I've never been a huge book listener. Reader? Yes. But no one has read me a story in... two decades-ish. Based on that very precise time frame, I can assure you it's been a while. All that changed Sunday afternoon.
On Saturday, a wise woman in my writers group suggested I listen to Twilight via CD. Since my WIP is also in first person, she thought it might help me to hear--versus, read--how much time Meyer spends in Bella's head. Always up for a library visit, I checked out the CD two hours later with plans to listen to it the next afternoon.
When I got home Sunday, I stared at the CD for a long moment. How exactly was I supposed to do this? Should I sit at the table? Lie on the couch? Hmmm... Mulling over this highly important decision, I made a glass of lemonade and chose the couch.
CD in place, I pressed play on my circa-1990 boom box and listened as a smooth woman's voice began the tale. Meyer's words lulled me into her world, and I closed my eyes to get a better picture. But that felt weird. I obviously don't close my eyes while reading. Keeping them open, however, also felt weird because I had no idea where to look. I tried gazing out the window, but we have lots of wasps in the courtyard; I kept wondering where their nest was hidden. Distracts easily? Um, yes.
In the end, I discovered that I enjoy closing my eyes while entering a new world. Too bad you can't swing that with paper books. I also discovered how often Meyer spends time inside Bella's head. What richness that adds to a story. Writing exercise successful!
What about you guys? Any writing exercises that nudged you out of your comfort zone?
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21 comments:
Interesting I may have to try this.
Thanks!
Ooh, great idea. I'm a huge fan of making playlists for my characters. I have one that I put on while I'm writing. I find the songs remind me of what the character is feeling. :)
I can't handle audio books because it seems like it either takes me out of the book or the voices give away parts that shouldn't be revealed. Like, the bad guy's voice is darker sounding so you always know he's the bad guy, even if it's supposed to be a surprise reveal at the end.
This sounds very cool. I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to resist the urge to multi-talk. It's great that you were able to just take in the "writing lesson" and enjoy the story! My book is also in first person. I'm learning a lot about what works, and also what's more challenging, with that voice. I'm even considering writing a few chapters in 3rd person, now that I have seen inside my character's mind and felt her emotions closely. Anyway, thanks for the idea!
Great idea!
The most recent thing I can think of that's pushed me out of my comfort zone was not allowing myself to revise as I worked on a first draft. I learned a ton!
i got through high school by listening to my books on tape! i'm such a slow reader so i never had the patience... but once i started listening, i LOVED it. life of pi is really good on tape.
Christine Danek: I highly recommend it!
Lindsay (a.k.a. Isabella): I don't make playlists, but I do have a Pandora station for my character.
Avitable: Yeah, I could see that. If I were reading Twilight aloud, I would probably sound more angsty than necessary.
Molly Hall: Hmmm... that could be a cool switch. Good luck!
Dawn Simon: Love it! I have the same rule.
molly YEH!: Thanks for the recommendation!
I've never listened to an audio book but I love your idea of closing your eyes to let yourself get immersed. I might try that! Meyer does spend a lot of time in Bella's head. I loved that about the novel! You're right it did add a richness to it.
interesting. It's great thing to do while doing something else like draqing etc.. :) nice blog.
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Heather: Yes, big fan of closing the eyes. I think that's key. ;)
Claire: Thanks for visiting!
I've never listened to an audio book. In the past I've given up after a few minutes. The problem is that I think I can multi-task while listening to one, the same way I do other things when watching TV or listening to the radio. I might have to try it again some day since I like your description.
I haven't done that for years! Must try it again, if only to listen to how the reader changes his / her voice for the different characters. I struggle with things like that when reading out loud.
Medeia Sharif: I felt the urge to multi-task too. Maybe it's a woman thing. :)
DJ Kirkby: Thanks for the follow! That sounds like a cool exercise too.
My favorite part of the post was when you were wondering where the wasp nest was...I love it! Probably because I can relate to getting distracted oh so well :) Sorry, I don't any substantial "writing
related comments" to share.
Huh. That's pretty interesting. I don't think I've listened to a book since I started writing. I should listen to one and see if my perspective is different too.
RosebudWitt: Haha, I love that you relate to my distracted tendencies.
Jennifer Shirk: I highly recommend it!
Oh neat! Sounds like you enjoyed it. I actually only listened to audio books once. I really did enjoy it though!
T. Anne: Thanks for visiting!
I used to listen to books on cd in the car a lot. I think that's how I heard "Twilight."
I know Stephenie Meyer listened to music for inspiration and several of those bands are on the movie soundtracks. She admits she can tell a story but isn't that great at writing. My complaint about her writing is that she's very repetitive. I think her books could've been about 100 pages shorter each if repeated phrases and adjectives were cut out. It really annoyed me to hear his body being compared to a god or a statue a million times. It made me wonder about writing and if I'd be able to remember I'd already used certain terminology with a book so long.
Also, Stephen King's Dark Tower Series audiobooks begin being read by Frank Muller who does all the character voices and made it awesome. He was injured in an accident and the rest of the novels are read by another guy who is not so great. I think I immediately cared much less for the characters once the new guy read them.
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