Write Your Way to a Better Life

I've asked a friend of mine, Tricia Drammeh, fellow blogger and the author of The Claiming Words (due to be released in late August) to do a guest post for the blog. You will be able to get all her information about her and her book at the end of this post.

I’ve often heard that an author’s first book is partly autobiographical. I think there’s some truth to this. There’s a piece of ourselves in all our characters. Without disputing the validity of the autobiographical theory, I’d like to offer another theory as well:

Writing gives the author a chance to rewrite his or her life. As writers, we have an opportunity to take a piece our ourselves, add all those qualities we wish we had, and create the perfect hero—or ultimate villain. We can conquer seemingly insurmountable challenges without ever leaving the comfort of our own homes. We can write a new life and live it through our characters.

Don’t buy my theory? Well, consider the number of books featuring a heroine who scores the hottest guy in school. Or, characters who at the beginning of the novel have never quite fit in with the popular crowd, but soon discover powers they never knew they had. The nerd turned spy? The outcast who suddenly finds herself embroiled in a love triangle where enigmatic immortals fight to win her affections? Magic, super powers, and psychic abilities abound. What do these scenarios have in common? The average girl or guy is secretly special, unique, one-of-a-kind.

This seems to be a popular formula, particularly in young adult or paranormal romance novels. Probably the most successful example of the use of this formula is the Harry Potter series. Harry was the ultimate underdog, and when JK Rowling plucked him from a life of abuse and neglect, gave him magical gifts, and delivered him into a world where he was the hero, readers cheered. Was there a little bit of JK in her character? Did she become a part of Hogwarts the moment she placed her fingers on the keyboard? 

I’ve tried to use the “Harry Potter formula” in my own young adult fantasy series, The Claiming Words. I love writing about the underdog. I love giving the shy, introverted girl a chance to win the guy every other girl wants. I love transforming the ordinary to the extraordinary. When I create a character, I can live through them, even if it’s only for a while.

As authors, we can see the world through the eyes of our favorite characters. We can be good or evil. Intelligent and strong. Magically gifted, or the girl next door. We can survive by our wits. We can be tall or short, rich or poor, outspoken or shy. We can become everything we’ve always wanted to be. We can write our characters into trouble, give them the tools to overcome their challenges, and write them out of trouble by the end of the book.

We can write our way to a better life.

Tricia Drammeh is the author of The Claiming Words and The Fifth Circle. She currently lives with her family in St Charles, Missouri. The historic district is within walking distance and with every footstep down the brick-paved, haunted Main Street, she is transported to another time and her imagination takes flight. When she isn't writing, she can be found reading, drinking vast amounts of coffee, or hanging out with the multitude of animals who have taken over her home.
http://www.blog.triciadrammeh.com/
The Claiming Words
The Fifth Circle

Weekly Musical Diversity Challenge

Last week we dealt with summer music list. This week it's all about Irish music with two groups in mind. The first group is Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder, yes I know, the last group sounds like a group of strippers or exotic dancers or whatever they call themselves these days but their not. Just like Celtic Woman, Celtic Thunder is a pretty good group. So sit back and enjoy listening too these two groups. Up first is Celtic Woman....

The Call
Mo Ghile Mear
Scarborough Fair
Spanish Lady
May It Be (From Lord of the Rings trilogy)
Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)
Dulaman
Siuil a Run
The Butterfly




Celtic Thunder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJScrN183Io
Steal Away
A Place in the Choir
A Bird Without Wings
Song for the Mira
The Maid of Culmore
When You are Eighteen
Isle of Hope Isle of Tears
Lough Swilly Railway

Weekly Musical Diversty Challenge

Last weeks challenge was listening to music from the Big Band era. This weeks challenge is a little different. This weeks challenge is about summer. Just like books, music has summer listening list. So I compiled a list of ten must listen to songs for summer. (Note: these songs are songs that I consider worthy of listening to during the summer.) We'll begin off with a video that we all know well and is played by every student at the end of the last day at school... Schools out for summer by Alice Cooper.

Black Water - Doogie Brothers
Surfin USA - Beach Boys
In the summertime
Summer in the City - The Loving Spoonful
Surfin' Bird - Trashmen
The Birds & The Bees - Jewel Akens
Hawaii Five-O Theme Song
Good Vibrations - Beach Boys
Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft

weekly musical Diversity Challenge

Last week the challenge was listening too Bond, an all girl group that put a new spin on classical music. This week we are taking a little trip back into time before I was even born. To a time when my mom was just a little girl, it was called the Big Band era. The time between the 1st and 2nd world wars and during the 2nd world war. It was a time before the modern TV, where everyone gathered around the radio and believe it or not, even had shows aired over the radio like Bing Cosby Entertians, Gunsmoke (before it aired on TV) and Batman (also before it aired on TV). Granted I never heard any of these shows in audio but I had gotten to learn about them through my mother and from a few of her friends. But let's get back to the music aspect of all of this.

Back then it seems that music was more of a family thing than it is today. It wasn't all about the music conveying a message about a particular theme or shock value or even how racy a song can get. It was about how it gathered a family together in troubling times and made them forget about what was going on in the world. So with no further adui, here are a few songs from the big band era starting with my favorite, the Andrews Sisters...

Weekly Musical Diversty Challenge

In my last post i talked about how my dad & brother got me to listen too difrent types of music. So I got to thinking, I could do the same thing each week. So I challenge each of you who reads this blog to listen to a different style of music each week. This week's selection of music is from an all band of girls called Bond, who does a modern take of classical music. Enjoy...