Brian Patrick McKinley's Blog, page 15
March 12, 2014
Spotlight On Daven Anderson
Originally posted on PORTALS AND PATHWAYS:
Today, I have another guest with me…my fellow PDMI author, Daven Anderson. It’s been a privilege getting to know him over the past year, and it was a privilege to meet him in person at the 2014 Birmingham Author Expo. I’m proud to call him a colleague and a good friend. And now, here’s Daven.
What year did you first begin writing the first book in your saga, “Vampire Syndrome?”
June 13, 2009. A friend lent me the four Twilight saga novels and I read them all in sequence. Upon finishing “Breaking Dawn” that afternoon, my first thought was “R-rated movie.” My second thought was “I can write something better than that.” By the time I went to bed that night, I had my characters Jack, Zetania, Damien and Lilith fixed in their present forms. A few days later, I attended a UFO expo, to flesh out the details of…
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March 10, 2014
Signs of a Failing (Scamming) Publisher
Originally posted on melinda clayton:
Google “publishing scams” and you’ll uncover pages and pages of warnings against publishers who mislead and steal from hopeful authors.
Writer Beware
,
Absolute Write
, and
Preditors and Editors
A Beat My Muse Can Dance To
Music is a universal creative force, one that has inspired poets, painters, actors religious followers, writers, dancers, and filmmakers since the earliest beginnings of the human race. There is something elemental in music that cuts through our logical brains and reaches right to our feelings. From classical arias to death metal dirges, well made music has a unique ability to inspire our imaginations and stimulate our emotions.
Is it any wonder that most artists you talk to will tell you that they listen to music while they paint or write? As a writer, I’ve always found that certain songs will inspire images or characters or scenarios in my mind that are completely unconnected to whatever meaning the original artist intended when they wrote it. Maybe some of you out there do the same. Here’s a question for the writers out there: Is there a certain song that always reminds you of particular character of yours, regardless of whether it seems appropriate for that character or not? I’m betting the answer is yes for a lot of you.
Here’s an example: For some reason, the No Doubt song “Don’t Speak” brings images to my mind of the previous relationship between my heroine Caroline and her long-time lover Sebastian, now the villain of my story. If you read the book, you might see how strange a choice that song is, but you may also find that you can see why it might be appropriate. Naturally, it’s not the words of the song that bring me there: it’s the feeling of the song, its tone of longing and regret.
Music has always been a part of my creative experience. I love listening to music while doing anything, but especially while writing. Like many writers, I build specific playlists for major characters in my story. What’s interesting is when the character and the playlist diverge significantly. For example, in my most recent novel, the main character is a jazz loving New York gangster during the 1930s. Naturally, I spent several months immersing myself in the music of the period. I listened to Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Tommy Dorsey, Chick Webb, and dozens of other musicians until I felt I had a good feel for that period and what artists my protagonist would favor. But a funny thing happened when I started writing. As appropriate as that music was to the period, a lot of it just didn’t have the kind of strong emotion that I need to inspire me. Over time, I discovered that my gangster’s “soul” sounded more like Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel, and Kid Rock, at least as far as the feeling I needed to write him.
Pictured: Vampire Gangster Music
That was an important lesson for me, since I had always tried to pick music that I felt was “appropriate” to the character, but what I realized was that the music is a tool for me, not the character. Knowing that your character loves Barry Manilow is a necessary part of character creation, and you should probably listen to some just so you can discover what about that music your character enjoys—but it does you no good to build a Barry Manilow playlist to write to if it’s going to put you to sleep.
I don’t regret for a moment the time I spent learning about 20s and 30s jazz and swing, however, because not only did it allow me to understand an element of my character better, but it also broadened my musical horizons and introduced me to some early artists that I now genuinely enjoy. The same thing happened on my first book, which featured a cast of Native American characters as protagonists. I got to discover the wide and fascinating world of Native American music, both traditional and contemporary. There are some great artists out there like Robbie Robertson, Brul’e, and others who bring a magical spirituality to their music that transports me out of myself. Granted, not all of the music I listened to effected me in that way, some of it just wasn’t to my taste, but it broadened my perspective and gave me an insight that I needed to write those characters more effectively.
Actors often use music playlists to help them get into the emotional headspace of a character and, for me, this is one my favorite parts of music. I’ve never been musically gifted myself, which I regret, but it has always been a big part of my writing process. Naturally, rock or pop music isn’t the only choice. For those that find lyrics too distracting, there are always classical music and film scores to use. The music used in films and TV is designed to heighten your emotional reactions, so they often make ideal listening choices for when you need inspiration.
Me with music
Me without music
So, the next time you find yourself blocked and looking for inspiration, try listening for it instead and let your muse out to dance a little!
March 7, 2014
Ancient Blood: Cinematic Inspirations
Check out my fang-tastic article on VAMPED.ORG!
http://vamped.org/books/ancient-blood-cinematic-inspirations/
March 6, 2014
Don’t Say The S-word
An interesting perspective.
Originally posted on Maggie J:
You know what word I’m talking about. That word that’s become an insult to all vampires, thanks to the work of one author.
Stephanie Meyer.
Now I don’t blame her. All she did was write a story and have it published. The disdain for that word, or story element, that comes from us. Those of us who believe that vampires do not sp–oops! I almost said it. Say what you will about the quality of Mrs. Meyer’s writing or her storyline, or her character development, but the bottom line is, Twilight is/was a hit.
March 5, 2014
March 4, 2014
Vampyric Seduction
Originally posted on The _ Detective:
Before I begin, I must disclose that I contributed to the “Go Fund Me” for this production. The writer, David and I are friends, and having read an early draft of the script I knew felt I needed to contribute to a staging of Carmilla, if only in a small way. My review is honest and without bias though, I hope y’all enjoy my review, and take the time to see this production.
Carmilla is the latest erotic gothic offering, placed upon the Black Box Theatre alter known as Zombie Joe’s Underground. Carmilla is a deliciously seductive fare, one that will give you nocturnal visions, perhaps even a nightmare…
March 3, 2014
February 28, 2014
February 26, 2014
FREE Audiobook for the Asking!
That’s right, folks! I have right here the secret codes to unlock 20 copies of my newly-released audiobook Ancient Blood: A Novel of the Hegemony ABSOLUTELY FREE!
What do you have to do? Just leave a comment below with your email address! I will send you the code, the link, and instructions on how to use it. The book is currently available on both Audible.com and iTunes, but should be linking up to my Amazon book page soon!
