The official word count as of right this second is 28,457. And for all you non-math people out there, that means that I have fallen behind, and am currently trying to claw my way back on schedule. I knew this was going to be a challenge, but I think I underestimated my business this month (which was just stupid of me). However, I'm not giving up! One way or another, this sucker is getting done. I may be scraping the bottom of the motivation barrel, but I'm going to push through, even if it kills me! (Okay, not even if it kills me...this is a novel we're talking about...calm down)Speaking of motivation/inspiration, I would like to share with you some things that rev my writing engine, to give you just a little glimpse into how my mind works during this process (Warning: my mind is a twisted, confusing maze of nonsense that can both terrify and baffle...proceed with caution).
First off, music! Most authors will have a specific playlist, song, or album that they set on repeat as they are working. For me, most of the time I don't actually like music to be playing as I write because it either causes me to break out into song, dance, or kickboxing, none of which cause me to be very productive. However, every once and awhile, I do need to listen to something to spark the motivation, because when I think of my story, I think of it as a movie...and every good movie has a soundtrack. For the trilogy, it was Evanescence all day, ever day (I was in middle school, and it was the 90's...back off). For this series, I have stumbled upon a few songs that hype me up, but one in particular is really sticking out (this week, anyway). Fallout Boy's My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up). There's a really great scene in Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, where this song is playing during a really awesome obstacle course scene. Ever since I saw that, I've been addicted to the song, and every time I listen to it, I want to create scenes just as awesome as the Percy Jackson one. We'll see if it lasts, but I can listen to that on repeat over and over again without getting sick of it.
Second, movie trailers! This one might be just me, but watching movie trailers, especially epic movie trailers, is super effective for kicking my butt into gear. Again, because I envision my stories in move form as I write them, I like to try and imagine what the trailer would be like, which then makes me want to get it written to increase its chances of actually being made into a movie in the distant future. It's a stretch, but it works!
Third, other books! Currently, its the A Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones). SO AWESOME!! Except I'm kind of stuck in A Feast for Crows, which is by far the slowest of the books because none of the really great characters are even in it! But, that's not the point. The really great thing about this series is that it has the TV show to accompany it. When I first started reading it, however, I immediately felt inadequate as a fantasy writer, but now I'm trying to up my game and improve my own writing because of it. Not that I will EVER be up to George R.R. Martin's standards, but he makes me work to be a better writer myself. Still good.
At the end of the day, though, it's the fact that I want the story told that keeps driving me to write it. I have this thing all bottle up inside me, and it's begging to be released. That's the real reason I'm fighting my way through this (that, and I hate not finishing things). I won't stop until the story is fully told.
Stay tuned for more updates as the month winds itself down. There will probably be a few yet in the last few days as I drive myself insane trying to get this project done. If any of you have any suggestions for inspiration, or want to help me by pumping me up, leave me a little something down in the comments section. Please and thank you!
Until next time,
E. K. Broich
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