But I had an idea. Many people love to ask me about my ideas and how I work and etc. So I thought I might use this as a place to sort of live-blog writing my newest novel, the working title of which is "Music City."
So let's begin.
I'll keep this part brief and to the point:
- June- around the middle of June, late one night, lying in bed- my husband and I are dozing off and chatting. We are talking about book ideas. He says, sleepily, "You know what would be cool?" And proceeds to give me the most awesome idea kernal I have had in ages. A banshee comes to Nashville looking for a record deal.
- June- I write the prologue after another couple of rounds of brainstorming.
- July- At my parent's house, I dig through my bookshelf and find a stack of books on Irish lore and faeries and send them home to Nashville. Outlining is finished, detailed notes are made.
- July/August- This catches me up to last weekend when I must have spent 26 hours of time writing chapters one and two.
- Today, August 3rd 2009, Monday:
Music Row, AKA Music Square W and Music Square E AKA 16th and 17th Avenues (No street in Nashville has only one name, that would be silly!) is not far from where I live but I had never been there. Many people think Broadway or Second Ave (downtown) is "Music Row" or even the area over by the Opryland Hotel. So finding some accurate images online was really gumming up my process. So I just hopped on over there to see for myself.
It's a gorgeous area of town, a very eclectic mix of old buildings, new buildings, homes, condos, recording studios, talent agencies, music publishers, beauty salons, a tattoo place, and a total dive bar. It's a perfect setting!
I took about 30 pictures, looking like a total tourist (at least I wasn't wearing a cowboy hat!). Both as general research about the feel and flavor of the neighborhood- like what kind of trees are there? How many? (Mostly maple and magnolia. Lots!) Architectural style, traffic, parking, etc.
I also narrowed my witch's house/recording studio to one of two buildings- one currently a Bank of America and the other a talent agent's office. There is a poll currently running on my LJ, do go and vote!
So, now I have a setting for the next segment. Sure, I could have gone on with the chapter without running over to Music Row, but I like to base my urban fantasies as close to reality as possible. People will believe in fae, in vampires, in whatever you tell them if you set them in a place they already know is real. Shaking up the disbelief factor in a story's foundation- for me and for this particular novel, the setting- really pushes the reader out of the nice little world that has been created for them.
Plus it was fun to wander around a part of town I had never seen before. I have only lived here for almost five years and I had never been down there! And it was a gorgeous evening, the humidity fell and the temperature came with it. Plus at 7pm no one is really out and about over there so there was minimal traffic and no one to fuss at us for being there.
Pictues were taken, summer evening was enjoyed, ideas are percolating. I'd have dipped into ch 3 but I bought a new phone at Costco (been wanting one with a real keyboard for a while now) and I spent far too long playing with the thing and um, lost some momentum.
But we can't write 5,000 words everyday. Or I suppose we could if we didn't have that pesky day job to fret about.
But for now, I open up comments on this post and bid you anon for a few days until I have something new to report. Look for posts anywhere from a couple times a week to once every two weeks as I sort out how I want to try and explain things, not to mention how much do you want to know.
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