YA Author Club: Toni's Journey

 “Got something to live for, I know I won’t surrender.” –Bulletproof, Black Veil Brides

I know I usually end with a quote—and I still will—this just felt right. 

This blog post will be about the importance of music while writing and for writing. 

I never really just listen to music.  I learn from it, in a way.  I hear a song and either love it for what it is or love it because my characters do, or love it because I know it will help me during a scene.

“All the greats are the ones remembered.” New Year's Day, Black Veil Brides.  I know I am taking that line out of context from the song, because BVB was not talking about writers.  But how true is that line? The greats are remembered and their works with stand time.  In this song they also say “Legends never die.”  Which is true.  Stoker, Frank, Shelley, etc., and some modern day writers are going to be the greats, and even when their physical bodies pass their works will remain.  But what makes them great, I mean besides withstanding time and having great stories?  I can’t say for everyone, but some writers listen to music while writing and some even say which songs they listened to while writing, and what songs helped inspire them. 

I do.  I am in no way calling myself a great, but I can tell you this music has shaped my writing:

(I wrote this in 2009 about writing and posted it as a note on FB, I will expand on it after)

Music plays such an important role in everyone's everyday life. Without music in life, in each day, life would be boring. Seriously, think about it. In a grocery store, or in any other store for that matter, without music, it would be an eerie quiet. More than just in places of shopping think about movies.

In any movie especially thrillers music plays a larger and bigger role than even the most famous actor.  For example, look at the movie Disturbia. Even if someone has watched this movie four or more times the thriller, the intense scenes still will get to that person. The music begins with a steady drum like a heartbeat, that soon signals the bass to come in and play a few cords, which then signals the guitar to come in and screech out some high suspenseful notes, and so on. Try to watch a thriller movie muted, or any movie for that matter, it will not be as intense. The reason it will not be as intense, is the music is key to get the heart beating faster.

I am writing books and once I got my iTunes account up and running and got my songs (many thanks to my cousin for helping me with my account) I made playlists for all of my books. Each song has a key element in the books becoming movies.   Listening to Version 1 playlist while typing Version 3 helps, because I know what should not go into the book, as well as listening to Version 3 playlist while typing Version 3, because it helps me to know what needs to be in the book.

It is truly amazing how one song, or one word, or one line, or one sentence, or one verse in any song can say all that is need to be said. It is amazing that either a whole song or a little piece of a song can sum up all of anyone's emotions, and it is amazing how music can help someone heal (emotionally, mentally, physically).

I did edit the above a little just now, but it still applies today.

My taste in music has changed a lot from 2008-2009 era until now.  Back then I would only listen to Lifehouse, Switchfoot, Natasha Bedingfield (still love them, still listen).  Now I still listen to them but I also added, Evanescence, Black Veil Brides, Automatic Loveletter, Juliet Simms, Imagine Dragons, We are the Fallen, Ben Moody, David Hodges, and of course others but those most often.  Now, yes some of these bands weren’t around back then, but if they were I don’t think I would have listened to them, because I didn’t understand the full importance of music while writing, until BVB and Evanescence. 

Here is a funny story, I cannot tell you for which book but one day I was on the treadmill at the gym and listening to music and I remembered that I bought BVB’s “In the End” so I put that on and fell off the treadmill.  From the first notes this beautiful scene played in front of me for the end of one of my series.  I literally forgot how to walk, I just froze in awe, and got thrown from the machine.  I had listened to other songs before and had experiences where I saw scenes I already thought about, but this time it gave me a scene.  Black Veil Brides was already a character favorite in the book and from that their music has helped shape that book.  I have to thank them for that.

Juliet Simms music from Automatic Loveletter inspired the epigraph for one of my books (if we are FB friends there are a few chapters of It Started on a Thursday up if you are interested in reading some works of mine).  And from that I actually want characters to meet through her in that book, I just have to go about it legally, like get permission.  I feel like I am rambling and not getting my point across, but music is so important in writing, for writing. 

I am not the typical bands fan.  And with saying what I am about to say please don’t get offended.  A lot of bands have fans that call them “heroes” because the band saved them.  I get it, I do, but I am not that fan.  I personally don’t think it is not fair to put that label on a band, because yes they helped the kid, but it is a big burden for the band to carry.  For me, I like bands because my characters.  There are very few bands that I just like because I discovered them.  For example BVB I love you and am not labeling you, this was Google.  I have this one fantastically gorgeous boy named Jake in Life’s not a Fantasy.  He originally was going to be this emo character, like full on emo.  So I Googled “emo” and Alex Evans came up as the first result, then I was looking through pictures, (I already had a face for Jake, just wanted to fine tune character traits,) then this beautiful face was on the screen so I clicked on it and it said “Andy Sixx” so I was curious and looked up him and found out that he was a lead singer in a band called Black Veil Brides.  I listened and fell in love.  Since then Andy and the band have gone through image and sound changes and Andy no longer goes by “Andy Sixx” but rather “Andy Biersack”. Actually no band I like was my choice it always has something to do with my books.  Yeah, so I am not the typical fan.  Huh, that’s weird…well this just loops back to my post about writer/character relationships.  I wouldn’t like any bands probably if it wasn’t for my book.

Music helps keep me focused in writing.   I sometimes listen to other books playlists while writing so I remember what goes where and don’t repeat scenes from book to book.  I already have a repeated name in two different books, but the gender and spelling changes so I think I can get away with that. Ugh, I feel like this isn’t coming out right and for some reason I am having a hard time writing this.  I’m listening to music right now, writing this and it is wonderful, I am having flashes of scenes coming to me, so maybe I should just give you an excerpt, yeah, that sounds good.  Oh! Oh! and I will associate a song with it.  Yes!

* * *

Here is a scene from a WIP (to be completed December 2013):

Que the music: Just drums, rolling a beat of various rhythms, but all letting you know something is about to go wrong.

Screaming.  A girl screaming.  A girl screaming and clenching her hair in her fists.  A girl screaming and clenching her hair in her fists while falling to her knees on the ground.

This wasn’t any ordinary scream.  No.  This wasn’t just fear.  This was anger.  This was sadness.  Harper was your ordinary school girl.  She was at the time fifteen years old.

Here is where we begin.

Que the music: quiet and slow the drums some, add violins and flutes playing just a few ominous repeating notes/chords.

I felt like I was stuck in a hall of mirrors.  I could see myself and other people’s reflections, but I was frozen in my terror.  I could not find my way out.  Every turn I made took me further into the maze.  I felt like I was staring at myself from two mirrors that were directly across from each other.  Every motion echoed infinitesimally, but I could see how fake it was. It was me, but it was my reflection.  I started the motion and my accursed doppelgängers mimicked my every motion.  I couldn’t break free.  I wanted to crash through the mirrors.  I wanted to watch them tumble to the ground in a chain reaction like large silver reflective and distorted dominoes.

It wasn’t my fault, but it kind of is.  It is all of our faults.  Possibly mostly mine.  I didn’t see it.  I should have.  I remember Jessica aimlessly pulling me to my feet.  I remember grabbing onto her shoulders just in time for the both of us to fall to the ground.  I was a mess.  I never cried so hard in my life.  April 11 a Thursday.  I will never forget.  This was the day I walked into the school gymnasium for a shortcut because I was running late to school.  I kept my head below the windows and walked in the shadows that when I heard it.  It sounded like a belt being slapped on itself but duller, then came the awful gurgling. (Que the music change again: take away the flutes and a bass playing a low and repeating note, just one, sometimes it is held out, other times it is short) I looked towards the sound and saw his body swinging from the rafters.  I started screaming/I started to scream. 

Que music again: add in a symphony.

Parker was struggling.  He was stuck between life and death.  He was slowly dying in front of me and fighting with every ounce of strength he had left in him to reverse his previous action.  He now wanted to live.  I started screaming and his eyes flashed to mine.  He reached his left hand out to me.  I touched his hand and his finger nails scratched my skin, leaving small red marks.  I pulled my phone out and dialed 911.  I said nothing to the operator I just screamed. 

* * *

So I don’t officially have a song for this scene, for other scenes, yes, but that is further in the book, and they are not written yet and would give away too much. 

30 Seconds to Mars is another favorite of mine, and thank god I wasn’t driving, I had the BVB experience with them. A song of their newest album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, made me freeze.  I saw a character rising from something, while another fell to their knees screaming.  Can’t tell you the song specifically, the scene, or the book, mostly because it will not be in the book.  This will be something that is a movie exclusive only once I’m published and have movie rights, so fingers crossed!

I have a few ideas for my next post, but I want to see what you guys want me to write about so tweet me at twitter.com/write_to_live or write a note to my on instagram and tag me both on the picture and in a comment on your picture username: write_to_live

I will pick my favorite or favorites and write those over the next few weeks. 

Peace, Love, and Inspiration

Keep writing and remember

#itsawriterthing

Toni-Anne Lombardo

Listening to: “In the End”, Black Veil Brides, Wretched and Divine

Quotes: “Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can't.” –Johnny Depp

“Music is the universal language of mankind.” –Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“Where words fail, music speaks.” –Hans Christian Andersen

YA and more: Toni's Journey

The YA Indie Authors are starting a new monthly series, Toni's Big Six Journey. It one where a starting-out and talented new author, Toni Lombardo, will share her trials and tribulations as she makes her way to the Big Six. She'll talk about pitches, writing, conferences, social media, and/or anything else she sees and does on this journey.

Toni is

LIGHT 'EM UP

I guess I should start off with saying who I am:  My name is Toni Lombardo.  I am a writer.  I am going the traditional route (ya know, “The BIG six”, I want to be affiliated with Penguin/Random House, but for right now, I am in the transition state.)

The transition state.  I am working with a great guy named David Henry Sterry (The Book Doctor).  I met him and his wife Arielle Eckstut in the beginning of October 2011.  I went to a book convention and met them and hit it off.  Since then I have been working with him on my book.  I sent a copy of my book and he said it wasn’t ready yet, then I edited it a little and he said that it wasn’t ready for the world.  He asked what I was doing in writing now and told him all the stuff I am working on.  I told him that I felt like my writing had improved since I was sixteen when I first finished the original copy I sent him (started it when I was fifteen).  He told me it was FANTASTIC for a sixteen year old writer but not ready for publishing. 

Now, before I get to the good part here is the great thing about David, he is wonderful and gets writers because he is a writer.  He started to say something, “Have you considered…” and paused.  When he hesitated I said “rewriting it?”  He said yes.  The thing I loved about the hesitation it showed that he didn’t want to crush my dreams.  I mean really how if I went the traditional, traditional route, you know…edit sent to query, would that have ended up?  I would have gotten rejection after rejection and never have known why…I mean ask any author there are millions of horror stories.  I had one friend who burned her only manuscript because of an agent.  This guy David approached the topic carefully and caringly.  He told me what needed work; he didn’t shoot me down and crush my dreams and tell me I was untalented (or true story talked to an agent she said no.  Then told someone she didn’t like me or my book.)

The rewrite turned out to be the best thing that could happen.  The book is part 1 in a 5 book series and I have written through the halfway mark in the third novel.   In doing that my book changed so much.  Not enough for a reader to pick up on, but enough for me the author to cringe over.

Like I said I was fifteen when I started the novel and there were things I was afraid to write.  I was afraid what people would think of me, what judgments would be made. Some people told me I was a bad ‘Christian’ because of the content of my book.  Now, hold up right there—advice—NEVER, NEVER let anyone get away with saying that!  You’re writing doesn’t make you more or less of whatever religion you choose.  You’re writing doesn’t make you a good or bad believer of your faith.  Back to what I was saying, I was afraid to write certain scenes.  But as I got older and my characters aged the book had to mature.  I had to write those scenes, and you know what they turned out great.  So in the rewrite I was able to have the foundation down of the book, but the knowledge of what my characters decided to do in their lives and the maturity to write the scenes in ways that would create tight bonds between every word, sentence, and book.  I think every writer should have at least the second book in the series written before trying to publish the first.  Because no matter how hard you try to stay to your plot your characters will make their own decisions and mess everything up, but that is the beauty of writing. 

The rewrite has revealed to me so many things that were just cringe worthy, where if that book was published I would have gone into hiding and never write anything ever again, not a grocery list, not a birthday card.  Yeah, that is how bad the first go around was.  It is truly embarrassing.  I had and have supportive friends who loved the first edition, because they didn’t see my full potential, but David did.  And now when they read what I am doing now they kind of laugh that they thought the first edition was good, (they aren’t being mean, it was that bad, like really) and tell me how much I have improved. 

I keep getting off topic.  In rewriting you will find ways to make your book better in ways you couldn’t have imagine for 5 reasons: 1- you have matured in life and writing, 2-your life experiences have influenced you and made you better, 3- your characters have aged in the books, 4-your story is becoming more complex and real and lastly the most important, 5-you know your characters better!

Knowing your characters, loving, hating, crying for/with your characters is what makes your book great, because if you don’t do all that, then there is a possibility that your readers won’t either.  Your characters have to be real, and I don’t mean realistic, they have to be real to you before they can be real to others.  Because when they are real to other people—that is when you have truly have succeeded.  Having a best seller is great, having a movie made is great, being in demand is great, but the true test of success is what I said above, when your fictional character takes on a life for a person who doesn’t know you, just bought your book, your reader then you have succeeded.  It doesn’t matter if you sell one or countless books; true, true success is when your characters become real to someone else.  I know I said that what three, four times, but it is important.  And my next post will talk about the importance of connecting with characters. 

Toni's Motivating Quote: We write for ourselves.
Toni's Listening to: Fall out Boy, My Songs Know What You Did in The Dark (Light Em Up)

Don't forget that I currently have THREE FREE books!! Yes, THREE!! Daisy Madigan's Paradise, The Ghost of Josiah Grimshaw and Raven. If you haven't got your copies, what are you waiting for??

Now go check out my awesome buddies...

1. Laura A. H. Elliott
2. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
3. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga & The Morgan Sisters
4. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
5. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
6. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
7. Ella James
8. Maureen Murrish
9. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
10. A Little Bit of R&R
11. Melissa Pearl
12. Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
13. Author Cindy C Bennett

#YAIndieCarnival: The Author Page

The Author Page, on whatever platform, is crucial for any budding writer. Whether they write short stories, non fiction or fiction, they must get their name out there and the best way to do that is to create a plethora of 'author pages' wherever they go.

Three places that are of particular importance are on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook If you haven't created an author profile on Goodreads yet, what are you waiting for? Its pretty easy to do. The same with Amazon. Readers often want to know whose books they're reading and how easy is it for them to just click on the name whilst browsing books? Go to www.authorcentral.amazon.com to create your profile on Amazon and link to your books. I promise it doesn't take long. Facebook is an author page I use a lot. I automatically link my blog posts to it, and shout out on there whenever I have any exciting news. Currently, I have over 2,000 likes! How awesome is that?! Its a place where you can put all your book covers, trailers, photos of events...basically anything related to your books. Just remember though, that your FB author page is a professional place for your readers to get to know you. Don't use your page to chat to your friends about stuff that might come back to bite you in the ass! Save that for your personal profile!
The other more obvious 'author pages' are on your own website and/or blog. Get your bio up there, create a a bit of interest (or mystery if you're a mystery writer) and put lots of photos up. People often want to see what you really look like, so put a few every day pics in there as well. Explain how you got into writing, what inspires you and anything else you think readers might be keen to discover from their favourite author.
Are you on about.me yet? Its an easy place you can put all of your links to all your social networking profiles. Useful, but not crucial.

Don't forget to download your FREE copy of my book, Daisy Madigan's Paradise here and your FREE copy of Raven here.

1. Laura A. H. Elliott author of Winnemucca & 13 on Halloween, Book 1 in the Teen Halloween Series
2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Heather Self
4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
6. Cheri Schmidt, author of the Fateful Trilogy
7. Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog
8. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
9. Patti Larsen, The Hunted series and The Hayle Coven series
10. Amy Maurer Jones, Author of The Soul Quest Trilogy
11. Fisher Amelie, author of The Understorey
12. Gwenn Wright, author of Filter
13. Melissa Pearl, Author of The Time Spirit Trilogy
14. Heather M. White, author of The Destiny Saga
15. Courtney Cole Writes
16. Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
17. Ella James
18. Maureen Murrish
19. Valerie Sloan
20. YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings
21. Terah Edun, author of Red Madrassa and An Amlah's Diary

Click here for more Indie News: