February: a Little Update

Not much has happened this month, apart from turning thirty ahem.  Everything has been ticking along nicely, I’ve met all of my deadlines and everything has been running smoothly.  Lets see how long that lasts.

Reading:  I am slightly behind with this.  Mainly because I started reading a book that was too bad to finish.  I won’t name names but until now, I have never failed to finish a book.  I’m a little annoyed that I wasted money and time on it, actually.  It’s not all bad, the next book I started (Righteous Exposure by A K James) is fantastic. I highly recommend it.

Writing:  No flashes, but  I have been submitting everywhere and I’ve picked up my WIP again.  I’m sure it’s a good thing that my main character won’t leave me alone but it doesn’t seem it at 3am or when I have an assignment deadline looming. 

Open University:  Speaking of assignments, I have a deadline on Friday.  Yes, that’s why I’m blogging.  I’m still loving my studies, I’m still passing my assignments and I’m starting to get really excited about my next module which starts in May. We’ll forget the little overlap for now.  I’m also setting up a volunteer placement in the galleries and museum of a local stately home, which I’m unbelievably excited about.  Think a kid at Christmas and times by ten.

Other Stuff:  I flew back from Dublin last night after an amazing time of dragging the boyfriend around art galleries and museums, eating too much and drinking too much Guiness. Today, I’m feeling a bit fed up in the anti-climax of it all.  The nearing deadline and the fact I’ve come down with one hell of a cold aren’t helping.  Never mind, it’s only nine weeks today until we go to Greece.

Three-Oh

My first birthday!

Tomorrow, I turn thirty.  It sounds so grown up, but it isn’t.  People keep asking me how I feel about it, with tilted heads like it’s a bad thing.  I don’t get it. 

For me, being twenty was much scarier.  I had no idea who I was or what I wanted.  I spent a lot of time making unsuitable choices, trying to fit in and flitting from one thing to another.  Don’t get me wrong, I did some wonderful things – I travelled, lived and worked in London and had a lot of fun – but I always seemed to be trying to be someone else.

Over the last year or so, I’ve finally started to accept who I am.  I’m in a much better place than I was a decade ago. 

I never had a plan of what I wanted to achieve by the time I was thirty, I just always assumed that by now I would have ‘achieved’ something.  I imagined me with the ‘perfect’ husband and family, a ‘dream’ career and an ideal house.  I don’t really have any of these, but what I do have is pretty amazing.  I’m writing, finally getting my degree (better late than never, eh?) and I have the most perfect little boy in the world and a rather great boyfriend.  So, am I depressed about the big 3-0?  Nope.  I’m actually happier than I have been in as long as I remember.

 

Sweet Music

Music, to me, is a powerful thing.  My dad is a huge music lover, so I grew up listening to an array of sixties and seventies music.  As I’ve grown older my tastes are eclectic, to say the least.  I’m just as likely to be listening to Abba as I am Beethoven; Nirvana as I am Imogen Heap and everything in between. It all depends on my mood.

What amazes me about music is how it can conjure up such strong emotions.  Often it has nothing to do with the music itself, but the memories it stirs.  Mercy by Duffy is a great example.  It ranks high on my list of all-time favourite songs, just hearing it can sometimes make me cry as it was number one when my son was born.  I don’t like the song, but I love what it represents.  Similarly, there is a particular song which I used to love but now reminds me of an unpleasant time, so I physically cannot listen to more than the opening bars.

I know many writers can’t write whilst listening to music.  I’m the opposite; if I have peace and quiet, it seems so unnatural I can’t concentrate.  (I suppose that’s what you get from having an extremely loud three year-old.) 
When I’m working on a big piece of writing, I like to make playlists for my main characters, filled with songs that sum up their journey.  I find that listening to them helps me get into the mood of the story; plus, it’s something I can do even when I don’t have time to sit down and write.

In the same way as having visual aids – notes, pictures – to help me focus, music sometimes helps me overcome writers block. 

Do you use music to help your writing?  What influences your musical choices?