Writing Prompt: The Soundtrack of Your Book

I’ve always thought that my life would be so much better if there was a soundtrack that would play in the background like in a movie. You know, like Nora Jones playing during a romantic scene or Fade Into You by Mazzy Star in a dramatic scene. In a previous post, I talked about how music can fuel your writing. To follow this theme, try out this writing prompt featuring one of my favorite songs.

Write a scene with the song “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone as the background music. What is happening in your scene? What are the characters doing? I immediately think of the transformation scene in the movie Last Holiday, starring the fabulous Queen Latifah.

Michael Bublé also has a version to swoon over, and I just read that Lauryn Hill also recorded a wonderful cover.

Then find other songs that would fit different scenes in your story. Play with different genres, and see what complements the mood.

Happy writing!

How To Get Your Creative Jam On

We all know people who are naturally creative. They can roll out ideas effortlessly. Some people are just blessed with creative minds, while others struggle to brainstorm new ideas. But there is still hope for people who want to be more creative. It just takes a lot of work and patience. All writers worry that someday their well of creativity will run dry. You’ve got your paper. You’ve got your pen. You’re all ready to start pounding out that masterpiece, but you’re just stuck. Nothing that you come up with seems to work. Here’s a few things I do when I’m feeling low on creativity.

Coloring books – get one

I swear by coloring books. Even if you don’t need it for a creativity boost, the nostalgic smell of cheap crayons brings back all those simple childhood days. Coloring books are wonderful because they give you a place to start. You have an outline. You have constraints, but still lots of space to make the picture your own. Do Zentangle in between the lines instead. Take things and mold them to make them your own.

How to Plow Through That Never-Ending Book List: My Secret to Reading a Lot of Books

Wow, that’s quite a long title. However, this post is going to be pretty short. I’m going to reveal how I read a lot of books, at least double the amount that I used to read.

I read more than one at a time. 

I never used to do this. I always had one book to read, and I thought the idea of bouncing between books was absolutely insane and would be confusing. I had a score of bookmarks, but only one book to read at a time.

Then one summer, I realized that I was really slacking on my reading list. There are so many books that I want to read, so many that I know I will never get to (that is such a horrifying thought). I’ve always had a hard time focusing and I get bored very easily. I would get stuck on a book for months because I’d get tired of it, but I just couldn’t force myself to give up. So, I tried to figure out how to read faster.

I think this is something I learned to do in college, when I had to keep up with multiple textbooks plus whatever book I was reading for pleasure. I realized how many books I was reading and wondered if I could do this with my personal reading list. Currently, I’m reading four

Reading List: My Favorite Writing Blog Posts

I’m going to let you in on a secret. 

I love reading. 

It’s shocking, I know. While I usually have a beloved fiction novel close by, I also really enjoy reading about writing. Some of the best writing advice I’ve gotten has been on the blogs of writers and bloggers like myself. 

Fess Up: How to Tell People You’re a Writer

About a year ago, I spilled the beans on my best kept secret. I finally told people that I plan on being a writer. For me, this was terrifying. I was afraid of what people might say, the eye rolls, the ‘you’ll never make money doing that’ speech.

To Kill, or Not to Kill (a Character)

I believe in clever murder. 

Finding the balance between too much and too little death is a hard skill for authors to master because it’s easy to get attached or trigger happy.

When I read a good book,