Saturday, March 26, 2016

Beta Readers and Life Lessons

"Writing is utter solitude, the descent into the cold abyss of oneself," -Frank Kafka


 Because I have no regrets, I have made another YouTube video - an update on the beta-reading process, which is entirely new territory for me, and as always some encouragement for ya'll.




Much love, 

~The WordShaker

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Part 1.3: Transformation - Blog Journal of "Writing In the Glory"

"The act of giving voice to this spiritual suffering is the sacred duty of the writer," -Mo Yan

Third times the charm, I see. I'm so glad you're back for the third installment of my ongoing study of 'Writing In the Glory' by Jennifer A. Miskov.

Transformation.

"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." -2 Corinthians 3:2-3

1. What impact do you want your life to have on others?

I want my books to speak to the deep places in people.  To entertain is the simplest, the shallowest, the least important of what I want to accomplish.  I want my books to have significance - writing without purpose is like eating just to eat, drinking just to drink - I write because I have something to say and that something is a message of hope that every soul needs.

2. What impact do you want your book to have on others?

I want this book to show people that even the worst of times can turn into the best of times - God turns our mourning into dancing.  That creativity can heal. That there is one thing that binds us together: the human experience - rich in love and hope and pain and fear, and above all, the ability of choice.

~
Much love,

~The WordShaker

Saturday, March 12, 2016

The RMS Titanic Review - March's Addition of Adam Young's Composer Scores

"Dreams don't turn to dust," -Adam Young

James Cameron's Titanic is my guilty pleasure movie.


So naturally, I was thrilled to find out that Adam's next composer album was The RMS Titanic. Given the scale and the epicness of Apollo 11, I wondered, doubted, if that would translate into the deeply emotional and traumatic tale of the Titanic.


And, of course, Adam did.


At first, I was stunned by the entirely different composition, and feel of the album.  But, like many things, it grew on me, and still, each time I listen, I find something new buried in the folds of Adam's music.


Like last time, The RMS Titanic is a twelve-track album, with cover art by the wonderful James R. Eads.

Listen to The RMS Titanic here.

Artwork by James R. Eads

1. Southhampton

Mysterious and magical, this album starts off with strings and woodwinds to portray the premonition of the town where it all began.


2. Boarding

A much more exciting track with intense strings and a deep percussion score, this is the track where you can nearly see the lines of 1910's people in crisp suits and flowered hats waiting to board the beauty.


3. Captain Edward Smith

Hauntingly regretful, the song dedicated to Captain Edward Smith comes in with a legato piano melody and interlude of horns, truly showing this man's hard decisions and impending death.


4. Maiden Voyage

A vast and epic score with dark undertones, this shows the maritime journey of the Titanic over choppy seas with full-bodied strings and a hauntingly playful flute.


5. Lookout Duty

This track, complete with deep cellos and a gripping bass guitar line, makes us feel the vastness and loneliness of looking out over the open sea . . .until they come upon the iceberg.


6. The Iceberg

Ringing with suspense, horns, and a lonely piano, this song hits the listener with the flutter of panic of seeing that massive piece of ice in the water drawing nearer and nearer and nearer . . . and finally, the stun of when it strikes.


7. Distress Call

Complete with whining strings, this track shows the panic and then hopelessness that gripped every member of the Titanic on that lonely night, not only telling the story but making us feel it.


8. Sinking

A disturbingly epic and intense piece, that sweeps you off your feet with a complete and full orchestra as you feel the flutter panic as the ship is dragged under.


9. Lifeboats

A hauntingly beautiful piece, pulling the listener in with tones of loneliness and trauma, and ending it out with the hymn of Nearer My God To Thee in a brave ballad of survival.


10. Every Man For Himself

A short, jarring piece with deep horns and intense strings that completely captures the mounting panic of Every Man For Himself.


11. Silence

Evocative and solitary, this track throws you into the depths of the thick silence of that fateful night with a tuneful flute line, leaving even the listener touched with the grinding sounds of the ship's metal creaking down into the icy water.


12. Survivors

Heavy and complete, this track brings back the melody from Maiden Voyage in a reflective, regretful piece showing their perseverance and how the survivors moved on.
~

Phew, boy, Adam. You've done it again. I am absolutely in love with this project Adam has going here. It is not only a creative outlet for him, but from the overflow of his creativity, other artists are allowed to burst forth. And the stream of creativity goes on.

Some of my general comments include: I love the similar melodic themes that run through it. One of my only critiques of the last score was that it didn't always feel like a cohesive piece, that the song transitions were a little rough since this is meant to be listened to all at once. However, this is seemingly a nonissue anymore, since most of the same instruments were used and the same progressions of melodies and harmonies could be found in the music, like a runaway leaving clues for us to find on a chase.

Not only does The RMS Titanic reflect perfectly the emotions of the general public but also each indiviual, but it reflects the times as well. The RMS Titanic sunk on April 15th, 1912, and the deep horns and the flutes reflected the swinging teens of the beginning of the twentieth century. This added something much more to the music that was unable to be found in the last album. You could not only feel the culture within the music, but a new story that needed to be told.

Truly, there's not enough words I can say about the beauty of Adam Young's music. You just have to go and listen to it for yourself.

~The WordShaker

Saturday, March 5, 2016

When Your Story Isn't Done With You Yet

"Sometimes, only paper will listen to you," -Pulchritude Press

A writer's gotta write.

And lately, I haven't been doing much of that.

With my novel in the beta-process and the two stories I have ideas for are sticking as well as throwing paper darts at a smooth wall, I have found myself focusing in on my blog, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

But still, I feel useless, inept, when I don't have a story to throw myself into. And even though the beta-reader process sucks more often than not, I still find myself clinging to these characters, this world. With my last novel, I found myself having a sense of catharsis, and when I got it done, the passion for it faded. I didn't have this urge that I have with this one for people to read it, for it to be polished and perfect, to get it in to people's hands.

But I can't seem to move on to another story, even while this one is in a lull concerning it's author. I guess Wyatt, Terra, and the endless desert of their lives aren't done with me.

Which is totally fine by me.

Blessing and encouragement to you all, writers!

~The WordShaker