By Christi Corbett
Lately I’ve been thinking about how I write. Not style, word choice, or my writing schedule, but the actual “how” of sitting down and writing a novel.
Lately I’ve been thinking about how I write. Not style, word choice, or my writing schedule, but the actual “how” of sitting down and writing a novel.
I have an active imagination for storylines, but need inspiration to get the thoughts flowing. Here’s how I do that…
For starters, I listen to music.
Anything from classical to Joe Cocker gets me thinking. Right now, my personal favorites are the soundtrack to the movie All the Pretty Horses, and a cassette tape (I know, I have to drag out a tape player every time I want that one playing) filled with songs about The Oregon Trail from National Geographic.
I also surround myself with various props.
I write historicals so when I need inspiration for what my characters look like I go to an antique store and browse through the collections of photos of people. I have about seven such photos right now for my WIP in a pile right next to my desk.
Also, a silver jewel case is very significant to the storyline of my debut novel, Along the Way Home. I found one I liked via Craigslist, complete with red velvet interior, and bought it---taking great safety precautions during the purchase process of course. It resides right next to my desk. And, you can see it in the opening shots of my book trailer.
*Fun fact: I produced the trailer so I took most of the pictures, including the one with the potatoes. My husband was hungry at the time, so right after I took the picture he knocked off the growths and ate all those potatoes!
I often dress in “period pieces”.
Dressing in clothes/styles from the past allows me to get into the heads of my characters and gives me a sense of what it must have been like for the character to wear such clothes. This includes bonnets, floor-length skirts, frilly things, various styles of cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and a leather holster complete with the fake gun. (I included several of these in my book trailer)
What about you? How do you inspire yourself to complete a task?
Christi, I love the idea of collecting photos from an antique mall. My cousin's wife sold most of our old family photos to an antique dealer (sad story) so I always look for family members when I see old photos. I have several files: old houses, period clothes, old West, and 19th Century Life. I visit those and Pinterest for ideas.
ReplyDeleteGreat ways to stimulate your story writing, Christi. I don't collect old photos or period costumes, but I have collected hundreds of books on historical and other subjects, many with photos included. Music also helps me write. I especially love Irish and Native American flute melodies.
ReplyDeleteI don't do anything other than maybe think about the location and then I let my characters come to life. I'll admit it's odd to write about Christmas in May. But I live in a pre Civil War house and my walls are decorated with some odd stuff from the 1800's because I love some of the industrial things as well as the farm things. My living room is decorated with things like bitty feeders. And several pieces of furniture date way back. So maybe I'm living it?
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