Thursday’s Children April 11, 2013

Inspired by “The Piano”

A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us!

About 10K into my current WIP, I needed to find a piece of music. Something that my MC could dance to, that would give her ALL THE FEELS. And something that would give me ALL THE FEELS too, so I could write about her. It needed to be timeless, instrumental.

The song that came to mind is The Heart Asks Pleasure First by Michael Nyman, from “The Piano”. I hadn’t actually thought of either the song or the movie for years, though I adored the film when it came out in 1993. It has all the elements I crave in a movie, or a book for that matter – passion, tragedy, obsession, suspense, beautiful scenery, and a strong female lead. And by strong, I mean someone with a will of steel and an indomitable spirit. perhaps hidden behind a quiet demeanor. Maybe a survivor. Someone who will risk everything for love.

Want to hear something strange? I’d already written my MC as a selective mute when I went looking for a song. I’d forgotten Ada (the MC in “The Piano”) was a selective mute until I watched the video. You can see she wears a small pad on a ribbon around her neck, and her daughter uses sign language. Orla, my MC, uses her cell phone a lot.

If you’ve never seen the movie, I highly recommend it. Here’s the song…

Has a particular film influenced your writing, subconsciously or otherwise?

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Thursday’s Children March 7, 2013

Inspired by Trees…

A weekly blog hop where writers come together to talk about whatever inspires them. Join us!

There’s no question that I was a tree-worshiping pagan in a former life. Willows, oaks and birches are my favorites. Throughout my life, individual trees have held special significance for me.

First there was the mighty pine tree which supported my childhood tree-house — a double-trunked monster with its bristled head in the clouds and its scaly dragon claws dug into the ground. Its sticky golden blood was virtually impossible to remove from human skin, and somehow I always got some on me. Dirt and pine needles adhered to my skin with the power of super-glue.

Then there was the decayed weeping willow tree in the Boston Public Garden, whose hollow trunk provided privacy and shelter during a super-steamy kiss one drizzly autumn evening. Fond memories of that willow inspired us to get married under a different willow tree two Halloweens later.

Boston Public Garden flickr.com

During a trying time in my life I made a weekly pilgrimage to a particular oak tree. It lived in a nature reserve on the New Hampshire seacoast. Its gnarled branches and twisted trunk had endured the harsh elements for well over a century. I’d lay my hands on it and close my eyes and try to absorb stillness and strength. That actually works, you should try it sometime. Okay, secret’s out, I’m a tree-worhiping pagan in this life too. Sssshhhh...

One day a few years later, I was working in the yard. A young woman stopped her car and got out. She asked if she could come see our willow tree. The willow was a stately specimen and completely dominated our side yard. As it turned out, her father had planted the tree to mark her birth. She didn’t care to see the house where she’d lived as a child, but she really wanted to visit “her” tree because it was an important part of her story.

Sometimes inspiration can be found literally, in my own front yard.

The slender birch on the left leans against the sturdier one. The larger tree’s dark branch embraces the paler one’s trunk and the embrace itself has actually wounded them both. The scar tissue binds them closer still. (Why yes, I AM mad for metaphors). Their branches mingle as they reach for the sky. Their roots are tangled, like lovers’ legs, under the blanket of snow and earth.

I love this tree couple. They provided inspiration for my first book, in which spirits from the 17th century try to fulfill their thwarted passions through my modern day main characters. Two trees that begin as individuals have hidden interwoven roots. Eventually they meet and become irreversibly joined. They will grow, and eventually die, together.

Do you like trees? Any particular kind? Is there a tree which holds special significance for you?

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Thursday’s Children 1/31/13

A weekly blog hop where writers come together to talk about whatever inspires them. Join us!

Inspired by Valentine’s Day…Not

The MC in one of my books has this to say about it, “Valentine’s Day. Ugh. Corny. Mushy. Scripted.” Yes, she’s a jagged little pill, but I have to agree with her on at least one point. “Scripted”. This is the part that irks me most about Valentine’s Day.

Also that it’s an excuse for some really bad poetry…

Starting in January, you can’t escape the admonitions to tell your loved ones that you love them.  Even the very young are not exempt. A typical kindergartener spends a week embellishing an empty Kleenex box to function as a card receptacle. Then another hour or so deciding whether she likes Madison enough to give her the Sleeping Beauty card, or whether she should get the somehow less desirable Snow White card. There will also be arguing about why she has to give James a card at all, since just yesterday he called her a nasty name on the playground. The answer to that last one is “Yes, you have to give him one too.” Because it’s Valentine’s Day- the day we tell people we love them, whether we feel like it or not. And even if we do feel like telling a special someone “I love you” on February 14, chances are it will come across as obligatory, rather than genuine.

Don’t get me wrong.

Love inspires me more than anything.

I’m in love with it.

Every book I’ve written is a love story.

I see no reason to stop writing about love.

But love doesn’t arrive on cue, with chocolates and flowers in hand.

Love is messy, raw, scary, funny, euphoric, inconvenient…and a thousand other things. Love is the most powerful force in the world. Celebrating it requires more than one day, one card, one dozen red roses.

So, how do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Do you enjoy writing about love?

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