I'm a Bust A Move Kind of Writer

I'm one of those people who's wanted to be a writer since I was old enough to understand what it meant. Throughout my childhood, I wrote story after story and shared them with everyone I could. 

And then I stopped.

I mean, I wrote all sorts of dramatic emo journal entries and some pretty terrible, angst-filled poetry throughout my high school years. But stories? No way. 

It's not that I didn't have ideas. Characters, plots, and settings were constantly tumbling about and weaving themselves together in my mind. But nothing seemed big enough. I was convinced that if I was going to write a book, it had to be amazing. It had to be absolutely life-changing for every single person that read it. People would read my book and WEEP. They would share it with their friends. It would be studied in schools and quoted in daily conversation. Hemingway? Steinbeck? Faulkner? Chumps. 

Whatever I wrote had to be a masterpiece, and if I couldn't achieve Nobel Peace Prize Level Greatness, I was wasting my time.

I quit creating stories for years. YEARS. I kept reading, of course, but I gave up on writing completely. Why even try to live up to the kind of pressure I was putting on myself? 

Then one day, it hit me--sometimes, it's enough just to be entertaining.

Think of it this way: 

Does anyone think Young MC was trying to create life-altering art when he was writing Bust a Move?

It's a song about a guy who tries and tries to get a girl and fails because he can't dance. There's no deep,  hidden message there, but come ON. It's Bust A Move. It was a huge hit. Young MC won a Grammy for it and and people still love it, over twenty years after its release. 

Compare that to John Lennon's Imagine.

This song challenged listeners to imagine a world "with nothing to kill or die for." It was a message of peace, asking all of us to look past our differences and come together as one. It's listed as number three on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

One is fun and light, the other is a poetic, political statement. The two songs are different in nearly every way possible, and people loved them both.

There's just as much value in writing an entertaining story that the reader can escape in as there is in writing the Next Great American Novel. Every book should be entertaining and engaging, but not every book is going to make the reader feel all the feels and end world hunger.

That's it. That one, simple realization changed my life, you guys. I gave myself permission to tell whatever kind of story I wanted to tell in whatever way I wanted to tell it, and BETWEEN was born.

Trust me. BETWEEN is of the Bust A Move variety, not Imagine.

Writing is hard enough without putting unreasonable expectations on yourself. Whether or not you're the next J.K. Rowling, your writing still has worth. You'll never know if readers will connect to your world, your characters, or your prose until you finally take the plunge and commit to your story. Don't give yourself excuses to quit--look for reasons to keep going. 

My Love for Singer/Songwriters + GIVEAWAY!

I love music. We all know this. I create playlists for everything in life--I have playlists called Move, Dance, Smile, Cry, Girls Night, Football,...you name it, I've probably created a playlist to cover it.

I'm not a hipster. I like it all. My iTunes library has everything from The Black Eyed Peas to The Black Crowes to Blakroc. I can find something to appreciate in most songs (even that newish Britney- Will.i.am song where she has that ridiculous accent--it's awful, but I can TOTALLY dance to it).

(Also if you happen to know WHY she has that accent for this one specific song, please share. It literally creeps into my mind at the worst times and I simply need to know.)

While I'm not particularly attached to any certain genre, I always always always love singer/songwriters. There's something about knowing that the person performing a song designed every piece of it, you know? From the melody to the lyrics to the instruments involved--the song is exactly how he or she planned it. That song MEANS something to the artist, and it changes the listening experience for me completely. I have so much respect for a person who can find inspiration in something--an idea, an emotion, an event--and turn it into art.

I can do that with words. People who can do it with music fascinate me.

My friend Chris Weiss is a local singer/songwriter and an award-winning guitarist. He plays fingerstyle steel string guitar and sings as well. His music includes sounds of bluegrass, folk, jazz, gospel, classical, and blues. As a musician, Chris has been influenced by everyone from Bill Monroe to Dave Matthews and from Cole Porter to John Scofield. His music has been compared to the likes of Alex Degrassi, Phil Keaggy, Waylon Jennings, and James Taylor. "I take those as great compliments, but you really need to hear it yourself," he says. "My music means different things to different people."

Chris gave me a copy of his album, Reflections, and I've spent the last week listening to it while I outlined my next book (aka, BETWEEN PART DEUX). At this stage in the process, when I need to seriously focus and plan out a story, I like to listen to something laid back and meaningful, with as few lyrics as possible. Instrumental is best, so the lyrics don't distract me from what I'm working on. I typically turn to jazz or classical playlists to get me through this part.

Chris's CD came at the perfect time. The majority of the songs on Reflections are instrumental and it's exactly the type of album I love to plot to--smooth rhythms, great melodies, and filled with emotion.

As a matter of fact, I liked it so much, I'm giving one away! To win, just leave a comment on this post with either 1. your favorite singer/songwriter or 2. your favorite type of music to listen to when you're writing. (And also the answer to that Britney question I had earlier.) Don't forget to include your email address or twitter handle so I can track you down if you win.

I'll use Random.org to pick a winner from the comments. This giveaway will close Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 12:00pm NOON EST.

If you'd like to get to know Chris better, (and you do--in addition to making good music, he makes me laugh all the time, plus he's just a super nice guy), you can follow him on Twitter and check out his Facebook page!

Interview: Kelsey Macke, YA Author

Last week, the lovely Kelsey Macke announced that her amazing book, Damsel Distressed, has been picked up for publication by Spencer Hill Contemporary!

Kelsey Macke has been creative for as long as she can remember. From an early age she was on stage singing, penning poetry, and writing notebooks full of songs. When the idea for her debut novel, DAMSEL DISTRESSED, popped into her head, she was undeterred by the fact that she had no idea how to actually write a novel. Her bff, the internet, was her guide, and after much trial, error, and candy, she finished it, and set out to get it published… a process far more difficult than, the internet (now her mortal enemy), had lead her to believe.

Her whirlwind adventure was made even more unbelievable when she signed with fabulous agent, Jessica Sinsheimer of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and, shortly after, Danielle Ellison of Spencer Hill Contemporary bought her debut.

This innovative, mixed-media art project has given Kelsey an incredibly unique opportunity to join two of her passions: writing and making music with her husband as half of the folky, indie-pop band Wedding Day Rain.

DAMSEL DISTRESSED, and the companion album of original songs, Imogen Unlocked, are scheduled for release in October 2014.

Did you catch that? Her book is being released with a companion album! How amazing is that? I cannot tell you how excited I am about this project. If you're curious about what it might be like, check out her vlog, where you get a tiny taste of her music intertwined with her book.

And now, five questions with Kelsey!

1. Tell me about Damsel Distressed. Where'd you get the inspiration for the story?

Damsel Distressed popped into my head shortly after I read John Green's The Fault In Our Stars. It was after reading THAT book and watching his vlogbrothers videos on youtube that I realized for the first time, that he was not some magical word elf. He was a regular dude, with a family, and an obsession with the internet, and he wrote books. It wasn't long after that that I got the inspiration to write what was basically a Cinderella story from the point of view of the "ugly stepsister". The Cinderella thread was all but forgotten, however, as I began to outline. What WAS emerging, though, was a girl, Imogen, who had a lot of baggage. I heard (and can still hear) Imogen's voice LOUD and clear... which was why the first draft came relatively easily. I wanted to write the story of a person who had problems, but those problems could not be glossed over as in so many books. I didn't want a  main character who was "sad." I wanted a main character who was clinically depressed, medicated, and who had struggled with self harm. I didn't want a main character who was constantly saying, "oh, I'm so plain and un-beautiful, but all the boys like me." I wanted a main character who doesn't match any of societies biggest requirements for stereotypical beauty.

2. How did you come up with the idea of Imogen Unlocked? Did you know you wanted to do the companion album while you were writing the book?

Imogen Unlocked came out of a collaborative brainstorming session with my agent, Jessica Sinsheimer. We were discussing the book, and also discussing my experience as a recording artist (in my younger days) and how much singing/songwriting is a part of my life. She thought there must be someway that we could tap into my own musical interests in connection with the book. It was like a bolt of lightning struck my head when I realized that my band, Wedding Day Rain, would be perfectly suited to create the companion album and that I would be able to enjoy the fruits of both writing, and also experience the joy that I feel when performing/writing/recording with my husband Daron as Wedding Day Rain.

3. What's your favorite band/album? Who are your musical influences?

I know that it's annoying when people can't name a specific band or album that is their favorite, but truly, it would be impossible to choose just one. Music has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and even before that. Through my life, I've listened to all sorts of music, from growing up on southern gospel quartet music, to my obsession with New Kids on the Block in elementary school, to emulating Mariah and Whitney with my hairbrush for hours on end, to my punk rock phase in junior high school when I wore baggy pants and saved my money to buy Green Day albums that were YEARS older than "Dookie". When I was in high school I was in a sequined-vest wearing, jazz hand waggling show choir, and I fell in love with broadway musicals, and in college, I became nostalgic for 80s hair metal and subdued alternative rock music like Augustana and the Fray. Now I listen to just about everything. In my car, I almost exclusively listen to 90s on 9 for my throwback jams, but at home, I listen to bands like Tegan and Sara, the Civil Wars, Bon Iver, The Temper Trap, Death Cab for Cutie, MGMT, Phoenix, Imagine Dragons, Of Monsters and Men, Metric, and M83... I really could go on for hours. It's best we stop here. 

The point is that art inspires art. 

Every word I've ever read, every painting I've ever contemplated, every song I've ever sung along to has inspired every single piece of art that I, myself have put into being. I think that's one of the most beautiful things about art, really. We NEED art to MAKE art. I NEED art to MAKE art. Art isn't made in a vacuum. 

4. Do you listen to music when you write? If so, what'd you listen to while writing Damsel Distressed? 

I am weird. 

I can't listen to music with lyrics... or truly, music with structure of any kind while I am actually putting new words on the page. I can't turn off the lyrics. I can't stop thinking about what the music is saying and free myself up to say what I AM saying. Even so, I could have music on prior to writing, or while editing/revising, and I had a playlist for DD that always put me in the perfect state of mind for working on Imogen's story. 

Playlist: DAMSEL DISTRESSED

5. Do you think of yourself more as a writer or as a musician, or is it possible to separate the two?

I think it's hard to separate the two, but certainly not impossible. I've been singing/writing songs for way, WAAAYYYYY longer than I've been writing. I've been singing my whole life and only really began writing fiction in 2012. That said, I think that writing is just another form of creative expression and for me, all creative expression is precious and useful and important. I see these experiences as a way for me to connect with a totally new side of my creativity. In truth, I don't really think of myself as a writer... unless I'm actually writing. Like, right now, I'm far more of an tumblr-wench than a writer, and when I'm teaching, I'm certainly more of a teacher than a writer. Being a writer is "in" me, but it's not all that I am, not at any given moment anyway. 

I think that everyone has creativity in them, and it just takes a bit of trial and error to see what the best ways are for them to get that creativity expressed! I'm lousy with clay and paint, but I draw a MEAN DOODLE, and I think that counts for something. I hope that everyone who already identifies as a writer or a poet, or whatever, would give songwriting a try, or slam poetry, or playwriting, because I feel that creative expression only makes you a more well rounded artist and human being. 



Thanks for taking the time to do the interview, Kels! Don't you guys LOVE HER?! Now's probably the perfect time to add Damsel Distressed to your Goodreads shelves, right? Right.

The Write Frame of Mind

I know a lot of writers really love the revision process.

In general, I'm not one of them. I love drafting (and I do it SLOWLY), and revisions are typically on a shorter deadline and I stress and I procrastinate and I write and I rewrite and I CRY.

(I do not actually cry.)

(I mean, not usually.)

I generally get to a point where I become a little insane and incapable of normal social interaction, especially when someone asks, "Are you finished with your revisions yet?"

Luckily, I know about this delightful personality trait of mine, and try to do what I can to make myself a pleasant person to live with while I'm revising. When I started my first round of post-book deal revisions on Between, I created a playlist to help me get into the right frame of mind for revising (or the WRITE FRAME HAHAHA WORDS ARE FUN)--just a mix of happy, upbeat songs that didn't really have anything to do with my book. I'd listened to my Between playlist roughly 435928405 times by the time I actually signed my contract with Spencer Hill Press, so I was a wee bit tired of it. I wanted a playlist I looked forward to listening to every day, that would play in the background and keep me happy.

As I dive into the second round of revisions this week, I decided to create yet another playlist and I'm pretty sure I've outdone myself with this one.

IT IS A THING OF BEAUTY.

Based on my research, you cannot be stressed and/or sit still while you listen to these songs. It is scientifically designed to make you happy. It's magical. And even if you're not writing or revising or doing anything you find stressful, it's a great mix to celebrate the end of dumb, gray winter and the beginning of bright,warm spring!



Hope you enjoy it! Do you have any favorite feel-good songs? We all know I could've made an entire mix of my favorite 90s rap songs and been just as delighted by that, right? Stay tuned for Monday--I've got an interview with the lovely Kelsey Macke about her amazing project, Damsel Distressed, a YA novel that includes it's own soundtrack, Imogen Unlocked!