Blog Chain Blatherskite

Annie(http://anniewritesaboutwriting.blogspot.com/) chose this two part topic. Cole

(http://colegibsen.blogspot.com/) went right before me in the chain and Sandra (http://ulbrichalmazan.blogspot.com/ ) will be next.

I took off a few months from the blog chain, so I’d like to say welcome to our new writers. If your link is not to the left with the rest of the chain gang, please let me know and I will be happy to add your link. And away we go…..

Do you ever get inspired by a real-life event or news story and fear you're ripping off the story too much?

Yes and no. On more than one occasion, while doing historical research, I have run across some fabulous tid-bit, and just run with it. I’ve never worried about ripping off a story, as I always put my own spin on events, so much so, that they often don’t resemble the initial occurrence. I have also read quite a few authors that not only bring up an event, but will it will be a pivotal part of their plot.

Do you ever get inspired by a song or poem or line from a book and worry you're stealing that original person's idea?

I wouldn’t say that I’m inspired by a song as much as it sets the mood. I have an extensive library of music that I listen to while writing. I could give you a soundtrack to my first completed work, a historical romance. There is a different song for almost every scene. From what I’ve gathered, I’m far from alone in this writing quirk.

One of my favorite songs for writing is The Gael, which is the theme song to The Last of the Mohicans. I looked and looked for just the right video and low and behold…Scottish scenes! Now, if you listen to the song, there are so many emotions that it can evoke.

I would love to hear what everyone feels when they listen to this song. I think it will enforce previous posts about giving a group of ten a topic for a story, and all ten stories would end up being very different. No cheating though, just post what emotions you felt and then go back and read what others have said.

Blog Chain Blatherskite

Some people argue that creative people need “angst” to produce good work. Do you? What emotions drive you as a writer?

Do I need angst to produce good work?

That seems a bit subjective to me, since most writers would like to think that every time they pen something that it will be considered good at the very least. I will say that had it not been for angst, I would not have started writing again (it was a very hard time in my life). Now whether what I wrote was good...let's just say it was, um, a start.

This question came at such an interesting time for me. October is my favorite month of the year. I get so excited, and by the end of the month, I was riding high http://terrirainer.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.html . So many good things happened last week, that it was inevitable that once November started, it would be a supreme let down.

Enter my fall state of depression. So many people say that fall is their favorite time of the year. In Oklahoma fall comes late. The leaves are just now turning. November marks the beginning of a melancholy period for me. I wouldn't say that I journey into a downward spiral of depression that requires medication, I just tend to become far more subdued than normal.

That being said, it is about as close as I come to having a serious case of angst. And NO! I don't write anything well while in a mood that tends to lean towards gloomy. I get complacent, I have to use my energy to function at a normal level. It's as if some of my spirit drains along with the green in the leaves and the grass. I hardly feel creative.

What emotions drive you as a writer?

Hmmmm, this is a head scratcher for me. I never thought of any emotion driving me. The creative juices start flowing so fast I had to have an outlet. I controlled the emotion that I was pouring into my work by my song selections. As so many before me in the chain have admitted, listening to certain music often sets the tone of the written work. Whether it aids in the mood or makes those emotions stronger using auditory stimulation is anybody's guess. That is only one tool that a writer can use.

Drawing on a past experience, or an emotional scene from a movie, even feelings evoked from a favorite book, are all things that a creative mind can draw on. I do try and feel the same emotions that a character is feeling. It makes it easier to share that with a reader if you are putting yourself in the character's own mood.

This question has been my favorite so far. It came at such a great time. To be able to reflect on the swing of emotions that we all feel from time to time has been an eye-opener. It also forced me to write, which I haven't done at all this week.

Even though October is over, I still have ghost stories that I could share, and I will try and round up a few for my next post. Until then, you should really go to the beginning of this chain and follow it. The members of the blog chain are all far more talented at conveying their thoughts on this subject, and I must say that it really sucks to have to follow them!

The chain started with Archy http://archetypewriting.blogspot.com/ , Elana was before me in the chain http://elanajohnson.blogspot.com/ , and Leah follows my post http://leahclifford.livejournal.com/ .