When It Just Feels Write

I had a bout of motivation this weekend, in keeping with my goals of a few weeks back...

I decided to set some goals and deadlines, if you will recall. So far, I've been doing horribly at sticking to them. That's the problem with self-set deadlines. You don't really have to meet them. No one cares but you. And so, I've been slacking. I mentioned before that I am a procrastinator. I do best when I am under pressure. But no one's pressuring me.

And so, I've done it. I've set a date as my personal deadline. I've decided that it would be pretty kick ass if I could at least complete a first draft, possibly even edited once or twice, and present this to my bestest friend for her birthday in December. Since she is one of my biggest supporters, I think it's pretty fitting. Now I've posted about it, so I might be held a little more accountable for these goals of mine.

Saturday, after working, I put aside the book I am reading in exchange for the computer. I pulled up the garbage I'd written as the beginning of my novel and began editing. It took until Sunday night (when I had to stop for the True Blood season premiere) to get thru chapter 3. But I did it! And it felt good. So, I am trying to keep myself on this motivation train. I even wrote some new material last night. If I can just keep myself doing something, no matter how much, every night, I might just get somewhere. I'm looking at what I'd written previously as my skeleton. Now I am going back in and tweaking and fleshing it out. I can already see a big difference. And I can't wait to do more! I am off tomorrow and have the entire day to write. Wish me luck...

I'm Giddy for Glee!

Have I already mentioned how giddy I am over "glee", the new Fox series due out this Fall?

Yes, I am a big dork. I can admit that. I'm not afraid. If you want to channel your inner dork and you also aren't afraid, I highly recommend watching this show. If you happened to miss the teaser premiere that came out May 19, check it out here: http://www.fox.com/fod/play.php?sh=glee

I am, however, not a smart enough dork to know how to do those fancy little "click here" hyperlinks that don't actually show the whole link, but actually allow you to just click "here". Maybe one day I will learn...

The show's plot is based on an optimistic high school teacher who wants to revive the school's Glee Club. So, there are tons of awesome (and silly) musical performances expected! Also, the show stars the hilarious Jane Lynch (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, The 40yr Old Virgin, etc.) as the school's hard-hearted cheerleading coach.

It is definitely worth checking out!

Another show I love that is worth checking out- So You Think You Can Dance. Last night was the first round of eliminations for the top 20. That part is always so sad. They are all such good dancers! I look forward to the amazing performances to come.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. I have to work :(

Tim Burton, You Genius, You've Gone and Done It Again!

What is that he's done, you may wonder. Well, he's gone and made my insides a pool of mushy goo because he is the best! A movie and stop motion genius! But that's just my humble opinion...

I thought I would just mention a few of the upcoming, highly anticipated, fantabulous, spectacularly awesome movies that Tim Burton is working on. Since I am madly in love with pretty much everything Tim Burton does (especially when it involves Johnny Depp), I feel they are worth mentioning.

Thanks to my online writing buddy, Shauna (THANKS!!), I am so excited about the movie 9 that is due out on 9/9/09. Here is a little blurb from Wikipedia:

9 is an upcoming animated action/fantasy film directed by Shane Acker and produced by filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, director of Wanted. It is based on Acker's Academy Award-nominated short film of the same name. Although CGI, the movie will have a stylized look resembling stop motion which Tim Burton called "hauntingly beautiful". The film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for violence and scary images

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive.
The conflicted but resilient group includes 1 (Plummer), a domineering war veteran; 2 (Landau), an aged inventor; 5 (Reilly), a stalwart mechanic; 6 (Glover), a visionary and artist; and 7 (Connelly), a brave warrior. The trailer also depicts 3 and 4 as identical, hooded rag dolls whose numbers are on their back, and 8 as a hulking warrior, whose number is marked on his right shoulder unlike the others, who bear their numbers on their backs.

Then of course, there are the rumors of a Dark Shadows remake. I love Dark Shadows, even though it was made before my time (and yes, I did stay up late watching the marathons of the 90's remakes). I thank my dearest mum for that. Dark Shadows was one of her favorite shows growing up.

For those of you who don't know anything about Dark Shadows, here is what Wikipedia has to say:

Dark Shadows is a Gothic soap opera that originally aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966 to April 2, 1971. The show was created by Dan Curtis, who tells of a dream he had in which a girl takes a long train ride to visit a large mansion. The story "bible," which was written by Art Wallace, does not mention any supernatural elements. It was considered daring (and unprecedented in daytime television) when ghosts were introduced about six months after it began.
The series became hugely popular when, a year into its run, vampire Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid, appeared. In addition to vampires, Dark Shadows featured werewolves, ghosts, zombies, man-made monsters, witches, warlocks, time travel (both into the past and into the future), and a parallel universe.

Of course, what makes this project even better is that Johnny Depp wants to play Barnabas, the resident vampire. I can't wait for more news about this one!

And last, but not least, Alice in Wonderland, which is due out March 2010! Of course, I adored this book as a child. I can still remember my mom reading a chapter or two a night to me when I was little. Back then, some of the adventures were frightening to imagine. Now, I can't wait to see what Tim Burton does with it. His cinematography and art direction are exceptional! I love how everything is always so dark and gloomy. But, even if you are familiar with the book, you will be surprised by the movie. Apparently, this is telling a later story of the same Alice, just a little older than when the original story takes place. Alice returns to Wonderland, which, over the years has become a bit overgrown with a haunted quality. This is a new story that tells of Alice's rite of passage. Burton promises strong elements of color and a few surprises. And it doesn't hurt that Johnny Depp will be playing the Mad Hatter. Helena Bonham-Carter, Burton's long time partner, who also appears in many of his movies, will be playing the Red Queen. "Off with her head!" The rest of the cast doesn't disappoint, either.

Any movies, books, or albums that you are desperately awaiting?

If You're Broken, I'll Fix You

Whew! Ok. Let me calm myself down long enough to type this post. But, damn!, he is sexy!

I thought I'd start the day off on the right foot. I listened to Rob Pattinson sing "I'll Be Your Lover Too" and "I Was Broken" as I drove into work. And it worked. Of course, I got all giggly and silly like a high school girl. Gushing about just how precious that Brit is. Maybe my opinion is a little biased...

But then I just had the biggest urge to turn the car around and go home and write! We all know that's not possible. So, here I sit, again, wanting to write but stuck at work. In fact, as I sit here typing this, I've been interrupted countless times. I take back my having a good day thing...

On to my point for the day! Have you ever listened to a song that made you just want to write? That inspired you to want to write a story around how that song came to be? It happens to me all the time. I hear a great or cute or funny song and I get inspired to write. Usually, if it's a song I really like, I think about how that song could fit into the soundtrack/playlist to my book. And what situation may actually be happening to my characters that would make that song relevant. I should add that I can't actually listen to music when I am writing - just before or after and sometimes I pause writing to listen and be reinspired!

I will start: my latest inspiration comes from poppy punk/alternative music. There are just so many precious little love songs. Since my novel has a definite love story tucked into it, this is the mind set I like to get into. And thanks to iTunes and Genius, I can buy individual songs (some I'd never heard of before) without having to buy the whole album!

Does music inspire your writing? What is your favorite writing music?