My life should have a soundtrack (part one)

I’m a little OCD and methodical about my writing, and music is a key part of that process.  This started when I found I wasn’t getting much writing done at home.  Distractions like kids, internets, snacks, video games, comic books, and other such important things tend to thwart progress.  As much as I would prefer writing at home in my office, I quickly found that several hours hidden away at a bookstore or coffee house produced more than the time I spent trying to dodge bullets and poor self-discipline.  While bookstores and coffee houses can be great places for people watching, they also tend to be noisy.  Unfortunately music with words tends to be as distracting as people talking, but music without words is perfect. 

I feel great appreciation for composers of these soundtracks, so I have to give a shoutout to those I spend the most time with.  The list below doesn’t include everything, but definitely includes the highlights.  These scores have inspired me through the completion of one book and almost a second. I'm listing twenty total in 2 blog posts, here are the first 10...

1 Bicentennial Man – James Horner:  This is a staple.  I can always fall back to this soundtrack if I’m not writing an adventure or fight scene.  One of my favorite sentimental movies, and I rarely get sick of listening to the score.  If you write, you can’t do wrong including this in your playlist.  If you drive to work, listen to this and you won’t tailgate anyone.

2 How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell:  I think this was the best movie of 2010 and it has become one of my all-time favorite soundtracks.  A perfect mix of nostalgia and adventure – I love every song!

3 Transformers – Steve Jablonsky: I listen to this one when I’m bracing for impact and preparing to write fierce.  Want to write a scene where great battles take place?  This is your score.  The first movie is the best, and I’m guessing the first soundtrack is too since that’s the only one I have.

4 Meet Joe Black – Thomas Newman: This is my backup for Bicentennial Man, when I need to listen to something else.  I love the music, but cut out every other song as some are scored for the ‘funny’ scenes.

5 Lost – Michael Giacchino:  Writing Angst I sometimes write depressed, and there isn’t much more depressing music than Lost.  Hauntingly beautiful, though I had to remove a lot of the eerie stuff from my playlist.

6 Star Trek 2009 – Michael Giacchino:  Great movie and great soundtrack.  The music from the beginning where Kirk’s mom gives birth and his dad dies tears at my heart – love writing to this.  If you are ever curious, check out the crazy amount of scores Giacchino has produced http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0315974/

7 Invincible Two Steps from Hell:  I found a great resource in movie trailer music.  An awesome selection of mostly adventure/go-getem songs, and once and awhile I’ll hear one of them in a movie preview.

8 Firefly/Serenity – Greg Edmonson:  I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Serenity.  I don’t think I could find a greater crime than only 13 episodes, and will be eternally grateful for one Big Damn Movie.  Best scores ever, enough said.

9 The Stand – W.G. Snuffy Walden:  If you’ve watched the mini-series you will appreciate when I say I loved the part of the score when they are walking cross-country.  Great stuff.

10 The Fifth Element – Eric Serra:  Big Badda Boom!  Awesome movie, awesome bump music.  I listen to this while thinking about what I’m writing next.

I'll be sharing ten more in my next blog post, but until then, do you listen to music when you write?  If so which scores?  I'm always looking for more music and would love to know!

My Muse Dresses Funny

My 3^rd year attending the Naka-Kon anime convention in Kansas City was a great time.  Two years ago I went with my daughter, and we left in stunned silence.  It was like we had walked through a dimensional barrier to find an entirely different culture of people.  Last year we were more prepared, but my friend Allie and her daughter had the same response we did.  What the heck was that?!  This year the four of us seasoned professionals went with a friend of my daughter's, who handled it pretty well but was still surprised at what we saw.

People-watching is one of my all-time favorite things to do.  It is more than a little voyeuristic to monitor the unbeknownst while they shuffle to and fro with hardly a bit of acknowledgement or care that you are capturing their moment for your own viewing pleasure.  It’s also a constant education in sociology, psychology, and the general craziness that makes us people.  From a writer’s perspective I try to find interesting individuals and figure out how I would describe them.  I look for features that stand out, or gestures that a reader may identify with.  On those days when I’m feeling less analytical, I enjoy a great amount of entertainment.

I think an anime convention is one of my favorite people watching venues.  The attending cosplayers want to be watched, they revel in attention and opportunity to flaunt their individuality.  The best compliment you can give them is to ask for a picture.  Some spend months sewing, sculpting, duct-taping, and painting their visage (others don’t).  Cloaks, helmets, weapons, uniforms…all works of passion and art.  Even without being familiar, at all, with many of the characters these costumes were based on, it is still easy to appreciate the effort that went into their creation. 

 So, while I don’t always ‘get it’ and will never know the amount of effort made, I really appreciate the drive and inspiration behind what the attendees are trying to do.  I (usually) love the youthful in-your-face freedom they revel in.  I’m always inspired by the passion to express themselves creatively and how they want to share that with others.  It makes for one heck of a muse.

You can see more Naka-kon photos on Google+ by clicking here!

Public Library Contest

When I was young, more than a little while ago, my parents used to borrow very old 8mm film (check out that link) from the library to share the Laurel and Hardy films their parents enjoyed.  I remember going to our local Mid-ContinentPublic Library and wandering through the shelves looking for some forgotten tome that may actually include something magical or unknown.  I read everything I could.  In my grade school library I discovered KingArthur, his Knights and their Ladies, my first introduction to fantasy that was quickly followed by Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. 

After my mom ‘made me’ watch the Camelot musical with Richard Harris on HBO, I found a bound version of the script in my middle-school library.  There was something magical about that book, and to this day Camelot is my all-time favorite musical (next to Les Miserables).  When I was in college at University ofWisconsin - Madison, I couldn’t study in my dorm room, or the ‘study’ area.  I usually had to lock myself into a the cages at Memorial Library in order to focus enough to muddle through my tests.

I’ve always had a love for libraries.  The dewey decimal system, card catalogs (remember those? wow am I aging myself now) and the smell – the smell of print on aging paper, almost as good as the smell of old comic books.  I owe a lot to libraries, and only have fond memories for them.

It’s rare that someone can afford to buy every book they read.  I’ve gotten DMs from Twitter followers unable to find Angst in libraries.  I’m always touched that they look, but it’s unrealistic for any library to purchase the first fantasy novel of a virtually unknown indie writer.  There is nothing I’d like more than to send every library a copy of my first book, but just as libraries have a budget, so do I.   Therefore…

CONTEST TIME!  This one is easy!  Post the name and address of your local public library in the comments section below.  I will randomly choose 10 libraries, contact them, and send them a copy of Angst for their collections.  Contest deadline is February 29^th.  This contest is restricted to the United States (sorry).  Feel free to post or tweet questions, and thanks in advance for entering!

Geekiness I'm looking forward to in 2012 (Part Two)

I couldn't hold out any longer, let the nerdiness continue as I share those things I'm most geeked out about in 2012!

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises – (July 20^th)  That the first two Batman movies in this series are probably the best superhero movies ever made (aside from The Incredibles – O.O I meant that).  Nolan's take is the Batman I've always wanted to see!  While I don't like all of the leaked footage that has appeared on the internet (for a movie like this the less I know the better).  I also think Tom Hardy has some pretty big shoes to fill after HeathLedger's Joker (heck, I'd even say the same for Anne Hathaway after MichellePfeiffer's Catwoman.)  Even with my petty, trifling concerns, I know this movie won’t disappoint

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – (December 14^th) I'm not really sure how much I need to elaborate on this one.  If this isn't on your all-time nerd-list of most wanted movies ever made, then please hand in your geek card at the door. ;)

Halo 4: (December 31^st according to Amazon) The music alone gives me goosebumps, and I don't even want to think about or admit to the number of hours I've sunk into, er, been entertained by this series of games.  Halo is probably one of the few games that keeps my interest enough to play through to finishing.  Master Chief is always welcome in my gaming library.

iPhone 5: (rumor only) My contract is up this fall, if the planets align properly with my local iStore this may happen.  There is nothing more I hate than spending money on stuff that isn't used.  A year and a half ago I surprised my wife and kids with iPhone 3GS (I got an amazing deal.)  We all use them constantly, so money well spent in my opinion.  With every iOS upgrade comes some pretty cool improvements and, unfortunately, a slower iPhone.  Whether we end up with the iPhone 4s or can hold out for the 5, I'm looking forward to an upgrade.

DC New 52 – (ongoing) I realize that this started in 2011, but I'm looking forward to more!  I've got a closet filled with comics stacked taller than me, and it has been years since I've purchased regularly.  The soft reboot by DC worked.  My kids and I have all been enjoying the new issues.  While I don't love every title, I enjoy most and I have to admit it's been fun getting every title every month.  I've resolved to do this for the entire year before I start cutting out titles.  (Now if I could get a Marvel reboot.  I’m an X-Fan, but 100 less X-Titles would be welcome.)

Angst 3: Drowning in Angst – (hmmm) Yeah, I went there.  Official title by the way :)  While I'm not so foolish as to give unrealistic expectations about when this book is going to be finished (this time), I'm going to be working on it aggressively throughout 2012.  If I finish Angst 2 on a Monday, I'll start Angst 3 on a Tuesday.  I already know a lot of what is going to happen, it's going to be a heck of an adventure!

Honorable Mentions: Underworld: Awakening (January 20^th), Wrath of the Titans (March 30^th), John Carter (March 9^th), Men In Black III (May 25^th), Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1^st), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 29^th), The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3^rd)

Whew, so yeah, a pretty fun year for David!  I'm sure there is more, and stuff I'm missing, but this is more than enough to keep me busy between writing sessions.