Monday Musings is a weekly event hosted by Jen Hayley, Shana Silver, and Chandler Craig that highlights some aspect of the writing life. Short on blog topics? Everyone is welcome to participate. All we ask is that you link to one of our posts and leave your link in the comments. We’ll provide the following week’s topic at the end of each Monday’s post.
Today’s Topic: Where do you go for inspiration?
So, I think there are a couple kinds of inspiration. One is the type that sparks ideas. The other is the type that influences your work by teaching. I’m going to focus on the second because that’s the one I’m most active about. See, when I am looking for inspiration, I’m typically looking for examples of work that I think does X well. For instance, when it comes to voice, I think Ally Carter does an amazing job at first person narrative. Her voice is young without being condescending ever. Every single sentence is perfectly on point of the narrator and yet she doesn’t skimp on description–which at least for me can be really tough to do both at once! I love the different formats she comes up with and every time I’m looking for ways to keep voice fresh I re-read her books. Seriously, my copy of the first Gallagher Girls book has been torn to shreds (okay, three pieces and a cover, but still).
Dialogue – Veronica Mars! So it’s not a book, but I don’t think that’s cheating. Writing is writing and the creators of Veronica Mars do an excellent job at witty dialogue without a lot of extraneous junk to take away the punch. Plus it’s really snarky, which caaaaaan be overdone, but I think they hit it just right.
Action – Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton! What I love is how cinematic her fight scenes are. She keeps movements big, distinct, and the running plays suspenseful. Even more amazing is, despite a zillion of them, each fight is different. Oh! And her characters tend to have their own moves and their own style of fighting. I love that. Very mortal combat.
Voice Part II – Savvy by Ingrid Law! A reminder that not all young narrators have to be snarky. This voice cracks me up. It’s sweet and oh-so-innocent and she Law never ever uses words that her middle grade narrators don’t use, which is pretty impressive when you look at how beautiful her writing is. Also, she makes up words and you totally know what they mean and then want to use them in real life only to realize that nobody knows what the hell you’re talking about. (Like you can’t just go telling people you need to get the Torts section of the bar exam “scumbled” and then you’ll be pretty well set. See…that’s not a word.)
Worldbuilding – Gotta go Harry Potter! (*ahem* Happy Harry Potter week to you) So, the odds of me ever approaching Rowling’s level are zilch, but I love how playful, confident, and thorough her worldbuilding is. It’s an art. Seriously. Can I be her? No? Okay…
Romance – I can’t neglect Twilight on this one because Meyers taps into what teen girls’ often want and it’s important to bear that in mind. If literature is meant to be escapist (not always but a lot of times) then, hey, give the people what they want. It’s romance, after all! But other than that…Anna and the French Kiss. Duh. And for the sweetest relationship ever…Before I Fall.
So what about y’all? Any ideas for characterization? Description? Where do you turn?
And tune in next week where our Monday Musings topic will be GHOSTS OF REVISIONS PAST
Oooh, good thoughts on Action and World Building. Yes, HP is the master! For “atmosphere” dare I suggest Twilight?