An Homage to Different Ways of Writing...

Today I want to tip my hat to other types of writing, which aren’t other types at all. Writing is writing. There’s good writing and bad writing, and those are the only two types. In our current age, we tend to be a bit snobbish, thinking stories told to us from the pages of a book (or ebook reader) are somehow “better” than stories told to us through other media – TV, song, movies, etc. Which is an ironic viewpoint, since the first story ever told was not in book form, but orally. Some guy sitting by the fire one night came up with a story to tell his fellow cavemen. To make it even more interesting (and to distract them from their survival-of-the-fittest, eat-or-be-eaten lifestyle), he used different voices and dramatic body language. He captivated them enough that they wanted more. Next thing you know, the “storyteller” became an important member of the clan. Advances and royalty shares came in the form of extra portions of mammoth meat.

Most of my readers who know far more than they want to know about me are aware I love movies and good TV dramas. That’s because I love storytelling in all its forms. While I am awestruck by a great story on the written page, great movies astound me no less. You take a great script, all the elements of acting, direction and production, couple it to an emotionally compelling score, and what started as one writer’s idea is brought to life in a way that’s nothing short of miraculous. I have trouble juggling all the variables in a book when I write a threesome relationship (you all have heard me whine and grumble about this). I can’t imagine organizing all the chaos that is a movie and turning it into something as enjoyable and wonderful as the experience we have with a great book.

But I digress a little bit. The issue is, whether it’s TV, movies, a song, or a book, the storytelling is the backbone. Other elements can sometimes mask a bad story. For instance, I’ve seen actors pull a crap story out of the fire with their charisma and skill, the same way great characterization can save a weak plotline in a book. However, for it really to work on all cylinders, the story has to be there. And to say that there’s not good writing in these mediums is to ignore some amazing work – and underscores what I’m saying above. It’s still all about the writing. Whether on the page, the screen, the stage, or in song, you have to have something worth saying, that touches the hearts of your audience.

Okay, I’ve beaten the point in narrative enough. Here are some snippets of great writing that have come from TV series and movies (not based on books, I think, lol). Why I love most of these quotes has as much to do with the specific story/episode as the great writing that’s evident here:

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“It matters, where the heart begins.” –Cold Case, “The Good Death” episode

“If life were suddenly to become fair, I doubt it would happen in high school.” –Sky High

“…we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes. For us, there is no victory. There are only battles. And in the end, the best we can hope for is a place to make our stand. And if you’re very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you.” –Castle, “Knockout” episode

“This isn’t what I want, but I’m going to take the high road. Maybe it’s because I look at everything as a lesson. Or because I don’t want to walk around angry. Maybe it’s because I finally understand there are things we don’t want to happen, but have to accept. That we don’t want to know, but have to learn. People we can’t live without that we have to let go.” –Criminal Minds, “JJ” episode

“Faith or fear, that’s your test.”
“That won’t change whether I die or not.”
“No. But it will change how you experience your death.” --House “Damned If You Do” Episode

“You can't allow the ones you love to determine how you love.” --Before We Go

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that…we can never let the chaos and injustice make us so blind with anger that we become part of the problem. Understanding, compassion, kindness and love are the only revolutionary ideals. When we compromise those, we become what we despise and we lose our humanity.” --Bones, “Soccer Mom in the Mini-Van” episode

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Now, let’s talk music. While all songs don’t tell a story in the traditional sense (though Harry Chapin’s work remains my favorite in the songbook tradition), many address emotions in a way that speaks to us and makes them forever-keepers on our IPods. Some of these songs have guided my stories and characters to places they might not have gone if I didn’t have their inspiration.

For instance, Mandy Moore’s “Only Hope” seemed like a song straight from Marguerite’s soul to Tyler’s in Ice Queen and Mirror of My Soul. I must have played that song a million times while writing the more intense scenes between them. Here were a couple of the key lyrics that illustrated Marguerite’s state of mind so well:

There's a song that's inside of my soul
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again
I'm awake in the infinite cold
But you sing to me over and over and over again.

So I lay my head back down
And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours
I pray to be only yours
I know now you're my only hope.

Sing to me the song of the stars
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again
When it feels like my dreams are so far
Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again.

In Vampire Mistress, Gideon Green is a vampire hunter who has lost his soul to blood and death. “Far From Home” by Five Fingered Death Punch spoke to his state of mind and helped me write the opening of the book, which not only set the tone for Gideon’s character, but helped me and other readers fall in love with him and invest in his happily-ever-after. Again, here are some of the key lyrics:

Another day in this carnival of souls
Another night settles in as quickly as it goes
The memories of shadows, ink on the page
And I can't seem to find my way home


And it's almost like
Your heaven's trying everything
Your heaven's trying everything
To keep me out


All the places I've been and things I've seen
A million stories that made up a million shattered dreams
The faces of people I'll never see again
And I can't seem to find my way home

You can check out the Look Inside portion of the book on Amazon to read the prologue and see if you agree.

And there’s another section of the story here on my website.

Finally, a third example from one of my most popular titles, Hostile Takeover. Marcie is a submissive determined to win the heart of a hardcore Dom, Ben O’Callahan. She’s known him since she was 16 years old, and now that she’s 23, she’s going to make this happen. “As Long As You’re There” by Charice spoke to her determination about that. In a subsequent title (Soul Rest), it became the song played at her wedding. Oh please, no crying “Spoiler!” It’s a romance. Did you really think they wouldn’t end up together? Lol. Here are the relevant lyrics:

All my life I waited for the right
Moment to let you know
I don’t wanna let you go.
But now I realize there’s just no perfect time
To confess how I feel,
This much I know is real.
So I refuse to waste one more second
without you knowing my heart.


Baby, ‘cause I don’t need anything else but your love.
Nothing but you means a thing to me, I’m incomplete.
When you’re not there, holding me, touching me,
I swear all of the rest could just disappear.
And I wouldn’t even care, as long as you’re there.

And God/dess bless my readers, they’ve added their own entries for my inspirational playlists. Irene of Literary Gossip (yay, Irene!) set up a book trailer to “Demons” by Imagine Dragon, which became Ben’s complementary theme song:

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide

And I'll let you all enjoy the rest through that fan created book trailer above. It's well worth it!

So in closing, I guess the rambling purpose of this blog post is to express my gratitude for these myriad ways of telling a story, because they inspire my own. Thank you to every writer, in whatever medium you choose to write, for giving us so many ways to experience life.