How do you write?Me? I write at night, iPad on my chest when I finally climb into bed.
That might sound...uncomfortable...to say the least, but it's when I produce my best work, whether it be a piece of dialogue or a descriptive piece. It must be something about the feeling of finally being able to stretch out and relax the mind to the point of blankness just before you head to the land of zombie-like sleep. That's when I start talking through scenes in my head, working out who's feeling sad, happy, hurt and figure out how every character would react in any given situation. Character wise, I'm just a thief - I steal bits of people that I know or have heard about or have eavesdropped on - and weave them all together. It's amazing how much stuff you pick up just listening in on people's conversations in shops, cafes, in the office, and on the street. Being nosey pays off, but being nosey with a notepad to hand pays off even better! Tips for WritersIf I were only allowed to share one good tip to writers starting out in Ireland, it would be to visit two websites regularly, for a veritable treasure trove of information, tips, manuscript advice and just plain ol' inspiration.
Vanessa O'Loughlin is the brains behind the operation of both 'The Inkwell Group' and 'Writing.ie', and the success the sites have played in launching the careers of some great new authors from our shores. They stand as a testament to her commitment to nurturing and encouraging writers to do what they've always dreamed of and write the book that's been locked away inside their heads! Never patronising or dismissive, Vanessa tells it like it is without ever resorting to crushing the hopes of budding authors. It's like she says, 'For every book, there's a reader', and hopefully, one day mine and many other hopeful scribes will find theirs. To visit Writing.ie, please click below: To vist The Inkwell Group, please click below:
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SoundtrackingI love music.
Always have, always will. And unlike my younger days when musical snobbery was rife, nowadays I'm not quite so picky about what bends my ear. Granted there are still some genres that don't really do it for me (plinky-plonky free-form jazz, for instance), but mostly, I simply like what I like. I don't know how many other people like to do this, but for as long as I can remember piecing together stories and scenes from inside my head and onto paper, I have always simultaneously devised a soundtrack to accompany them. Mostly, particular songs as background to certain scenes as I work them out in my head. I realise that may sound a bit loopy to some, but I can trace it back to the days of reading Deadline Magazine in the early nineties, where the mighty Jamie Hewlett (yes, he of Gorillaz fame) thrilled me with the antics of his kick-ass anti-heroine Tank Girl and wrote his suggested indie soundtrack to accompany each installment, wedged discreetly in the margins and around the frames of his bonkers cartoonery. I practically have to sit on my hands not to do the same when I'm writing my own stuff. With 'Someone Else Not Me', the back story spans from about the early-nineties to present day, so the soundtrack in my head is varied. Here are just some of the tracks that the story conjured for me: Papillon - Editors A New Career in a New Town - David Bowie Lose Yourself in Me - The Beloved Controversy - Prince Called Out in the Dark - Snow Patrol Get Some - Lykke Li Just Like Heaven - The Cure Sure Shot - Beastie Boys Does anybody else do this, or am I the only one? |