Sometimes I Need Visual Stimulation

B. A. Binns here. I took a screenwriting course from Michael Hauge two years ago and learned why many authors do not write the screenplay when their novels are adapted for film. I also learned to stimulate my muse by watching a movie unfold, seeing the stages and cataloging the checkpoints.

I began this month in a rut with not one but two different books, the sequel to PULL, my Young Adult Contemporary, and an adult Romantic Suspense novel. I was in massive writer’s block with both, so this past weekend I took myself away from the computer and to the movies to give my mind a break. I chose action flics and got energized instead of relaxed. And I learned two great things I’ll use in my future writing.

 The value of nostalgia

Captain America, the First Avenger was a double walk down memory lane. I’m a baby boomer, born after the triumphant return of a veteran, so I don’t exactly remember World War II. But it was prominent in my American History classes. And I grew up reading Captain America comics. I consider this movie an example of a historical the way they should be.  Added bonus, it almost makes me wish I’d paid more attention in school, if only to laugh at where they bend history just a trifle. (Maybe more than a trifle)

The virtue of mixing genre’s 

Will someone tell me why I didn’t think of the idea behind Cowboy’s and Aliens myself? The two genre's worked well together, and not just because of the charisma of the male leads. It could easily have been named Cowboys and Outlaws and Indians and Aliens and not only did the battle scenes and brave heros from the wild west energize me, the movie left me flowing with ideas for other genre blending tales.

And I guarantee the image of Daniel Craig in the cowboy shower will be in my head when I create the hero for my next book.

My  muse thanks me

I know the visual media of movies is not the same as the print media of books. But we both want to do the same things, entertain our customers and make them want to come back for more. And sometimes my muse really needs a good visual kick-start.  I don’t know whether it was the visual eye candy or just watching so many bad guys get what they deserved, but I’m back to pouring out the pages.

Leave me a comment and tell me how you get your own muse in gear. Just what you’re looking for in books and movies to for relaxation and entertainment yourself.

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Feeding My Muse

The muse, at least mine is like a spoiled little brat. If I don't listen to her and feed her regularly she can get cranky. Yes I know the muse; at least my muse is female.
Luckily the brat is easy to feed.
But you never know when she'll strike, excuse, me, get hungry. She's irregular and if I waited for her I wouldn't get any writing done. You know the image of the writer or the artist waiting for the muse to strike? FANTASY.
But if you give the muse a good steady diet of items she will never do you wrong. How do you do that?
In addition to my critique group and my RWA chapter I check out blogs, especially review blogs.
I write romantic suspense and cozy mysteries, my cozies have a paranormal edge to them. I read in whatever genre I am currently writing in. At the moment it's cozies.
My muse forces me to keep my eyes open at all time. We may see something or hear something that will strike a story idea.
I'm a junkie for those books that show everyday life in certain periods of time. Also what I call garbage brain books, those ones that will show you a bunch of allegedly useless tidbits of information but somewhere in there may be the germ of my next book. My husband and his mother are both former reference librarians. my mother in law is the one who calls herself a garbage brain. The books are filled with all kinds of tidbits they have sitting in the back of their brains. If something sparks a story idea I can relay on them for further information on the subject.
My muse also likes to pop up in unexpected ways. On a trip to see my dad we decided to take our time and drive along a road where there was several used bookstores. This was a very wide road leading down to Cape Cod in Massachusetts. As we are driving I turned to my husband and said, "I wonder what would happen if a revolutionary war soldier suddenly found himself on this road." That started us playing what if? It went on for a while, even when we stopped to have lunch. However I think all our talk of guns and murder scared an older couple who moved to the other side of the restaurant, far away from us.
My muse has no tact.
That story idea is in a file called story seed and I'll bring it up one day and do something with it. One of those days when my muse decides to go on vacation. Until then she requires a steady diet of information, either from reading or from things that happen around us.
And chocolate of course, she's a sucker for chocolate.