The Eve of NaNoWriMo!

Well guys, the time has finally come! NaNoWriMo officially begins tonight at 12:00am. AHHH! Thus, commences 30 days of hardship, sobriety, and creativity. I feel like I'm about to enter the arena in the "Hunger Games" even though I have never been more mentally prepared for a NaNoWriMo before than I am this year. Cinna, give me a Mockingjay pin for protection please. Katniss don't need yo help, Lenny! As you can leave, I've already lost my mind... more on that in a few weeks...

In order to prepare for this NaNoWriMo this year, I have gone through everything I have ever written about my novel and re-read it. I have started new outlines. I charted out the plots with more detail than ever before. I actually know the ending to each book and the ending to the series. I know where each character starts and where each character ends. And folks, you better prepare yourself for one crazy ride.

One of the greatest influences on my novel is "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin. If you haven't read it or don't know what it is than I don't know what you are doing here or if we can be friends. If I said, "Winter is Coming" or "A Lannister Always Pays His Debts," you better damn well know what I am talking about!

While reading Book 3, A Storm of Swords, I threw my book across the room and screamed when I came across a certain scene I will just call the "RW." Damn you, George R.R. Martin!!! Seven hells!

George creates a vast world called Westeros and inhabits it with a multitude of interesting and complex characters! Everyone has both good and bad qualities and no character easily falls into any cliches or boring normalities. The novels are written from the POVs of the main characters. My novel (which is tentatively titled "Buoyancy" at the moment) follows this same procedure. I tell the story from the perspectives of 8 very different characters in one very unique city called Annonay. Through the forced 3rd person limited perspectives of each character, so much creative storytelling has been opened up to me.

Jon Snow: You know nothing

Daenerys Targaryen: Mother of Dragons

Jaime Lannister: A handful

But, enough babbling, I will share more and more with you about my characters and my world as the month continues on... Check out my page on NaNoWriMo.

Now, I must decide if I am going out for one last hurrah on Halloween, or if I really am just going to buckle up and start this bitch... My knuckles are cracked. My fall "cold" is in full swing! My eyeglasses are scratched!

Lessss'go! 11 hours remain!

-ben josé

What I Listen To When I Write

I'm a little odd when it comes to my writing process. Basically, it not very consistent and changes everyday dependent on my mood and how "inspired" I am feeling by my novel. Sometimes I need total quiet and sometimes a funky, fresh beat is just what gets me going. I usually open up my Pandora while writing. Frequent channels of mine include: AIR, Au Revoir Simone, Moby, Arcade Fire, Broken Bells, etc. So, all of the electro-pop/rock you can get! I guess my novel is coming from a place of synthesizers and theremins (P.S. Theremins are about the coolest instruments ever!). Does that make you more or less excited to read my stuff?

AIR - Amour, Imagination, Rêve

Au Revoir Simone - a powerful feminine troika of electro pop!

My second choice of music to listen to is the soundtracks of my favorite TV shows, movies, and video games. I am constantly on the channels for "Harry Potter," "Lord of the Rings," "Zelda", and more. Two of my favorite TV shows, "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica", have the most amazing soundtracks I have ever had the pleasure of listening too. Michael Giacchino (of "Lost") and Bear McCreary (of "Battlestar Galactica") are musical geniuses! Listen to all of their stuff, please! Honorable mention for: John Williams (no explanation needed) and Ramin Djawadi ("Game of Thrones").

Fav. song: "Passacaglia"

Fav. Song: "Life and Death"

Fav. Song: "Song of Storms"

However, Pandora feels the need to play ads in the middle of my writing jams and that can severely affect me and my continuation of writing. So, be wary of using Pandora. My alternatives include iTunes, YouTube, ya know... Check out Pogo on YouTube. You won't regret it!

One band I haven't mentioned yet but that continually inspires me is the band, Portishead. The song, "The Rip," by Portishead, was actually the song that inspired me to write my novel. As soon as I heard the haunting lyrics and saw the accompanying music video, my imagination took over and the initial images and characters of my novel came falling into my head. It was quite beautiful. Of course, the world of my novel is now so much more expanded and large, but that song stays with me every step of the way.

So, as November approaches (4 more days, y'all!), I am putting the final touches on my notes and outlines, preparing my body for 30 days of sobriety, and queuing up all my great playlists. The NaNoWriMo journey is about to begin...

- ben josé