Tag: write

romantic couple standing face to face in the woods

Eight Days of Christmas—Playlist

starlawrites

We are only a week until the release of my debut, Eight Days of Christmas!!! I’m feeling All The Emotions already. From anxiety to excitement, to appreciation and apprehension. I know as the days draw nearer and on release day—October 19th—the emotions will be stronger. But I’m reminding myself to cling to the joy of this accomplishment, of this dream coming true, of this moment because I’ve worked so incredibly hard to get here.

In an effort to cling to the joy of this process, I’m inviting you to join with me in going deeper into the world of Eight Days of Christmas! I’ve already shared with you the inspiration behind a lot of the book in my last post, now I’m going to share with you the beloved playlist I created.

Each song I chose to add to the Eight Days of Christmas playlist was added for a reason. Some were monumental reasons, and others not so much. I wanted a playlist that would give me the vibe I needed to stay in the fictional town of Pineridge, Colorado, and New York, as well as second-chance romance, and a wedding.

The most important song on the playlist, and the one that inspired my story: Greatest Love Story by LANCO. It’s a song by a country band and the lyrics are about a second-chance romance. Similar to the story of Isabella and Leo—who dated through high school and college before breaking up, going their separate ways and then are reunited for their siblings’ Christmas wedding and realize those old feelings are still there.

  1. Greatest Love Story by LANCO
  2. That Don’t Sound Like You by Lee Brice
  3. Springsteen by Eric Church
  4. Singles You Up by Jordan Davis
  5. Colorado Christmas by MountainCity
  6. Marry Me by Train
  7. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
  8. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble
  9. Last Christmas by Wham!
  10. Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill
  11. Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld
  12. Eyes On You by Chase Rice
  13. What Ifs by Kane Brown
  14. Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt
  15. Rumor by Lee Brice
  16. You Broke Up With Me by Walker Hayes
  17. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Sam Smith
  18. Please Come Home for Christmas by Eagles
  19. Better Days by The Goo Goo Dolls
  20. One Man Band by Old Dominion
  21. I Don’t Know About You by Chris Lane
  22. Break Up with Him by Old Dominion
  23. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
  24. ME! by Taylor Swift
  25. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
  26. Marry Me by Thomas Rhett
  27. Please Come Home for Christmas by Kelly Clarkson
  28. You’re Not Alone by Boyz II Men
  29. Mercy by Shawn Mendes
  30. This Christmas by Mary J. Blige
  31. Someone Like You by David Nail
  32. Smokin’ and Drinkin’ by Miranda Lambert
  33. All I Want For Christmas by Liam Payne
  34. That Spirit of Christmas by Blue Water Highway
  35. Bells by Audrey Assad
  36. Make It to Christmas by Alessia Cara
  37. You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton
  38. It Don’t Hurt Like it Used to by Billy Currington
  39. Written in the Sand by Old Dominion
  40. Backroad Song by Granger Smith
  41. Born to Love You by LANCO
  42. Hometown Girl by Josh Turner
  43. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
  44. Best Shot by Jimmie Allen
  45. Take It From Me by Jordan Davis
  46. Dance with Me by Morgan Evans
  47. Down Home Runs Deep by Chase Rice
  48. Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
  49. Photograph by Ed Sheeran
  50. Remember You Young by Thomas Rhett
  51. The Christmas Song by Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello
  52. Mistletoe by Justin Bieber

As I drafted this book, revised, edited, went through copy edits, I listened to this playlist on REPEAT haha! Yes, this is a Christmas/wintry themed book, however the playlist contains a multitude of genres. I hope you’ll check it out. Especially if you’re anticipating the release of Eight Days of Christmas! Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/211JCIXad5Z3vpqKJ7WNZa

Where Did My Inspiration Come From—Eight Days of Christmas?

starlawrites

I find inspiration all over. There is beauty and a storyline everywhere, just waiting to be written. Sometimes an idea comes to me fully formed and wrapped up with a bow. And other times—not so much. My process is usually to write out character sheets and a 1-3 page synopsis before I begin writing. I’ve written one manuscript with fully plotted scene cards. It was one of the cleanest first drafts I have ever written. The problem? I ended up falling short on word count and going back in and re-drafting it and adding in a second POV. Most of the time, I’m so anxious to begin drafting a story, that I don’t even have time to come up with every character name, or what their hair color is or even something big like their biggest flaw. I often find that when I’m drafting, my characters will flesh themselves out as I go and as I learn them more.

Plot: The inspiration for Eight Days of Christmas came when I first had the idea to write a holiday romance story. Christmas is my favorite holiday and it’s always been special to my family with lots of together time and traditions. I thought it would be so fun to combine traditions with lots of family time and what happens when family is spending so much time together. I had recently watched Sweet Home Alabama and came away from it with all the feels. It’s one of my favorite romcoms. The writing of both, the enemies-to-lovers and the second-chance-romance is pure genius. I thought, what if I wrote a book that had similar vibes and gave readers all those same feelings I get when I watch that movie? But have it be at Christmastime.

Character Names: Leo and Isabella’s names came to me quickly and as soon as I labeled these two characters, I never changed them. And I always knew that Isabella would be nicknamed Izzy and that would be a part of the story as well, how a nickname can be so important when called it by a special person. I had this vivid picture in my mind of Isabella, dark hair and eyes, a turned-up nose, a strong woman. For Leo, I had pictured someone tall, and I knew he was a former hockey player, so he had a nice physique. In my mind, he also had dark hair and eyes. And a perpetually three-day beard.

I have a note in my note’s app with name ideas for future manuscripts. I keep a list of first names and last names. But I never had to open my app for these two. I actually had Leo’s brother’s name—Landon—picked out right away too. Leo and Landon seemed to go well together and for the appearance of his characters as well. I’ve only known Landon’s in real life who are nice guys, and this Landon is not the exception. Though he has a bit of a player’s personality, so I pictured him being an attractive guy. Too attractive for his own good. Isabella’s siblings’ names Norah and Finn came to me quickly as well. But Finn took the longest. It was hard to find a name for the girls’ brother that went well with Isabella and Norah. I pictured Norah as a little taller than Isabella, sienna-brown hair, slender, and a bit like the actress Zoey Deutch.

Playlist: Music is a HUGE inspiration to me. And with this book, that was no exception. Part of the second-chance-romance was inspired by one song. Yep, you read that right. Now regardless of your feelings on country music, I believe they can tell a fulfilling story in about three minutes. So country songs are almost always on my book playlists. You guessed it; the song is a country song. Greatest Love Story by LANCO. If you don’t know the song, it’s about a couple that are teenagers and opposites but they are in love. The two go their separate ways when she goes to college and he stays in their hometown. She dates someone else until she returns and they realize there is still something there between them. It’s such a sweet and catchy song. Besides that one song, there are about fifty more songs on my book playlist. Feel free to check them out under: Eight Days of Christmas, account name: Starla_writes.

Setting: Pineridge is a fictional town in Colorado. I knew I wanted Leo and Isabella’s hometown to be a small town and since this book was going to be set at Christmas, it needed to be snowy and mountainous. In my mind, I pictured somewhere like Breckenridge, Vail, or Aspen Colorado. But I also included some inspo from the shopping in my own town that’s also a resort town near a mountain. Plus inspo from growing up in Canada, the deep snow, and the ice rink at my elementary school.

Again, there is inspiration everywhere. In the shows and movies I watch, the music I listen to, the people I follow on social media, my day job, travel, even a trip to the grocery store can spark creativity. You never know where a story idea could be lurking.

To see my inspiration Pinterest board for this book, please visit: https://www.pinterest.com/starlawrites/book-eight-days-of-christmas/

How Songs Inspire Writing

starlawrites

Have you ever had a song touch you in a way that you’ve been inspired to write how it made you feel? There’s a song by a country artist I continued to hear on the radio every time I was with my husband in the truck. I remember telling him, not only how much I loved the song, but how catchy it was and most important, it told a full length story in a matter of a few minutes.

I said, “How can a country song tell a story in a few minutes and sometimes I have a hard time doing it in 80,000 words?” His response, “I challenge you to write a novel based on one song.”

Within minutes, a story formed in my head–not fully detailed, but the basics–and that’s all I needed. I said, “Challenge accepted.”

That story turned out to be my 2018 Nanowrimo project I originally had titled as Eight Days of Christmas–an adult romcom, with a comp title of Sweet Home Alabama and the song Greatest Love Story by Lanco.

Because of the revisions needed for a different project I had on submission at the time, I had to set this one aside. At one point during Covid-19/quarantine, I picked it up again. I revised it, revised it again, sent it out to beta readers and CP’s, and edited the project again. It’s currently my secret project that has been bringing me joy during these, sometimes dark and uncertain times.

The Pitch: Isabella hasn’t celebrated her family’s tradition since she broke Leo’s heart six years ago. Now, she must return to her hometown in Colorado for her sister’s wedding and spend eight days completing holiday activities with the guy she still hates to love.

Here’s the song that inspired this story: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aHl0tlUYDBI

Here’s the Pinterest board for this story: https://www.pinterest.com/starlawrites/book-lets-meet-in-between/

Have you been inspired by a particular song? In what way? Has it inspired your writing? Prompted a particular story? I’d love to hear about it!

Is There Something You’d Like To Say, Karen? (Tips for Writers-On Surviving the holiday with family)

starlawrites

The holiday season is quickly approaching. For most, that brings mixed emotions. While there’s often sadness over loved ones who are no longer with us, whether by choice or death, there can also be old grudges or ongoing family feuds. Spending time with family and loved ones can be difficult and wonderful and awkward. If your family is aware of your art/creative outlet/writing, you’re vulnerable for every nuance.

I’ve been blessed to have many supportive relatives. Some ask me how my pursuit to traditional publication is going, how my current project is going or what it is about, or they tell me to not give up and they’re impressed with my perseverance. For me, I find it comforting when people ask me questions about how things are going. It makes me feel as if they care and are truly supportive of my goals and dreams. Lately, I’ve been finding that since it’s been a few years since I’ve been back into writing seriously, some family members are over it, or bored. But what those people don’t understand, (because they haven’t asked) is a journey to traditional publishing is often long.

If I find myself frustrated by *family over the holiday, I tend to go quiet. Sometimes it’s necessary to isolate myself as well. Taking time by myself can help me regroup. People who don’t understand the industry or the process, don’t really understand either, 1.) why publication takes so long, and 2.) why do I keep going. Yes, traditional publication is the goal, but writing is therapeutic and a passion that has always been inside of me. So regardless if I ever get traditionally published or not, it’s important for me to reiterate to family that I’m not planning to give up on writing.

What can you do if you find yourself in the “hot” seat?

-If your relative is giving you a hard time about “still doing that whole writing thing”; force them to sit there and listen to an hour of you educating them on the process of traditional publishing.

-Be prepared to give an explanation of “why don’t you just self publish?”; while I both respect and support authors who self publish, it’s not for everyone. So be prepared to have an explanation for why this isn’t for you. And if you don’t have one, maybe self-publishing is right for you (?).

-If they ask you, “why don’t you just quit?”; for me, quitting isn’t an option. Writing is a form of “self care”. Quitting would’t be good for my disorders like anxiety and depression. It’s important they know that you have set a goal and you intend to work hard at accomplishing that goal to prove it to yourself. Also, for me, I want to show my kids that with hard work and perseverance, dreams can come true. Find your reasons and list them.

-You can also go with the, “give it to them straight” approach; if you’re outspoken, tell your family members exactly what you want to and need to. Be firm and concise. You shouldn’t have to walk on eggshells. They’re your family. If they don’t love you and can’t be supportive, that’s on them.

-You can also go with the, “isolation” approach; for some people it’s easier to keep your mouth shut and make nice and isolate yourself during a holiday gathering. While it’s disappointing if this is the case, this could be the healthiest approach for you. You need to protect yourself and your art. Take care of your mental health.

Good luck to all of my fellow creators. May you have a wonderful time celebrating with your loved ones and treasuring all you’ve been blessed with and are grateful for.

*To my family who thinks this post was inspired by you; it wasn’t. This is not about you 😉

Benefits of Writing by Hand

starlawrites

There is something about writing by hand that I find therapeutic. When I have a pen in my hand and a new, blank notebook in front of me, it takes me back to when I first began writing. It reminds me of the joy and love I felt long ago. As the words bleed from my fingertips, it feels raw and thrilling. The ideas seem to flow faster than when I type. Sometimes I cross things out as I go or add to the margins. I find that my best and cleanest first drafts are the ones I write by hand.

My typical process: Hand write first draft, type second draft into the app/program *Storyist, then email it to myself and create a Word document.

I find that if I’m feeling either stuck or uninspired, writing by hand helps get the creative juices moving again. Next time you’re feeling that way, maybe give it a try.

*Storyist; is a program that is similar to Scrivener though I’ve heard it is a bit more user friendly and a bit cheaper. I love it because it formats your manuscript correctly so it’s professional and clean and ready to submit to agents or publishers. https://storyist.com

To Write or Not to Write?

starlawrites

Somewhere along the way, someone gave the advice that to be a “Real” writer, you have to write every day. Sure, if you’ve read *Stephen King’s book On Writing I believe he does say something along these lines. But mostly I think what he was trying to convey is that, to become a better writer you have to actually write. I know, what a concept, right? I mean, if your goal is to run a marathon you should probably start by putting in place a running routine that will build your strength and longevity so you’re ready to actually run a marathon.

Same thing goes with writing. Regardless if your goal is to write a full length novel, a short story, or poetry. If you want to get better at it, you need to practice, condition it. Stephen King goes on to share in his book that he writes every day, including his birthday. If you’ve been writing for any length of time, I think it’s safe to say, that’s impressive. No matter how determined you are, (and I like to think that I am) burnout, writer’s block and mental health condition are real things.

To write well, you also have to take care of yourself and your mind. Everyone needs a break once in a while. Take a self care day if you feel you need it and try not to feel guilty about it. Sometimes just a walk outside, a shower, meeting a friend for coffee can help without taking a full day off. Sometimes writers need a full week or a month or a year. Take the time you need. Your story and your creativity will thank you.

If you need to hear this: You’re still a “Real” writer even if you don’t write every day.

*Stephen King’s book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is actually fascinating and I highly recommend.