Inspiration Shows

 

So I took a 2 week break from writing... which isn't a good thing. I had to reread what I had already written to make sure I was being consistent once I started back up again. That being said, I was able to read a couple of books that have been on my to-read shelf for awhile now. It got me thinking how cool it is to glean inspiration from other authors. Last night, I wrote quite a bit, and part of my writing I tried to do something JRR Tolkien loved to do in his writing: creating songs. Brian Jacques, author of the Redwall series, also had a passion for this kind of addition to his novel writing. I got to a point in my story that begged me to follow suit.

I'm 36,000 words in to The Shadow Wielder, and a few of my characters have found themselves upon a ship on the water called "Ol' Slugger." This, of course, called for a sailors song. So here it is, in all of it's glory (the accent has been included in memory of Jacques brilliance):

I ‘ear yer ‘ave a bonnie lass
An’ tha’ yer like ter hug ‘er.
Bu’ I ‘ave one o’ higher class
I love me dear Ol’ Slugger!

Yer lass’ll ‘ave yer watch yer tongue
Bad language’ll nought bu’ bug ‘er.
Bu’ upon this ship yer mouth ‘as no bung
Speak freely while on Ol’ Slugger!

The longer yer spend with yer bonnie lass
The more yer’ll wan’ ter slug ‘er.
Instead o’ fightin’, unfurl the mast
Relaxin’ with good Ol’ Slugger!

An’ when yer lass forever sleeps
Inside the grave yer dug ‘er,
Follow the trail o' tears tha’ yer weeps
Back to me true-blue Ol’ Slugger.

Finding the balance between reading and writing is still an ongoing battle for me. I really try to read in the mornings, and write in the evenings, but sometimes I get too invested in one of those tasks. This is likely something every author deals with, and I'm sure each one has their own way of dealing with it. With Brandon Sanderson's 5th Mistborn book coming out in a few months, I was wanting to go back and reread the series. Hopefully I'll be able to get to it!

Lastly, I wanted to mention a few things about musical inspiration. Movie soundtracks are what do it for me. They help me stay in the zone and help with the overall moods involved in my writing. This past week or so, my son has gotten obsessed with Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Can I just say, the song Pure Imagination is simply awesome! One of my favorite things about writing fiction,  particularly Fantasy, is that it literally is a world my creation. Endless possibilities! As much as I have structured The Shadow Wielder, there are scenes that end up surprising me. Characters appear that were not originally planned for. I can't describe how fun such experiences are! So, in conclusion, here are the lyrics to Pure Imagination. Maybe they'll inspire you, too!

Come with me
And you'll be
In a world of
Pure imagination
Take a look
And you'll see
Into your imagination

We'll begin
With a spin
Traveling in
The world of my creation
What we'll see
Will defy
Explanation

If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanna change the world?
There's nothing
To it

There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly wish to be

If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Wanna change the world?
There's nothing
To it

There is no
Life I know
To compare with
Pure imagination
Living there
You'll be free
If you truly
Wish to be