“Earrings Before the Outfit” and other Habits that are Hard to Break…

I have a terrible habit and it’s a very OLD habit. In fact, it’s become my shopping “motto”.

Me, in black button earrings and
matching yellow/black plaid pants.

          When I need a new outfit, first I go find the jewelry I want to wear, and then I work it from there.

Unfortunately, this motto of mine has spilled over into my writing. But first, let me explain how this started…

I’m blaming it on the 1980s.

Shucks, I might as well place all the burden of my problems on the Deb stores. Remember those?  In the ‘80s they had the best of the fads. Stripes and dots, sugary-colored pants and shirts, dresses with big ties or bows--Sound familiar?

The problem was I couldn’t really afford every outfit I craved or “needed” to pass as a fashion-savvy teenager.

It wasn’t that I didn’t have jobs. I had money. But I wasn’t up to spending it all frivolously on frocks that I knew were going to be in one minute and out the next.

Instead, I flittered across the mall to the next place I’m going to blame—Claire’s. You know this store, with the fashionably-cheap jewelry. I can’t think of a single time I’ve been in a mall that didn’t have one of these chain stores.

At Claire’s, I could always afford a pair of earrings. ALWAYS. The earrings represented the inspiration for my next, best outfit. And thus, my motto became: If I have the right earrings, I’ll find the perfect outfit to go with them!

My motto has worked for me for decades! In fact, sometimes if I’m lucky, I can find TWO outfits to match a lovely piece of costume jewelry. (Jewelry hording is a completely separate story…)

The motto worked until now.

What started as a simple phrase became a way of thinking. If it worked to buy earrings first, maybe it would work to by the floor mats before the car? Maybe if I had the right pots/pans before I tried the recipe? And what about that story I’m writing?—Put a title down first, then write it.

See my problem?

Titles don’t work that way. In fact, I’m not sure exactly how they work. I’m completely stuck on this now and it’s tearing my entire thought process of the past 30 years to shreds!

For all my WIPs, I started my writing with a few basic things—characters, problems and working titles. In the past, this formula worked. But now, it doesn’t.

In fact I hate the working title of my current story. HATE it! But like those earrings I bought last week and then the outfit I bought to go with them, I’m having a hard time trashing it.

I’m a mental mess!

In my mind, there is the irrational fear that if I get rid of the title, my story is going to have to change somehow.  And as I’m finishing up my revisions, I know that this is probably true.

The story has changed.

As much as it feels like I’m giving up my “inspiration” for this story, I’m going to have to find a new “match” to accessorize it with.

Besides, as we all know, the outfit is always more valuable.

Writers out there, what would you do?

For me, I think it’s time to go shopping…

The Power of Music

I got the music in me…

...Well, at least it’s on my iPod (which is PRACTICALLY an extension of my hipbone or shoulder, depending where I decide to “hook” it today). And it’s a beautiful day in the Midwest. One worthy of a long morning drive in my convertible with my dog… and the radio.

First let me explain a bit. Like most people, I’m pretty easy to decode within ten minutes. I prefer the woods to water. I’m artsy. I’m a bit off-center. I don’t like being “boxed” in.

And MUSIC moves me...

Inspires me. It takes me places pictures can’t. Music can cause change. Music is powerful!

The long and winding drive this morning happened in part because a song came on the radio. If you are like me, even if you are mere seconds away from your driveway, a good song can make you rethink your stop.

The song that created that diversion today was “Same Love” by Macklamore. It’s a beautiful song.

Recently, I downloaded the entire album, The Heist, to my iTunes. But before this album, I bet there wasn’t one rap song on my playlist. (Okay, maybe “Ice-ice, Baby” but that’s only because I was in college when it came out.)

I love nearly everything on this album. It’s bouncy, it’s energetic, and for the most part, it’s about story-telling.

But from the moment I heard, “Same Love”, I knew it was part of one of my story’s playlist.

The song, for those unfamiliar, shares the story of same-sex relations. Apparently the team of Ryan Lewis and Ben Haggerty wrote the song in support of equal rights laws in Washington state.

Give or take your personal views on marriage etc., what I heard in the song was “LOVE”. Unconditional. Non-judgmental. Simple-LOVE.

Maybe it’s Mary Lambert’s soulful hook, “I can’t change. Even if I tried. Even if I wanted too.” Whatever it is, it works for my story.

The manuscript I’ve attached this song to, one that is dear to my heart, is not about gay relations. It’s about friendship. The story is about a friendship with all the trappings and complications of society. The main characters are two preteen boys and a slightly older girl from different social classes.

Essentially, the story boils down to the depths of platonic relationships. And Walla! The song, “Same Love” fits for my purposes.

There are other songs that work for my WIP too. But this is my favorite.

I’ve made playlists for each of my WIPs. I have ‘20s and ‘30s music for a historical fiction. There are e-pop songs for a dystopian manuscript.

But like most writers I know, music can be distracting to listen to while in the actual writing stage. I use music for inspiration. It’s motivational to me for times I am wrestling with those deep, internal conversations with characters and story development. Music can set the mood. It can relate and recreate a time period. It can create a specific space and place for my characters.

Are there certain songs that you use when writing? If not, perhaps it’s time to search Pandora. Plop in key words that relate to your theme, characters, or setting and see what comes up!

It might be exactly what you need to get the story rolling!