Hullo, everyone! This week's Random Friday is a freebie; I pick the topic. As you can see, I chose songs that inspire me. But when I say inspiring, I don't mean the encouraging-make-a-bad-day-good kind of songs (though some of these are that kind of songs, at least for me). I mean the kind of songs that give me an idea for a story, a character, or a scene . . . and believe me, there are a lot of those. (As in, if I had a dime for every time a song affected a character or story, I'd probably have a few thousand dollars.)These are a few of my favorites.
1. "The Invitation" and "Welcome to the Masquerade" by Thousand Foot Krutch
Ok, I've already written a short story based on this. If you're on the Underground, you may have read it. If you haven't, know it involves a mysterious masked bardess (female bard; a position I made up for my novels), a plot to kill a king, creepy so-called Seers, and- of course- a masked ball. I had a lot of fun writing it and hope to write a sequel sometime, maybe this summer.
2. "Sing Me a Love Song"- BarlowGirl
I'm not sure if this would be original fiction or a Goldstone Wood fanfic. The idea plays a large part in one of my favorite daydreams, but those are half fanfic anyway. I do know the basic premise of the idea, though: She's lost; broken; an outcast. She's given away so much of herself that she can't remember who she is. But one thing reminds her. And no matter how hard she tries, no matter how much she sometimes wants to forget, she always comes back. Always returns to the song.
3. "Dementia"- Owl City
You'll never guess what this one gives me an idea for: the scene in a Cinderella remake I'm hoping to write when the prince sees Cinderella at the ball. I can't give away too much, but I can say this isn't the first time he's met her . . . he just doesn't remember the others. And once she shows up, strange things start happening . . . but none as strange as her mysterious warning for him.
4. "Hero"- Skillet
I tried to write a novel based on this song. It was supposed to be a dystopian-superhero story: my main character, Anya, was the youngest child in a family of very rich, influential supers, and she was the only one without powers. That, however, played into the story very little; the main plot was how the government was outlawing Christianity and Anya had to find the courage to speak against the change. Looking back, I wish I'd waited on it, but oh well. Maybe I'll try it again someday.
5. "No Plan B"- Manafest
Does anyone remember the Silver Bullets from my short story, "The First Mission"? Well, that story wasn't the first I'd written about the Silver Bullet group, or about Mikayla and her father. "No Plan B" was a spur-of-the-moment story written after listening to this song a few too many times. It was a fairly simple plot: a team of Silver Bullet agents was sent into a Brotherhood compound to rescue several people. But these people weren't ordinary prisoners . . . and not everyone in the group had the same agenda. Interestingly, were I to write enough Silver Bullet stories to put them all in a book, "No Plan B" would be the final story. If you've read my Underground writing thread, you know why. If you haven't . . . Well, you'll just have to wonder for now.
6. "Not Gonna Die"- Skillet
Would you believe that I haven't even finished book four of the Berstru Tales series and I'm already getting ideas for book five or six? Whether or not I actually use those ideas depends on a lot of things, but this song is pretty much the theme song for two of the major subplots (or possibly main plots) of whichever book it ends up being. Each subplot- one of which is Emma's, the other of which is Jared's- is mainly inspired by one of the first two verses.
7. "Stronger Than You Think"- Fireflight
"I know your intentions. I've seen the way you work. . . . I used to chase you. But now I hate you. I'm safe inside the light, so go on, do your worst." That sounds like the challenge of a hero to me- a hero who's been down a dark path, perhaps even served the villain at one point, but has since been lifted out of that darkness and found the villain for an epic showdown- inspired, of course, by this song.
8. "Shivna"- Riverdance
While the other songs in this post inspire primarily through lyrics, this song inspires more through the rhythm and the feeling it gives me. There are at least two scenes in Danger in the Tower (my Rapunzel/12 Dancing Princesses) remake inspired by this song. It's also my idea of what the music of the Feyling, particularly the dark Feyling, would sound like . . . and a very potent song indeed is that played by the Feyling.
Do you find inspiration in songs? If so, what are some songs that have inspired you? Please tell me in the comments!Thanks for reading! Calo anor na ven!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)
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Time can be a very slippery thing. You sit down one minute to do a bit of knitting and listen to some of a good book
or to enjoy yourself online and the next thing you know, it's two hours
later and you've forgotten to do something important. Like schoolwork.
Or writing. Funny how that works.
At least
if you lose track of time while you're knitting, you're doing something
useful. In the past two weeks, I made a new pair of wristers and most of
a cute headband that my mom found a pattern for. I would've finished
the headband yesterday, but the book I was listening to, Howl's Moving Castle,
ended much too soon. You'd think that by this time, I'd be used to it,
that the ending wouldn't make me wish so hard that there was more or
that the characters were real and I could visit them because I'm not
ready to say goodbye. But I'm not, which is why I spent most of today
reading the two sequels to Howl's Moving Castle and wishing
very much that Howl and Sophie played a bigger part in the other books.
I'm strongly tempted to start listening to the book all over again,
unless I find something else to listen to that catches my attention
more.
In other news, I wrote myself into a corner and can't
seem to find my way out of it. Unless Inspiration shows up and rescues
me, or at least gives me a secret passage out of the corner, I'll
probably scrap the story and start over with something new. Or maybe
I'll just work on my WIPs from last year's Camp NaNoWriMo and NaNoWriMo.
That would work too. I just want to write something that's not this
particular story and where I have a better idea what I'm doing.
Ok, this blog post is turning into a lot of moping. Time for happier stuff.
Cress comes out in three day! Three days! I'll have to wait until it comes in at the library before I can read it, but all the same- three days!
A Draw of Kings also comes out in three days.
I still need to read Allegiant
but I'm kind of scared to. I want to know what's going to happen, but
at the same time, I have a feeling it's going to be something
heartbreaking. And it's easier to just listen to Howl's Moving Castle,
which isn't very sad at all. Actually, it's quite funny and I defy
anyone to read or listen to it and not be in a good mood by the time
they're done.
Owl City music can be sad,
like 'Lonely Lullaby' (which I'm listening to now), but I love it
anyway. Though I generally prefer the happy songs, like 'Hot Air
Balloon'.
There's a short story contest
on at my library. I need to pick something to enter. For once, I have
plenty of options! (Thank you, TPS Summer Creative Writing class!)
I
love playing Ticket to Ride, but if you and your friends are playing it
while your parents are having Bible Study, you really need to start it
before snack time. Otherwise, you end up having to stop halfway through
so that people can go home and go to bed.
I love this song:
Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading!
-Sarah (Leilani Sunblade)
First of all, check out Emma's lovely new Random Fridays banner. Isn't it gorgeous?
Now for this week's topic: song lyrics from a favorite artist. I have a lot of favorite singers/bands, mostly because my tastes tend to change somewhat with my mood, but right now I'm pretty crazy about Owl City. Obviously, I can't post all my favorite lyrics, but I'll do my best to give a good selection. (By the way, please let me know if you can read the text on the images.)
With a starry brush, paint the dusk venetian blue,
Because in the evening hush, you'll never believe the view. And when the leaves return, and their whisperings fill the night They'll freeze and burn where fire and ice collide.
Hello! This is a short story I wrote for the same assignment as "Worth It". Though I decided to submit "Worth It" instead of this story, I still liked this story. It was inspired by the Owl City song "Alligator Sky", which happens to be one of my favorite Owl City songs. I'll post the song at the end of the story, in case anyone wants to listen to it.
---------
Called
The
stars fell in a silver rain, leaving sparkling trails that quickly faded from
the night sky. Brooke sighed happily as she lay on a picnic blanket in her
backyard, watching the meteor shower. All
around her, peaceful silence reigned, undisturbed by the rustle of a breeze or
the rumble of a car engine.
“Perfect
ending to an amazing day, huh?” Alex asked as the last of the meteors faded
away.
Brooke
glanced at her best friend and grinned. “Definitely. Though . . .” She looked
back up at the sky. “Maybe I’m crazy, but I feel like something even more
special’s going to happen before tomorrow gets here.”
Alex
peered at his watch. “Well, if it’s going to happen, it better happen soon.
We’ve only got about fifteen minutes left in the day.” He paused. “We didn’t
forget to do something today, did we?”
Brooke
shook her head. “Nope. It was the best sixteenth birthday I could want,
especially since you came over.”
Alex
grinned. “Good.” He reached for the soda can sitting by the blanket and frowned
when he picked it up. “Empty. I’m going to go get another drink. You want
anything, Brooke?”
Brooke
nodded. “If you can find any more cream sodas, I’d like one of those. If not,
just my water bottle from the fridge, please.”
“I’m
on it.” Alex stood and walked over towards the house. He pulled open the door
and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.
Once
he was gone, Brooke turned her gaze back up to the star-filled sky. A bit of
movement caught the corner of her eye, and she looked to see one last shooting
star arcing across the sky. This one appeared bigger and lower than the others,
and it almost seemed to be coming towards her. Then it faded from sight, just
as the others had.
Suddenly,
there came a noise from behind her that was both musical and mechanical at
once, followed by the sound of something heavy settling onto the ground. Brooke
sat up and turned to see what had made the sound. She gasped.At the edge of the yard, a large, torpedo-shaped
capsule had appeared. Its surface looked as smooth and polished as silver, and
seemed to glow with the same light as the stars. There was a single
porthole-style window set into it at about head height, but all she could see
through it was a warm, comfortable golden glow.
She
stood and approached the thing curiously, but cautiously. When she was less
than a foot away and nothing jumped out at her, she reached out a hand to feel
its surface. Just before her fingers touched it, however, a line appeared in
its side and extended to trace out the shape of a door. Brooke stepped back as
the door swung open and revealed a golden-haired man standing in the doorway.
The
man looked her over and smiled. “Hello, Brooke. I’ve been waiting for you.”
Brooke’s
eyes widened. “You have?” She felt as if she should be frightened, but she
wasn’t. Just curious and cautious. “Why?”
The
man’s eyes sparkled. They were honest, ancient eyes, though the man himself
looked quite young, and gave Brooke the feeling that this man could not lie at
all, even if he wanted to. “Because I have chosen to Call you, but you have not
been ready until tonight.” He held out a hand. “Will you answer?”
Brooke
hesitated, looking from the man’s face to his outstretched hand. “Calling me
for what?”
“To
come with me, of course.” The man seemed genuinely surprised by the question.
“To travel with me in my ship. There are hundreds of adventures to be had,
Brooke, hundreds of wrongs to be righted, and I can’t do it alone.”
Is this it? Is this the special something I
thought would happen? Brooke felt it had to be, but she didn’t say yes.
“But who are you?”
“I
am a Guardian,” he replied, simply, “a protector of Good and a wanderer of the
worlds. Surely your mother has told you something of my kind; she knew us well
enough at one time.”
A Guardian. Brooke remembered her mother
mentioning them once or twice, though never in any great detail. All she’d ever
said when Brooke asked for more information was that “saying yes to one will
break your heart eventually, but it’ll be worth it. It’s always worth it. And
if you say yes and break your heart, it’ll be healed again before long.”
Brooke
had never known her mother to steer her wrong. Still, she didn’t say yes. “What
about my parents? What about Alex?” What
about everything here?
“Your
parents will understand,” the Guardian replied. “I have spoken with them, asked
their permission to Call you, and they gave it. As for your friend, you will
have to say goodbye to him for now, but if all goes well, you will see him
again.” He paused. “Brooke, understand this. If you come with me, I cannot
promise you that you will not face danger and hardship. Just the opposite, in
fact; I am certain you will. But I can promise you that I will do my very best
to protect you through it all, and that whatever happens, it will not be
without a reason.”
Brooke
bit her lip. Is it worth it? She
didn’t want to leave Alex. She didn’t want to leave her safe, comfortable home.
But at the same time, she wanted to say yes to the Guardian. She wanted to go
with him, have adventures, find out how her mother knew about the Guardians and
why she said that saying yes to one would always be worth it. What do people say? Nothing good is easy?
And I guess you can’t really have adventures without facing danger too.
Only Alex remained to hold her back now. “Couldn’t Alex come too?”
The
Guardian shook his head. “No. Not yet, at least. Perhaps one day he will be
ready to be Called, but not today.” He looked steadily into her eyes. “You are
ready, Brooke, and I have Called you. Will you answer?”
Brooke
took a deep breath. She looked back at her house, back to Alex and her family
and all she’d ever known. Then she looked at the Guardian and his ship, into
his kind, honest, ancient eyes. She looked back at the house once more. Then
she made her choice and took a step.
~~~~~~~
It
took Alex longer than he’d hoped, but he’d finally managed to find a cream soda
for Brooke. Carrying her soda and a Coke for himself, he pushed the back door
open and started to step out into the backyard, but stopped short. In the far
corner of the yard, he could see Brooke being helped into a silver torpedo-like
thing by a strange, golden-haired man. He dashed out, dropping the sodas in his
panic. “Brooke, no!”
He
was too late. She glanced back for a minute from the doorway and gave him a
smile and a wave before stepping all the way inside. Then the strange man
nodded to Alex, walked in after her, and shut the door behind them both. There
was a hint of a rumble and a musical sound, and the silvery glow around the
craft intensified near the ground. The thing began to lift into the sky,
leaving a trail of light like stardust and moonshine. Alex could do nothing but
watch as it rose above the trees and up into the sky until finally it looked
like nothing more than another shooting star.
Only
when it was lost to view did Alex lower his head and notice a faintly glowing
sheet of paper on the ground. He walked over and picked it up, and for a
moment, he thought he heard Brooke’s laugh; saw her eager face staring out an
immense window at the stars. Then laugh and image both faded and all he saw was
the letter, written in Brooke’s familiar, curly handwriting.
Dear Alex,
I’m sorry I
couldn’t stay. I’ve been Called. I could’ve said no, but I think I would’ve
regretted it if I had. I’ll miss you so much, and I hope that you’ll be Called
too so we can have adventures together. If you aren’t, I’ll see when I get
back. Until then, keep me in your heart and I’ll keep you in mine. Your best
friend,
Brooke
Alex
stared at the letter for a moment, despair slowly crushing the faint hope that
had risen in his heart. Then the paper began to slowly disappear from his hand.
He watched sadly as it faded away until it was all gone, just like Brooke.
First of all, I won Camp NaNoWriMo on Tuesday, April 23rd, with a wordcount of 50,127 words! As a reward, I bought myself the Owl City album All Things Bright and Beautiful from iTunes, which I've listened to at least once a day every day since then. (In case you couldn't guess, I really like Owl City.) Please don't get my winning Camp NaNo confused with my having finished my Camp NaNo novel, though. I still have a long way to go before that will happen.
I've also been finishing up a lot of school subjects. I took my last science test yesterday, and my last history test today. (Huzzah!) I'm nearly done with literature as well; I only have the final left.
Of course, since school is winding down, that means that it's time to start thinking about summer plans! I'm going to take a writing class this summer, which I'm quite excited about. I'm also hoping to do the second Camp NaNoWriMo session in July if I have time, though I'm not sure if I will, since the writing class runs through July, and I'm also helping a friend with a project during that month. Other than that, however, I'm hoping for a fairly quiet summer with plenty of reading, writing, and knitting.(We'll see how well that works out.)
What about the rest of you? If you're doing Camp NaNoWriMo, how are your wordcounts? Do you have any summer plans you want to share?
