Keepin' It Real

Okay, so I've blogged about songs before. A lot of songs. Songs and lyrics that influence me as a writer, a person.

This is one of those posts. :)

This time I'm pondering Shaggy (a rapper!) and his song from the Holes movie soundtrack, Keepin' It Real.

I couldn't find an official music video, but the lyrics are the most powerful part anyway. You might want to listen here though. It's a great song! Very motivating to keep going (or as Shaggy says, "Keep on keepin' on), to persevere, and to be happy for everything you have RIGHT NOW, not what you don't have yet.

I love these lines the most:
"Not everything you want is everything you really need,
The standard of society's motivated by greed.
Are you prepared to follow,
Tell me, you prepared to lead?
So persevere and you'll succeed."

I love being reminded to be grateful for what I have, and to keep working hard for what I don't. What do you think? Inspiring lyrics? A song you can get behind?

Who Says?

Exhibit A

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of Selena Gomez. I've been watching Wizards of Waverly Place for a couple of years now, and she's so great on that show. (Although I will admit that my obsession with Wizards may or may not but definitely does have to do with David Henrie, and how he's basically Jag in real life... See Exhibit A.)

But Selena has a new song out called Who Says? I loved it the first time I heard it, and immediately downloaded it for the iPod. Then I listened on repeat.

There's some great lyrics in the verses, but it's the chorus that really gets me --right--here--

Who says?
Who says you're not perfect?
Who says you're not worth it?
Who says you're the only one that's hurting?
Trust me,
That's the price of beauty.
Who says you're not pretty?
Who says you're not beautiful?
Who says?

I always think of the chorus as speaking to my manuscript and the time it takes to get it ready for anyone to read. Who says it's not worth it? Who says I'm the only one bleeding through my eyeballs to get the words on the page in the right place?

That's the price of beauty (in writing). And who says my books aren't pretty (in the end)?

So yeah. I think drafting and revising is really hard work. Sometimes it feels like too much work. That it's not worth it. But it is. Keep at it.

And then the bridge (I really have no idea if this is, in actuality, the bridge, but you know):

Who says you're not star potential?
Who says you're not presidential?
Who says you can't be in movies?
Listen to me, listen to me.
Who says you don't pass the test?
Who says you can't be the best?
Who said?
Who said?
Would you tell me who said that?

During this part, the song moves from talking about my MS to talking about ME. I think sometimes we tell ourselves that we're not star potential. That we don't pass the test. That we can't be in movies.

I think it's easy to read a rejection as "You're not good enough. You can't be in movies." It's easy to see someone else's success as "I'm not star potential." We take a critique as "You don't pass the test."

But who says all that?

We do. (Usually.)

We've got to stop that, and keep working hard. And that's why Who Says? by Selena Gomez has been played about 476 times in my iTunes.

What song really hits you hard? Motivates you? Makes you cry and then determine to work that much harder?

Waiting For The End

Dude, there is nothing I like better than writing and editing to music. If I hear the perfect song, I can listen to that sucker on repeat for hours. Just ask my kids.

For editing my last project, my song was "The Herald Song" by Ke$ha. It's not one of her more-known, you know, techno thingies, but it's full of angst. And so was my project, so it was perfect.

For this new project I'm starting, my new fave is "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park. The angst?

Through the roof.

Here's the proof:

We say Yeah!
With fists flying up in the air
Like we're holding onto something
That's invisible there, (I love this image of holding on to something invisible, unable to let go)
'Cause we're living at the mercy of
The pain and the fear (oh, the angst)

I know what it takes to move on, (do you??)
I know how it feels to lie, (powerful feeling)
All I wanna do
Is trade this life for something new
Holding on to what I haven't got (chillz. I haz them.)

What was left when that fire was gone?
I thought it felt right but that right was wrong (who hasn't felt this? Every runner-up on The Bachelor, that's for sure.)
All caught up in the eye of the storm
And trying to figure out what it's like moving on (and here's the real angst)
And I don't even know what kind of things I've said
My mouth kept moving and my mind went dead
So, picking up the pieces, now where to begin?
The hardest part of ending is starting again.

And dude, that's it. That's life. Relationships. Writing. Starting a new job. Everything.

The hardest part of ending is starting again.

Every time I hear this song, I can't help but think of my MC and the terrible things I'm about to do to them. The lyrics, the music, everything, just fits. It's "the one." Chill-worthy.

Have you ever just heard a song and gotten chills? Like, "This. THIS is it!"What song is it? What is it about that song makes it so perfect for your project?

525,600 Minutes

I began querying my novel one year ago.

525,600 minutes ago.

From the musical Rent:

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights? In sunsets? In midnights? In cups of coffee? In inches? In miles? In laughter? In strife?

In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life?

I've done a lot in a year. I've tried to put those 525,600 minutes to good use. Sure, I farmed virtually. Who doesn't? I slept in too much on weekends. I taught 700 students for 180 days. I enjoyed 365 nature moments. I've probably listened to 525,600 minutes of Pandora.

I lived. Loved. Wrote. Laughed. Deleted. Cried. Breathed. Tried again and again and again.

What have you done in the last 525,600 minutes? Has it been a good year for you? Why or why not?

Budlight Presents... Real American Heroes

Budlight Presents...Real American Heroes (Real American Heroes)
Today we salute you, Mr. Fortune Cookie Fortune Writer. (Mr. Fortune Cookie Fortune Writer)

Most writers leave their wisdom in a book
You leave yours in a cookie (crunchy cookie)

Sure they taste good
But it's the information you provide that we're really hungry for (love is round the corner!)

Though your tablet is small
Your message never is (show me the way)

Of course the mushu pork and the egg foo young fill our bellies
It's your inspiration that keeps us well-nourished (yum, yum, yum, yum, egg foo young)

So crack open an ice cold Budlight, Mr. Fortune Cookie Fortune Writer
Because when you say our luck is about to change
We believe you. (We bee-ee-lieeve yoooooou.)


Okay, okay, so I've believed some fortunes at times. Dove dark wrappers, but who's keeping track of those? *wink* But I've always believed in myself. And I hope that you believe in yourself too. Read on...




























Okay, so finding a literary agent is like dating, popping the question and agreeing to work together on something meaningful and worthwhile. Like publishing a book.

And I've found my better half. Shh, don't tell Mr. J. Well, he already knows. So shout away!

Because I'm now represented by Michelle Andelman of Lynn C. Franklin Associates!

Here's me signing the contract. Yes, I antiqued it. Don't ask me why, I don't know. Looked cool? Whatever.

And you can read more about Michelle here. Scroll down to the bottom. She's the literary agent that will be at the Oregon Coast Children's Book Writer's Workshop next July. It gives a good list of books she's worked on. My novel definitely fits on her list as "edgy, emotional Young Adult".

Can I get a "Woot! Woot!"?

And it's YOUR inspiration that's kept me well-nourished through this journey. So thanks to all of you, my favorite Fortune Cookie Fortune Writers.

And your fortune is: Your luck is about to change.... *big smiles*

Oh, and you wanna hear more Real Men of Genius? You know you do. Go here. I l-o-v-e the Mr. Really Bad Toupee Wearer one. Hilarious!!

Hey There De-LILA-h

Okay, so while I love this song, it does nothing for the writer inside. Sorry. But it is a catchy tune, and it has some cool lyrics about how this guy's gonna pay his bills with his guitar, which somehow could be skewed to writing... Yeah, I'm not feeling it either. Maybe because I'm writing this at 4:30 in the morning, and I'm tired. Or something.

Anyway, today, this song is dedicated to Lisa and Laura Roecker, who not only ROECK, but they apparently rule the universe too. Because they're giving away a Kindle. Enter here.

And here's some lyrics just for them. Sing along. They, uh, mostly work.


Hey there D'LILA
What's it like in Cleaveland, Ohio?
I'm a thousand miles away
But girls, tonight you look so...reli-a-ble
Yes you do
My forehead doesn't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true

Hey there D'LILA
Don't you worry about your edits
I'm right here if you get suicidal
Give this blog post another gander
Close your eyes
Well, don't do that, cuz then you can't see
That I'm by your side

Oh, it's how you bag on celebrities
That has me at your mercy
Oh, the hope tank is emp-tee-e
At least here for me-e-e
At least here for me.

Hey there D'LILA
I know Kate is gonna rock
So just believe me, girls
Someday she'll show up on the NY Times list
You'll have it good
You'll have the writing career you should
Your book's that good

Hey there D'LILA
There's not much left to say
You've got your book deal and an extra kindle
You'll take our breath away
With London's Call
Even more in love with you we'll fall
Don't drop the ball

Oh, it's how you can somehow see
That same talent in me
Oh, it's how you're now fancy
Oh, with Dan and Sourcebooks-y


And...I'm gonna stop there. I'm no song-writer. But, seriously! Go enter to win the kindle (I think I should get like, a million entries for the song. I mean, come on. Who else wrote a song??). And Lisa and Laura do Roeck. And I do like this song.

Random thoughts today? Should I stay in bed when I can't sleep? Yeah, I think so too.

I Have Been Changed, For Good

Yeah, I'm going totally musical on you today. Particularly from the musical Wicked. See I love Wicked. I like all the songs, but none as much as this one.

Today's song: For Good from the musical Wicked.

Lyrics that inspire:

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...

I have many stories of people who have helped me in my life. Reminded me of who I am. Who I am not. Shown me that good exists inside of people. They have all touched my life, molding and forming me into the kind of person I am today.

So what does this have to do with writing? Well, it could be applied in any number of ways to character development. But I think it has to do with the community of writers I've been lucky enough to "meet" and "know" online. We really are led to each other in remarkable ways. We help each other, lift each other up, change each other

And that's just kewl

Thus ends writing lessons from Wicked.

What do you think about your fellow writers? Aren't they WICKED awesome? Do you think you've been helped in your journey in some way by those around you?

What I Learned from the Hannah Montana Movie

Yeah, all right, I watched that movie. My girl kidlet loves to dance and she loves music. So we bought the movie OnDemand.

And you know what? It wasn't half-bad.

There's a song at the end, one that I've heard before. It made a small dent in my subconscious back then. But as I was watching the movie, it made a crater.

Today's song: The Climb by Miley Cyrus

The lyrics that changed my life (okay, that might be a tad overboard, you decide):

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

I don't think this needs further explanation.

What do you think of this? Totally inspirational, right? Now go write! It is NaNo after all. Just because I've fallen flat on my face doesn't mean you should.

*grins*

Life Lessons From... Twisted Sister?

This week I'm going musical on you. I'm going to highlight a song and the specific lyrics that make me think about writing. And then, you know, apply them to writing, since that's what I do with everything.

Today: We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister.

That's right. These guys. Or whatever they are. (I especially like that one on the far left who's holding his stomach. What is he doing??)

Specifically this line: "If that's your best, your best won't do."

This sounds negative, but it's so not. It's inspirational to me when I sit down to write. I might write something and think, "Twisted Sister. Do it better."

And then I do.

I always listen to this song before crit group. It helps put me in the right mindset to take the slashing. Because I know they're trying to help me reach my best.

So thanks, Twisted Sister!

What do you think of this line? What lyrics inspire you?