Song of the Week: In For the Kill (Skream Remix) by La Roux

I’m baaaaaack!!!

Can’t believe it’s already been a month, but it was very much needed in order to get some things taken care of in both my personal and writing lives.

As with every Monday, today showcases a Song of the Week. This particular song was actually hand-selected by my husband. He put it on my mp3 player then stated he felt like I’d be inspired by it. And he was right. I’ve found quite a bit of inspiration by listening to In For the Kill over the last several weeks. So here’s to hoping you do too.

In For the Kill Lyrics
We can fight our desires
But when we start making fires
We get ever so hot
Whether we like it or not
They say we can love who we trust
But what is love without lust?
Two hearts with accurate devotions
And what are feelings without emotions?


I'm going in for the kill
I'm doing it for a thrill
Oh I'm hoping you'll understand
And not let go of my hand(x2)


I hang my hopes out on the line
Will they be ready for you in time
If you leave them out too long
They'll be withered by the sun
Full stops and exclamation marks
My words stumble before I start
How far can you send emotions?
Can this bridge cross the ocean?


I'm going in for the kill
I'm doing it for a thrill
Oh I'm hoping you'll understand
And not let go of my hand(x2)


Let's go to war
To make peace
Let's be cold
To create heat
I hope in darkness
We can see
And you're not blinded by the light from me

I'm going in for the kill
'm doing it for a thrill
Oh I'm hoping you'll understand
And not let go of my hand

Happy Writing!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Firefly by Over the Rhine

Happy Monday, everyone!

Brace yourselves - this week's song can be a rather powerful one if you open your heart and let it in.

I first discovered Over the Rhine when perusing through a playlist created by Deb Harkness for her book, A Discovery of Witches. From the moment I heard this song I was hooked!!

Hope you enjoy!

Firefly Lyrics

Written by: Bergquist/Detweiler
Album: Drunkard's Prayer

My memory will not fail me now

Mmm firefly in the night sky
Only lights on the rise
And I need you so firefly

One satellite with a lazy eye
Caught me by surprise
With an ache in my belly
And a taste in my mouth for fire

My memory will not fail me now

Mmm firefly in the night sky
Only lights on the rise
After the killing frost
Where do you go
Firefly

My memory will not fail me now
And the rest is history


Happy Writing!!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Across the Universe by The Beatles

Good Monday, everyone!!

This week’s song choice was chosen mostly due to the contest that I’ll be having on the blog this week: ‘Lessons Learned from ‘Across the Universe’….and a Playlist Plotting Contest’

Here’s a preview of what we’re looking for with this contest (more details will be provided in the post on where this idea stemmed from):

• Your mission: Create a plot using Playlist Plotting. OR you can take one you already have and create the perfect playlist to amplify your story.
  
• Judging: This contest will be judged by the wonderfully talented and awesome, Lisa Gail Green from Paranormal Point of View
• Rules/Limitations: Across the Universe used 29 songs in its Playlist Plotting…BUT we’re going to limit this with
  • 10 songs, 10 plot points, 10 opportunities for you to make your story sing *smile*
    
  • Put your Playlist Plotting creativity in the comments
    
  • Commenting closes at 8pm EST on Tuesday, March 20th
    
  • The winners will be announced on Wednesday, March 21st
• Prizes: There will be two winners:
  • 1st place: A copy of 20 Master Plots and How to Build Them by Ronald Tobias (I just finished it and it’s a really good guide to making a universal plot all your own) AND a copy of The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master by Martha Alderson
    
  • 2nd place: A copy of Across the Universe on DVD

Start thinking about the music that inspires your writing every day and be sure to come back on Wednesday to learn about Playlist Plotting and enter the contest!

And how here’s this week’s song. Enjoy!

Across the Universe Lyrics
Written by: John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Words are flowing out like
Endless rain into a paper cup
They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe

Pools of sorrow waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai Guru Deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
Dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe

Thoughts meander like a
Restless wind inside a letter box
They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe

Jai Guru Deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter, shades of life
Are ringing through my opened ears
Inciting and inviting me

Limitless undying love, which
Shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai Guru Deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva
Jai Guru Deva


Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: My Immortal by Evanescence

Happy Monday, everybody!

I first heard this song while watching the movie Dare Devil. The music and lyrics resonated with me and to this day, I still turn to this song to write scenes with heavy emotional power, scenes where a character sits back and reflects on the feelings they have for a loved one they’ve lost, the scenes that pull on a reader’s heart strings and never let go.

My hope is that this song may resonate with you as well and that you may turn to it as well when the need to write a similar scene presents itself.

My Immortal (Lyrics)
Songwriters: Hodges, David; Lee, Amy; Moody, Ben

I'm so tired of being here, suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave
Your presence still lingers here and it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along

When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me, me, me


Happy Reading and Writing!!!
Melinda

Song of the Week: Diary of Jane by Breaking Benjamin

Happy Monday, everyone!!

As I was listening to Pandora yesterday and pounding out the words (thank goodness the Muse was in good spirits!), this particular song came on and seemed to influence the scene I was working on in a way I didn’t even expect. Don’t you just love it when that happens?

So of course I just to share it all of you!

Hope you enjoy! :0)

The Diary Of Jane lyrics
Songwriters: Fincke, Aaron; Szeliga, Chad; James, Mark; Burnley, Ben


If I had to I would put myself right beside you
So let me ask, would you like that? Would you like that?
And I don't mind if you say this love is the last time
So now I'll ask, do you like that? Do you like that? No!

Something's getting in the way
Something's just about to break
I will try to find my place
In the diary of Jane
So tell me how it should be!

Try to find out what makes you tick as I lie down
Sore and sick, do you like that? Do you like that?
There's a fine line between love and hate and I don't mind
Just let me say that I like that, I like that

Something's getting in the way
Something's just about to break
I will try to find my place
In the diary of Jane

As I burn another page
As I look the other way
I still try to find my place
In the diary of Jane
So tell me how it should be!

Desperate, I will crawl, waiting for so long
No love, there is no love
Die for anyone, what have I become?

Something's getting in the way
Something's just about to break
I will try to find my place
In the diary of Jane

As I burn another page
As I look the other way
I still try to find my place
In the diary of Jane


Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!



Melinda

Song of the Week: Serenity by Godsmack

I’ve been under the weather all weekend, so this week I really wanted a song that would instill a bit of calm into what I’m sure will be a chaotic week.

After missing a day and a half of work last week, and considering that I will be out of the office traveling for 3 days this week, I’ve really got to find some serenity in order to keep myself from pulling my hair out by Wednesday.

I do hope you enjoy this week’s choice!

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!



Melinda

Song of the Week: Sing for Absolution by Muse

Happy Monday, everyone!!

This particular song is a go-to whenever I have a hard time getting the muse the cooperate.

For instance: I sat down to write this past Saturday and the muse decided he would not stick around after I got started.  I turned this song on, set it to repeat, closed my eyes,  listened for a couple of rounds, and poof! There he was standing next to me, whiskey in hand, ready to continue from where we’d left off.

Hope you enjoy this one!

Song of the Week: Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars

We’re *almost* there! March 23rd is just around the corner, and in celebration of the fact that we don’t have too much longer to go before we all head to the theatre (may more than once?), this week’s song is the first one to be announced as part of the soundtrack (and I REALLY can’t wait to get my hands on it).

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading and Writing, everyone!!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Turning Page by Sleeping at Last

Happy Monday, everyone!

One of the best things I can say about the Twilight franchise is that the movie soundtracks never disappoint.  I’ve found many great artists through these compilations.  This week’s song is straight from their latest movie release, Breaking Dawn, Part One.

Hope you enjoy the beautiful, heart-warming melody and words of this week’s song, Turning Page.

Happy reading and writing, everyone!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Monday Morning by Death Cab for Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie is one of those bands where you can write and edit to every song they’ve ever recorded.

This week’s song is one that I listened to practically all day Sunday while I was polishing up the last bit of my short story, plotting out the remainder of my NaNo MS, doing the laundry, and cooking chicken and pastry. 

Regardless of what you're doing, it's just great background music! Period.

I highly suggest picking up their latest album, Codes and Keys, as soon as you can.  You’re writing will thank you! :0)

Enjoy!

Happy Reading & Writing!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Hello Cold World by Paramore

I believe it's no secret that one of my favorite bands is Paramore...hence my choice for this week's song: Hello Cold World!

This is one of four new songs the band recorded recently (one being Monster that was a previous song of the week).  This particular song was chosen with more reason than the fact of it being written/performed by one of my favorite bands. 

This particular group has been through a lot over the past twelve or so months, so for them to put out a song like this just goes to show you that they are still here, still going strong, and still have a very positive outlook on their future as a band - and that in itself says it all (and as writers, we can take a lesson in staying strong when it feels as though the world might be falling down all around us).   

Since there isn't an official video - yet - I've chosen a neat little thing called a 'lyric video' and the creator did a pretty good job in putting this together (as in you actually pay attention to the words and they flow ever so nicely with the music). 

Hope you enjoy and have a wonderful week!

Song of the Week: Good Life by OneRepublic

HAPPY 2012, EVERYONE!!!

Welcome to the first Song of the Week post of 2012! 

In the spirit of starting the year of right, this week's song is all about having a positive outlook and knowing that this year - and your entire life - is going to be fabulous regardless of the curveballs life tends to throw at us every now and then. 

Enjoy!

Happy Reading and Writing in the New Year!!!

Melinda

NaNoWriMo Check-In & The Song of the Week: Glycerine by Bush

Hello and 'Happy Monday' dear friends!  With two days left of NaNoWriMo I can *officially* say that I have surpassed the 50,000 wordcount goal with 51,130 words - and it has been validated!  *throws confetti*  Now I just have another 40,000 or so words to go before this draft is officially completed and ready to be run through the ringer - otherwise known as the editing process. *smile* *bites nails* *tries to smile again*

Without further ado, I can officially say that the 'Song of the Week' weekly post is back up and running!

This week's song comes from a little band called Bush.  You've heard of them I gather? Good, 'cuz this has been on constant loop all morning as I added another 3,000 words to my WIP this morning. 

Hope you enjoy this week's song and be sure to come back on Wednesday for a new day of weekly postings that will be starting this week - Writerly Wednesday - where I will share either what I've learned or am learning within my own writing.

Happy Reading & Writing Everyone!!! 

Melinda

NaNoWriMo Song of the Week: Spotlight by Mutemath

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting several fellow NaNo participants at a write-in. Now, for those of you who know me know that I have a weekend routine that I like to stick to – part of that being the fact that I prefer to stay home on Sundays and write while doing the laundry. But I figured, what the hell….I’ll be going for three hours and will be doing exactly the same thing I’d be doing if I was home (minus the laundry), so why not go and see what it’s like.

Well, we met at this café called The Green Bean, and I have to say, it was a great experience! The café itself was great, very hipster (as my sister called it) and low-key with an awesome selection of tunes. I enjoyed the location just enough to where I might actually decide to make some trips there on my own so I can write away from the house for a couple of hours.

When I walked in the door, ‘Spotlight’ by Mutemath was playing. This song in itself set the tone for my time there which is why I wanted to share it with all of you.

For fans of the Twilight movies, you might recognize this particular song since it was on the first movie’s soundtrack.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading and Writing!!!

Melinda

Musical Monday: NaNoWriMo Playlist & The Song of the Week

It’s absolutely incredible how fast time flies. Here we are on October 31st, one day away from the start of NaNoWriMo.

I’ve been doing some super prep work these past two weeks – researching locations and backgrounds on a few new characters (I think that’s as close to plotting as I get these days), getting Scrivener and all of my research set up on my PC so I can hit the ground running tomorrow (after the day job, of course), and convincing my Muse that November is not a good month for a vacation <— God I hope she listens!

One other task I’ve undertaken, this past weekend in particular, is meticulously selecting the perfect music for my writing playlist. In writing, music sets the tone – it evokes the feeling you’re after in a particular scene. Sometimes, you can get so lost in the words, the music just seems to fade away. Other times, it’s there to push you through to the end of a difficult scene. Whatever your reason for selecting the perfect soundtrack for your writing, music is an intricate part of the process.

Here is my NaNoWriMo playlist – which will also be updated on my ‘playlist’ tab – and links to each of the songs on YouTube. There’s always the chance that not all of these songs will be used, and the list just might actually grow as I get further into the writing. But for now, this is what it looks like – in no particular order – and you may notice I’ve got quite a few themes going on:

Another Way to Die by Disturbed
The Bleeding by Five Finger Death Punch
Alone by Bullet for My Valentine
Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars
Uprising by Muse
21 Guns by Green Day
Misguided Ghosts by Paramore
Glycerine by Bush
Map of the Problematique by Muse
Feel it in My Bones by Tiesto featuring Tegan and Sara
Fuel by Metallica
Crawling by Linkin Park
The Show Must Go On by Queen
Haunted by Evanescence
Releasing the Demons by Godsmack
City of Delusion by Muse
Attack by 30 Seconds to Mars
Hero by Skillet
Unnatural Selection by Muse
Symphony of Destruction by Megadeath
Place for My Head by Linkin Park
Voodoo by Godsmack
Your Betrayal by Bullet for My Valentine
Jesus (Don’t Touch My Baby) by Ryan Adams
Con-Science by Muse
Serenity by Godsmack
Piano Thing by Muse
Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve
Knights of Cydonia by Muse
Seek and Destroy by Metallica
The Kill by 30 Seconds to Mars
Conspiracy by Paramore
Beautiful Tragedy by In This Moment
Let the Flames Begin by Paramore
Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars
Woman King by Iron and Wine

Now onto our Song of the Week:

‘Night of the Hunter’ by 30 Seconds to Mars. No matter where I am or what I’m doing, there’s always a song by these guys that fits the situation perfectly.

I hope you enjoy! :0)

Happy Reading & Writing!!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Country Song by Seether

This is just a fun song to do almost anything to - whether it's write, dance, clean, or travel, there's something about this song that makes it fun (and the video's a little entertaining as well).

Enjoy!

Song of the Week: Waking the Witch by Kate Bush

This week's song was not chosen because of Halloween - though it was another awesome reason this song was chosen. This song was 'mainly' chosen because it is one of those amazing songs you can get lost in writing to.

When I hit 'play' on this one, everything fades into the background - all my focus is on what's in front of me....the characters and their story.

Hope you enjoy!

**Don't forget to leave any music/playlist suggestions in the comments. I'm always looking for new music to add to my writing playlist. :)

Song of the Week: The Promise by In This Moment

Happy Monday everyone!!!

Today's song is one that I haven't been able to stop listening to for the past week! And I must give credit where credit is due: my husband. :)

He found this band after searching for new female-lead rock bands. When he came across this song, he told me that I had to listen to it because it would fuel my writing. And you know what? He was right!!  I'm an urban fantasy and paranormal romance writer, so this song - and the video - was right up my alley!

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading & Writing!!!

Melinda

HUGE Thank You to ‘The Week of the Writer’ Guests..…..And the Song of the Week: Night Air by Jamie Woon

I have to start this post off with a big THANK YOU to my guest writers from last week! 

Each post got other writers thinking about and sharing their own writing processes, tips and ideas, and a fellow writer/blogger, Merry Farmer, decided to join in on the celebration by sharing the ‘whys’ of her writing on her blog, A Writer’s Adventure Through Life.

Needless to say, The Week of the Writer was a HUGE success!

This could not have been achieved without each one of these fabulously talented writers who shared a little more about why they write, what they've learned along the way, and how we can apply it to our own writing. And I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about each one of them through these posts.  

Thank you J.C. Fiske, Jami Gold, Tina Moss, Lisa Gail Green and S.P. Sipal, for celebrating the craft and the writer’s life with everyone!

I’m definitely looking forward doing this again soon! :0)

P.S. In case you missed any of their posts, a link is attached to each name.

---

Now, for the Song of the Week……

Night Air by Jamie Woon

I have to admit I’ve been wearing this song out the last few days. I’ve been in bed, sick as a dog all weekend, and this song has been playing in the background whenever I was awake. Something about it got me moving, just a little, to either read, write or edit even though my brain didn’t really feel like it at times.

Enjoy!

Happy Reading & Writing everyone!!!

Melinda

Song of the Week: Iridescent by Linkin Park

Ahhh….. Linkin Park! I’ve been listening to these guys since day one, and it never fails….they continue to write awesome music.

I’d have to say this is one of my favorite songs by them to datte (the other two are Papercut & In The End).

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Reading!!

Melinda