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Lurking Musings

~ Musings of a newly published writer

Lurking Musings

Tag Archives: J.R.R Tolkien

[Vampire Month] Writing with Music by Zoe Adams

20 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Vampire Month

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Adele, Black Veil Brides, Charlie Parker, Dolly Parton, Electric Light Orchestra, Enid Blyton, Film Soundtracks, Genesis, Gladiator (2000), J.R.R Tolkien, Jeff Wayne, Mötley Crüe, Music and Writing, Noddy, Paloma Faith, Phil Collins, Pink, Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), Terrance Zdunich, The Drifters, The Hobbit, The Hunger Games (2012), War of the Worlds, Zoe Adams


I have always been surrounded by books and music from an early age. The people I have to thank for these plentiful gifts are my parents, Denise and Ian.FacebookHomescreenImage

As a child, my parents would sit on the side of my bed and read bedtime stories, ranging from classics like Enid Blyton’s Noddy books (which had previously been my older sister’s) to J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Hobbit (which is my mum’s favourite book).

Their music tastes differ greatly too. I grew up with the likes of Dolly Parton, The Drifters, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis and Phil Collins… The list though, is quite frankly, endless.

I have been writing professionally since 2010, since I started my BA (Hons) Professional Writing Course, at The Grimsby Institute. During this time, I have written a multitude of assignments, ranging from academic essays, sequential art scripts, short film scripts, short stories.

I have written these in a variety of places, ranging from university to my home. The library and open access areas are quiet places with top of the range technology, and plenty of resourceful textbooks.

During an essay last semester, we were asked to write about our working practices. Whilst undertaking the essay, I have found that I work best in my kitchen, laptop on the table, surrounded my papers and books and pens. I find it is the most comforting place, and not just because it is easy access to the kettle for a cup of tea, or the biscuit barrel.

My mum believes it to be the heart of the home. A place of safety and comfort, where everyone can reconnect after work. It is the place to sit and gossip over a cup of tea.

You can sing along to the radio or a CD whilst cooking up something.

254In my house, Magic 1161 is the radio station of choice. There is no arguing with my parents, who prefer to listen to the oldies, rather than the new manufactured music that the media produces. I have grown to like the music that plays, even though the presenters are quite annoying at times. Particularly on a Sunday afternoon – I swear the man loves the sound of his own voice.

However, the CDs often change. In my kitchen at the minute, there are small piles of disc cases, each one as different from the last. There is: Adele (my dad’s choice), Black Veil Brides (my choice) and Paloma Faith (my mum’s choice).

When I’m writing, I don’t hear the words often. I hear the notes. When the radio plays or the CDs are on, its background noise. I think it is comfort.

A lot of the students in my class enjoy listening to music whilst they write, whether academically or creatively. One girl, majoring in film and television scriptwriting, likes to listen to soundtracks. Her favourites at the minute are Gladiator (2000) and The Hunger Games (2012).

Another girl, this time majoring in prose, likes to listen to music she hasn’t heard in a while. This can range from metal group Mötley Crüe to pop sensation P!nk.

I can listen to any type of music whilst I write. I am an avid musical fan, but I also love rock and heavy metal, and music that comes from Asia. When I’m writing, I prefer to listen to whole albums, instead of hitting the Shuffle button. It has happened before when the music changed drastically and I completely lost my train of thought.

Just a few weeks ago, my mother went into the hospital for surgery. To take my mind off this, I decided to edit the rest of the novel which I am writing for university. The novel is an adult fantasy romance about Greek mythological nymphs, and the re-emergence of their mystical powers.

The music of choice that day was Jeff Wayne’s The War of the Worlds (1978). I had fallen in love with the soundtrack after seeing it performed in December last year at Sheffield Arena with my mother.

I was so focused on writing that I was able to plough through the remaining ten chapters. I didn’t hear anything my brother said to me, grindhouseoccasionally breaking to make notes on my printed manuscript.

My dad, who was in the kitchen reading, remarked that with music on I was more driven and collected, even though my pen occasionally tapped in time to the song that had been playing.

Everyone is different with their reading choices, and what genre they prefer to write. I have found that when I’m writing fantasy and horror, that rock and metal work really well. Often these pieces have some allusions to lyrics or song track titles. I’ve realised this happens more often than not lately. Here is an example of how one band has encouraged my writing.

Metal band, Black Veil Brides, have encouraged three short stories:
– Fallen Angel (a short urban horror story, due to be featured in an anthology entitled Dark Light 3 by Crushing
Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing).
– Heaven’s Calling (a short psychological horror story), and,
– Wretched and Divine (a piece of flash fiction entered for my university competition).

Charlie Parker, American jazz saxophonist and composer (1920-1955) said: “Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.”

How true is that? He is right – there is no boundary line. Look at all the genres which cross into each, and not just in fiction. It will ever be present in films. An example of blending the genres is Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008). Writer Terrance Zdunich created a musical, comedy, horror, and it is one of the most influential and thought provoking films I have seen in a long while.

I pose a question for you now readers, writers, and various other creative types to think about. Perhaps you might want to answer it…

Does music help you in your daily life? Does it inspire new, innovative pieces? Are you perhaps a musician that wants to relay a message to those around you?

Bio

Born and bred in Cleethorpes, I’m a full-time university student at The Grimsby Institute. I’m studying a BA (Hons) in Professional Writing, and I’m majoring in Prose for my final year.

I love reading and writing, and have done since I was a child. I grew up with books that stirred my sense and made me want to try it for myself.

Since 2010, I have been writing professionally for a factual reference website (The Fact Site), and freelancing for an online magazine, specialising in women’s sex, relationships, health and wellbeing (Rude Magazine).

I generally write fantasy and horror, but I have no aversion to romance, crime and history.

Location, Location, Location… Part Two: The University of Birmingham

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by D.A Lascelles in Musings

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Tags

#amwriting, BBW Romance writers, Birmingham, Birmingham UK, books, Isengard, J.R.R Tolkien, mundania press, Ninfa Hayes, Orthanc, paranormal romance, Photography, Publication, Sarehole Mill, Selly Oak, The Bristol Pear, The Curse, Transitions, University of Birmingham, writing


A few days ago, I posted about Marsden Beach and Arbeia Roman fort. Now it is time for part two of my blog posts about locations I used in Transitions.

The university is where the contemporary action of the story happens. It also happens

The blue plaque at Sarehole Mill

to be one of the (several) universities I attended and worked at in my time as a scientist. I needed a university for my characters to be attending and it seemed a convenient one to use because I knew it so well. There were other advantages too.

One was the association with J.R.R Tolkien. As pointed out in the story, Tolkien did live for some time in the West Midlands (Kings Heath, now a suburb of Birmingham), spent a lot of time visiting places like Clent and Lickey Hills (both places we used to walk our dog) and attended school at King Edward’s school. Said school is right next to the university and does indeed have a good view of the iconic tower which was potentially the inspiration for the tower of Orthanc in Isengard (Sarehole mill being another inspiration, not to mention the dark smoke of the nearby black country). This provided a wonderful opportunity for two of the characters to be pedantic geeks.

The clock tower of the University of Birmingham

The tower itself was also a great location to use for the above scene because it looks so awesome – a huge, red brick clock tower in the middle of a courtyard made from similar red brick university buildings. Ever since I arrived in Birmingham this tower, which is visible from quite a distance away, always struck me as an ideal place for an epic battle between two powerful beings.

Of course… I use it in Transitions for a fight between two students, one drunk the other possessed. It’s hardly epic, more comedic as the drunken student is hardly competent in combat and the possessed one does not care and it ends with a piece of pedantry (like all the best arguments). However, one day I will use the tower again and this time it will be even more epic…

In the university I namecheck a number of lecturers. None of these are based on lecturers I know, though some have traits which some lecturers I have had may have shared. The names of the lecturers are, however, those of friends of mine. Professor Abigail Bath is named after two friends, one a costume maker (who also took my profile photo on this site) and the other a Doctor of History (who is also acknowledged in The Curse due to her expertise in Witchcraft). Professor Hayes is also named from a friend of mine. Not, as you may think, Ninfa Hayes (who is a friend but one I hadn’t met when I was writing Transitions) but the man she married. Finally, Dr. Gallop is named after my father in law. I do feel I have to apologise to at least two of the people namechecked here as both of the lecturers they name are not shown as the best of the breed.

The final scenes of the book centre on Selly Oak which is a place with a lot of student accomodation just outside the university. Specifically, a pub called the Bristol Pear

The Bristol Pear Pub, Selly Oak

which was for a while the home of the University Goth Society’s infamous ‘Friday Night Goth Shite’ nights (or FNGS for short). I tried to portray one of these nights as accurately as possible, including the description of one of the DJs. Unfortunately, FNGS (which was later joined by SNGS, no prizes for guessing what that means) is no longer based at the Pear but when I left Birmingham it was still going strong at a cocktail bar closer to the city centre. It may still be going somewhere. I like to think that someone in Birmingham can still wander into a small pub or cocktail bar somewhere and still find a goth night run by a student society.

So, there is a short tour of some of the Birmingham locations used in Transitions. Next up will be Aqua Sulis.

Note, unlike the previous article, none of the photographs here were taken by me. All credit for them belongs with the original artists who took them.

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