

Supporting everything — from the meaty bits to the peas and corn to the loaded baked potato — is your trusty, sturdy plate. Your plate might be beneath everything, it might be obscured by the pasta or muddied by the gravy, but it’s everywhere, upholding everything, keeping it all together, all the time. Your plate is vital to your dining experience, even though it’s not the part that you actually eat.

In fiction writing, the surrounding world is vital to your reading experience, even though it’s not the center of the actual plot.

The plate is the world, the ziti and potatoes are your plot and characters, and this is my attempt at a worldbuilding metaphor.

Terrible analogies aside (I apologize profusely), I’ve compiled a few of my favorite go-to sites for inspiring rich worlds in my writing. Dig in!

1. For names:

A list of this nature would not be complete if I didn’t introduce you all to FANTASY NAME GENERATORS. 

Holy mother of Middle Earth, this site never ceases to amaze me. From every fantasy, sci-fi, realistic, and ridiculous character name you can think of to the names of bridges, film studios, space stations, weapons and the like, FANTASY NAME GENERATORS has everything you need to get started on this vast worldbuilding frontier.

If you’re suffering severe writer’s block, they even have description generators of castles, societies, cultures, holidays, and diseases.

2. For beginnings:

Behold the majestic CHAOTIC SHINY, for here all great nations are born!

Ok, but seriously, this site has made me think about worldbuilding in ways that I never thought possible. Here you can build constellations, establish laws, develop civilizations, and map out demographics.

My advice would be to play around with some of the generators until something piques your interest (I found the crowd generator very helpful for writing descriptions of citizens in a village), and then see where it takes you!

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3. For languages:

What’s the saying? “The limits of my language are the limits of my world” [x]. Well, never fear, because now your world can be limitless as you craft languages with SCRIBOLY.

Building a language from scratch is no easy feat, and depending on the depth of which you want to go in your writing, it doesn’t have to be time-consuming! Maybe a character will sprinkle their speech with foreign words, or maybe the language is only used in passing. To keep the meaning and syntax consistent, try out SCRIBOLY by typing in your desired phonemes and translating your text.

No world is dominated by just one language, so if you have more than one culture/civilization, play around with the word patterns and see what unique sounds you can generate.

4. For maps:

Beware! Here be maps at POLYGON MAP GENERATION. 

If you can’t seem to get a solid image of what the geography of your world looks like, flip through some random map designs until you find one that works for you. Knowing the layout of your world is important for keeping cities, trade routes, and ports consistent as your character traverses the land.

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5. For religions:

Every respectable universe needs to have an abundance of religions to tear it apart. Or maybe it’s one to unite it? You decide at BELIEF SYSTEM GENERATOR.

This site is especially interesting because it breaks down the origins of your world according to beliefs, minor/major deities, nuances in afterlife, morals, rituals, and clergy. Again, I’m not saying that you should copy every detail that you randomly generate — it’s just a great place to start.

What’s more, you can even compare multiple religions side by side to see how they might interact in your potential world.

6. For mythology:

A lot of what shapes culture comes from the wild tangles of imagination and the supernatural. Draw from a plethora of real world myths to inspire your own folklore and legends at ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY.

It was at this site that I first read about Zoroastrianism, and from there was inspired to create a series of fables for my novel. Most of what we create is based off history, so why not take a look at some of Mother Earth’s greatest stories? May it be Japanese mythology or Mesopotamian superstitions, I’m sure that something in the archives of ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY will inspire you.

7. For tropes:

Some writers try to avoid tropes like the plague. I say, take advantage of them! Find something done before and make it your own at TV TROPES.

Explore different world settings (Medieval European Fantasy or Space Opera?), cultural ticks (Martyrdom Culture or Immortality Seeker?), and religious whims (Robot Religion or Easy Evangelism?). Of course, I’m not advocating for anyone to adopt these tropes (they’re called tropes for a reason — because they’re overdone), but I think that sometimes the most ground-breaking, striking worlds are ones that take tropes and twist them.

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8. For questions to answer:

SFWA has composed an extensive and impressive list of questions to keep in mind when worldbuilding. Please, read through the questions. You’d be surprised at some of the seemingly mundane things that really make a world pop.

9. For asking questions:

Can’t come up with the right answer to one of those questions? Go ahead and ask it at STACK EXCHANGE WORLDBUILDING. This is a great site for getting technical. I myself am woefully uninformed on physics, and if not for these forums, my world would probably lack gravity.

10. For music:

What’s a rich world without a rich soundtrack? Head on over to 8TRACKS or another internet radio of your choice and check out the fantasy, writing, and soundtrack tags. Sometimes, the right mood music can get you in the right frame of mind for making up cultures.

Be sure to check out my personal music suggestions on Music Mondays!

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Ah, there’s nothing like a hearty plate of well-done worldbuilding.

Good luck, and happy writing! 🙂

© 2016 Stellular Scribe

Music Mondays: Writing Playlists Part VII

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Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

E. L. Doctorow

I’m sorry to say that I haven’t read much of Doctorow’s work, though for some reason, this quote has always stuck with me. Writing, in a lot of ways, is like feeling around blindly in the dark, where you can’t see any further than your fingertips. You’ll get to your destination eventually, but it’s ok to not know everything that’s going on around you all the time. It’s ok to just let your writing take you for a midnight drive.

In the spirit of traversing the foreboding and empty highways of writing, here are four knock-out instrumental playlists. Who knows? Maybe one of them will serve as your next road trip mix!

First up is an old on-the-go favorite of wanderers, vagabonds, and weary drifters from all walks of life. This Celtic-inspired fantasy mix will take you from snow-capped mountains of Middle Earth to merry taverns of back alleyways.

Ah, so you’re not the ‘walking’ type. Prefer stretching your sea legs to staying land bound? If so, then lend an ear to this playlist: it’s got still skies, restless shanties, boiling hurricanes, and enough sea salt to season your spirit for a lifetime.

Perhaps physical transportation just doesn’t entice your immortal tastebuds. I mean, who has time for ships and horses and, heaven forbid, legs? Whether you’re feeling like you can control the fates of the night sky or are just craving a bit of all-powerful omniscience, then this instrumental mix is perfect for you.

Now, for a change in pace! Gosh darn it, you are on a freakin’ roll with your writing. You are winding down those narrow, single lane streets in the dead of night, unafraid and confident behind the wheel. Here’s the perfect soundtrack to that rush — a compilation of high-energy, head-banging pieces with an instrumental twist!

Happy writing! 🙂

You Are The Fairy God-Author

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I’m going to share a little secret with you guys. I know, I know; this might come as a shock to some of you. Prepare your pearls for clutching. Ready your forehead for smashing your keyboard. Just hear me out.

Fiction is a lawless realm, and you are the Fairy God-Author.

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Ahem. Allow me to elaborate.

This might come as a shock to you because I know so many writers who insist that there are rules. That there is a logic that has to be followed when writing. That you can’t just make mumbo-jumbo up and expect it to fly. Writing, they say, doesn’t work like that. There needs to be a method to the madness.

Well, I’m here to tell you that you are a freakin’ Fairy God-Author, that you have a wand, and that you can wave it whichever way you please.

  1. As a writer, you have the right to wave that wand.

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So many people approach creative writing like it’s some wild beast that they have to contain. On the one hand, I can understand that. The creative process finds its genesis in discombobulated emotions, flashes of imagery, and unstructured ideas. We want to control these impulses, to put them into an entity that can be deciphered and, after much editing, enjoyed.

The result, however, is not necessarily bad writing — but rigid writing. You’ll eventually get to a point where a character is in a pickle or a conflict remains unresolved, and you’ll find yourself grasping for a logical resolution.

Here’s where it’s ok for you to take a step back, elaborately unsheathe your wand, and teleport into that scenario guns blazing. Don’t cage the creative beast; observe it in its natural habitat.

2. Don’t be afraid to shake things up.stop the car

This is going to be the hardest bit to swallow. I know it was for me.

It’s ok if nothing makes sense at first.

I think that the biggest moment of clarity for me was when I sat down to write the climactic scene of my novel, and realized that I could literally do anything I wanted. This might seem conspicuous, but please understand: I had been deliberating over this particular scene for months. I had been building it up in my head for so long that when it came down to writing it, I was stuck. I couldn’t think of one plausible way for my main character to get out of this situation alive, and I certainly couldn’t just kill him off.

That’s when I gave myself a friendly slap on the wrist and said, “Darn it, I’m in charge!” and wrote something so ridiculous and out-of-the-blue that it kind of actually worked. After that, I progressed through the falling action feeling unstoppable.

Many great writers of the past were so great because they threw caution to the wind and wrote unapologetically. A prime example is Lewis Carroll: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a winding and nonsensical rollercoaster ride, but it lives on as one of the most enchanting and prolific children’s stories to date.

Sometimes the most creative writing is the weirdest. And the weirdest writing is almost always the most memorable.

3. Consider the consequences.spell will be broken

Let’s not kid ourselves here. If Special Agent Dangerface decides that the best way to eradicate an evil-doer is to burn down the entire city, then he’s going to have to face some undesirable consequences. Same goes if Jenny Goody-Two-Shoes wins the school talent show by riding in on a pterodactyl. I’m sure scientists will have a few pressing questions for her.

With great, Fairy God-Author power comes great responsibility. Some choices might come to back to bite you. There might be plot holes, jarring changes in tone, developments that don’t contextually make sense.

If you go trigger-happy, the spell will eventually break. This is inevitable.

…but it’s not the end-all, be-all of your story.

4. Work the crazy while you can.schmexy

Because that’s why we have second drafts: to tone down the preposterous, smooth over the mood-breaking, and fill in the plot holes.

What I’m trying to say is— have no reservations. Be unapologetic. Work that wand.

If you’re in a jam and want to make up some ridiculous scenario to get out of it, go for it. If you’re running dry on inspiration and are willing to do anything to move on to the next part of your story, go for it. If you want to write absurdly, go for it. If you want to write orderly, go for it.

You just might surprise yourself with what you come up with.

Some people might say that this is lazy writing. I don’t believe in lazy writing. If anything, lazy writing is when you don’t write at all.

Good luck, and happy writing! 🙂

© 2016 Stellular Scribe

Music Mondays: Writing Playlists Part VI

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If you’re like me, stewing in silence is the key to getting nothing done. Whenever I’m writing, I need to have background music playing, some sort of soundtrack to make sense of my discordant thoughts. Some people just aren’t like that. I have friends who need to be immersed in quiet to study. I know other people who need to have noise, like coffee shop chatter or steady rainfall, to be productive.

Even if you don’t need music to get into the writing zone, I still encourage you to try out a few of these playlists. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the perfect tune for your long in-the-works story.

This mix is best served in the small, still hours of the night. With 24 tracks of pure instrumental guitar, it’s the perfect way to lull yourself into a writing trance.

Want a little adventure? Intrigue? Dark and dangerous mystery? Here’s an instrumental mix that plays to your inner secret agent. Optimal for writing gritty noir and detective dramas.

The piano pieces in this mix will transport you to the same creative realm from which all dreams are designed. A lovely accompaniment for delving into fantasies, both modern and medieval.

Who doesn’t love the glitzy machinations of a masquerade? From formal affairs to ballroom waltzes, this playlist will take your writing to the elegant and underhanded corners of courtly life.

If you’re interested in knowing the full track listing of a playlist, leave a comment and I’ll let you know.
Happy writing! 🙂

Welcome to the new Stellular Scribe!

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Huzzah! I declare this site arisen!

So, I’m a senior in high school and have been pretty much swamped with applications, testing, school, and extracurricular work for the past five months. By some miracle, that dark and lifeless  stretch of time has managed to accumulate 300 followers on this blog! Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I do not deserve all of you.

In light of this glorious occasion, I have decided to get my act together and actually make some content that is not the random poem that I post at 2 in the morning every other week. That’s right, I’m making a post schedule — and I’m going to stick with it.

First things first: I’m sure you’ve noticed that this site has undergone a makeover. All of the artwork — the header, the background, and the profile image — are original works that I painted in Photoshop. If you are interested in looking at more of my doodles, you can check them out here.

Second things second: The schedule! I’ve done a lot of thinking on what kind of content I can provide for my followers, and I’ve narrowed it down to three days a week:

Mondays are Music Mondays.
If you weren’t aware, I have an account over at 8tracks where I make a lot of writing playlists. On Mondays, I’ll make a master post of great mixes for concentration, character archetypes, or just all around writing inspiration. If you are unable to access 8tracks, I will try to include a list of all the songs in the playlist so that you can go and listen to them for yourself, too! Along with these recommendations, I will write a little spiel giving my two cents on how to make time to write and relax while you’re doing it.

Wednesdays are Writing Tip Wednesdays.
I am by no means an expert on the English language or writing technique, but I have dedicated all of my energy and free time to writing over the past few years, and have picked up some helpful tips, tricks, and hacks along the way. On Wednesdays, I’ll share what I know with you — whether it be about voice, symbolism, character development, or subplots — and I hope that you can teach me some things along the way, as well.

And Fridays are Free-Write Fridays.
It’s exactly what it sounds like — on Fridays, I’ll post my latest poem, short story, or rambling thoughts. I see this as a great opportunity for me to grow and learn as a writer, and having a date on which to share what I’ve been working on will give me some concrete motivation to write even more!

I’m really eager to get started and enter into a new era of writing! Once again, thank you everyone for your support, for your likes, for your comments, for your follows. I know it might not seem like much, but it means a lot to me. 🙂

Writing Playlists Part V

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What with the arrival of spring and crackdown for school finals, I figured that now was as good a time as any to whip up some playlists for writing, studying, badminton playing, underwater basket weaving — you know: intellectual, brain-busting pursuits.

First up we have a real doozy. She’s about five hours and thirty minutes long and perfect for pulling all-nighters. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to burn the midnight oil with this playlist.

Now a mix for the real wanderer at heart. Don’t you just hate it when you’re trekking barefoot over a mountain in Middle Earth and have nothing to listen to you? Hey, I hear you. It’s a struggle. Here’s a playlist just for that purpose.

So you are — or maybe were — that kid. The kid who sat in the back of class daydreaming and thinking up fantastical stories. The kid who had no time for long division when there were castles to explore and dragons to befriend. If your brain had a soundtrack, maybe it would’ve sounded a little something like this:

The battle is over. All hope has fled. You’re the only survivor, and as you stand over the war-torn field you reach for your earbuds to listen to this playlist:

Huzzah! The blight has ended! The essays have been annihilated and the rough drafts destroyed! (Or maybe not, maybe you just need a break from all the blood and sweat…) Crack open a flagon of mead (or juice, juice is fine) and listen to this perfect playlist for the hungry warrior.

Happy writing! 🙂

Writing Playlists Part IV

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Greetings, fellow scribes!

This compilation of writing mixes is especially dedicated to all those who are snowed in and have an unexpected and appreciated amount of free time to write (such as myself!). Here are five instrumental writing playlists designed to inspire your creativity!

I compiled the following three playlists with specific archetypes in mind. In the future I will make more character-based playlists.

Happy writing! 🙂

Writing is a Sensory Affair

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The Writer's Cage
“The Writer’s Cage” by Florence Ma

Writing is painless. Said no one ever.

More often than not, words take a little coaxing to get past your reeling thoughts and onto the page. Sometimes, you have everything planned out in your head, and know exactly what you want to write- but your fingers remain frozen over the keys, refusing to cooperate with your train of thought. Other times, you’re raring to go, and ready to string sparkling, eloquent sentences out onto the blank page- but you have nothing to write about, and zero inspiration. Basically,

A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.

– Sidney Sheldon

Never fear, my fellow scribes, for you’re not alone in this plight. I used to be a “wait till inspiration strikes” kind of writer. Sometimes I’d go for weeks without writing a single word, and when I did sit myself down to write, I’d spew out a few pitiful sentences and then be on my way. I told myself that writing without motivation wouldn’t produce results, or at least not ones that I’d be satisfied with. I told myself this, and I never wrote anything. Don’t wait around for inspiration; go hunt it down and tear its guts out.

Everyone knows that incorporating the senses into your writing is essential to crafting a story that comes to life on the page. But what about using the senses as inspiration for your writing? I used to write my stories and poetry while sitting at a hard desk with nothing but the sound of a humming fan for company. Not exactly the most stimulating writing environment. I learned from my slump, though, and discovered a few things that you can do to heighten your senses during writing.

Sound

Sound is probably one of the biggest inciters of inspiration in my writing, and perhaps one of the most accepted on this list. Music elicits the emotion within us; it immerses us in a world that is all our own, one where the outside is nothing and it’s just you and your thoughts. Compiling and listening to a soundtrack that fits with the project you’re working on is a creative and fun way to further delve into the minds of your characters, the world your story takes place in, and the bigger ideas you’re trying to get across. 

There are an endless amount of resources and online radios that supply music playlists, but the one that I’ve found the most satisfying is 8tracks.com. It has amazing playlists in every genre imaginable, about every topic imaginable. Whether you want to listen to movie soundtracks, instrumental pieces, emotional piano ballads, indie rock…you name it, they’ve got it. You can check out my account for a few of my playlists, or go exploring on your own. For example, search the explore section for “epic + battle” and you’ll be supplied with an endless list of playlists that will set you in the perfect mood for writing a war scene. 

If you’re a pluviophile like me, the sound of rain immediately places you in a peaceful frame of mind. Rainy Mood is perfect for those days when the sky is clear, and paired with the perfect playlist, sets the mood for a writing session. Other synthetic auditory sites that I recommend include Soundrown and A Soft Murmur.

Sight

I’m a visual person. I like to map out scenes by illustrating settings and develop characters by painting their portraits. Obviously not everyone is going to opt for this, but you can’t deny that writing is a visual affair. When you write, you want to be able to picture the scene in its entirety, from the colors to the shading to the smallest details and nuances. Seeing is believing, even if you’re only seeing it in your mind.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very passionate about colors. Yes, colors. Colors are what breathe life into the world around us. They set up the mood for a scene, an idea, or an emotion. I could probably go on and on about my deep devotion for striking colors, and how they inspired my last book, but perhaps I’ll save that for another post.

I’ve found that picture prompts are innovative ways to generate that “spark”. I suggest browsing sites like DeviantART where endless archives of artwork are just waiting to kindle the inner workings of your mind, or checking out Flickr for a vast selection of photography and multimedia art. The tumblr Write World, which posts daily picture prompts, is another great resource for writers.

 Scent

Scent as a stimulus isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you think about writing, but in truth, it adds a whole new dimension to creating the ideal mood. Aromatic tea and scented candles are surefire ways to get me in the writing mode. If you really want to get into it, try these author scented candles. Ever wondered what Charles Dickens’ candle would smell like? Apparently tangerine, juniper, and clove.

Taste

I don’t know if this is just me, but I feel like every writer has their special “writing” food. For me, its trail mix and tea…and when it’s really, really late- coffee. Yes, I know that stuffing your mouth with food every time you write is not the healthiest of habits, but sometimes, when you need a little extra energy, the right snack can be the difference between a blank page and a paragraph.

Touch

Touch is perhaps one of the hardest senses to pin on writing. I mean, writing is all conceptual. There’s nothing to touch, so how can it influence your writing? Sometimes just placing yourself in the right setting is all it takes to give birth to a brainchild that will grow up to be your story. Really, it’s all about being relaxed. Situate yourself in your most comfortable desk chair or couch, make sure the temperature is just right, and dress for comfort!

All in all, don’t shy away from writing because of a fear of the mediocre. Embrace your mediocrity! Because without it, you’ll never get any better.

If you are a genius, you’ll make your own rules, but if not–and the odds are against it–go to your desk, no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper–write.

-J.B. Priestly