I’m wearing out ‘Shawshank Redemption’ and ‘Transformers’ at the moment. ‘Transformers’ could single-handedly get me through the rest of the Epic series.

Have you heard “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford?”

Can we say, excellent writing music?

Dang.

I haven’t heard the Transformer’s soundtrack, but some great soundtracks out there are, “Blackhawk Down”, “Crimson Tide” (That offers a chilling rendition of “Eternal Father Strong to Save”, “V for Vendetta”, ironically enough even if the movie sucked, “The Da Vinci Code”.

Really inspiring pieces.

It’s been wonderful discussing this stuff. Please don’t lose touch!

Music is definitely my primary source of motivation. I recently did a school presentation where I talked about my musical habits in reference to writing. I’ll play a certain song (sometimes on repeat) that really sparks thoughts of whatever scene I’m writing, then I’ll pace back and forth sometimes for thirty minutes or more. On occasion, if I’m “in the zone,” I’ll move my arms like a composer with the music because I’m so into the scene in my mind. Other times, I’ll actually act out the part of whatever character I’m writing, as if I were his/her real actor during rehearsal. It’s as close to method acting as an author can get. It’s hard to explain to anyone non-artistic in nature, but for powerful scenes, I literally become whatever character I’m writing. Then I just write. I can sometimes pop off five or six thousand words at a time this way.

The kind of music I listen to is varied to the point of being ridiculous. Here are a few bands/albums, to name a few: Gladiator OST, Meet Joe Black OST, Disney’s Dinosaur OST (Thomas Newman and Hans Zimmer are my favorite composers by far), Shawshank Redemption OST, Russian National Music, E.S. Posthumus, Breaking Benjamin, Metallica, Muse, Goo Goo Dolls, Newsboys, Skillet, Mercy Me, Brooks and Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Jay-Z, Nelly, and yes, even a little Avril Lavigne and Paramore. I’ve recently attached myself solidly to the Transformers OST by Steve Jablonsky. It’s absolutely amazing in terms of heroic anthems.

It’s hard for me to write without coffee, so I’ll throw that in as well. I can pull it off, but unless I have a cup o’ joe to at least give me a mental jump start, it’s oftentimes a lesson in frustration.

In all seriousness though, thanks for sharing the story of your lady Brooking. As I mentioned before, it’s nice to know that I am not too crazy when it comes to letting inspiration take control. I do think if Shannon tries to tell me she wants a sex change sometime later in the story, I may have to put my foot down. It would mean disaster for our dear Michael Collins!

Now, I know that in Interview #1, you mentioned that you have a “passion for creation”. If I were to get more specific; do you have a muse(s)? Or are you the type of author who never gets stuck on a sentence as to look for your motivation in other places? I know authors who use specific types of music, go and take a walk or use the remembrance of a love’s kiss to fight off writer’s block. For me it’s; the thought of ‘true romance’ while sipping jasmine tea and listening to soundtracks of movies that I love.

Edited: Yes, I know. I’m corny.

You aren’t necessarily wrong.

Kate,

First and foremost, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed keeping up with your letters. They’re original and entertaining on a very personal level, and you do a knockout job with the reading. I could say that same thing for all the readings you’ve done, Pete’s included. Your dramatic podcasts are, quite simply, the best I’ve ever heard. Please keep it up.

Concerning inspiration besting preparation…in my own writing experience, I can think of no better example than the character Esther Brooking from Epic. I know you haven’t read the series yet, so you have no idea who she is – it won’t matter for this. Here’s her -very- abbreviated story…it has spoilers, but they’re minimal to the point of no consequence. This shouldn’t hurt anyone who is going to read the book.

I had plans to introduce a new character into ‘Outlaw Trigger’, a female soldier by the name of Lisa Tiffin. To be honest, I just wanted a change of pace. There were enough male soldiers about, and I wanted a girl to have some fun with some guns. So I created Lisa, a simple white soldier from the U.S.A.

One day, as I was out and about in the real world, I happened to lock eyes with a girl for a very brief moment. She was a young, attractive black woman, but it was the look she gave me that truly stood out. To put it nicely, she looked like she’d had a very bad day and her eyes were taking it out on me. As is often the case, Epic had been on my mind (it always is). Right then, an interesting character template struck me: a woman who knows she’s something special, but on the inside has a bit of a “jealous / posh” streak. Immediately, Lisa Tiffin was being recreated in my mind.

She went from white to black, for no reason other than it happened to be a black girl who’d sparked the inspiration. Being as few can pull off proper posh like a Brit, she became a native of Cambridge. To justify her awareness of self-ability, she was upgraded from soldier to scout (the special forces of my series’ military). Lastly, the name Lisa Tiffin was changed. Esther Brooking (Brooking being a British surname) was born in her stead.

That entire process took a moment’s glance, and about thirty seconds of impromptu brainstorming. All because I locked eyes with a stranger for a mere second. Esther has become one of my favorite characters in the series, because she is 100% inspiration. She is a total joy to write, and has more depth than I had ever originally intended.

Inspiration over preparation.

It seems like much the same thing has happened with you and Shannon. Characters are like that sometimes. You can push and prod them in any direction you planned for them to go, but every now and then they push back. It’s usually best to let them do what they want. They know what they’re doing.

Definitely let Shannon continue to develop as she decides. You showed a lot of creative maturity in listening to her suggestions as a character (it’s weird to talk about her like that, but you understand). Too many authors make the mistake of forcing their original plans, no matter what. Always leave wiggle room for your creative streak, or you’ll be doing it a very grave injustice.

Although I haven’t had the chance to sit down and digest your books, they are definitely on my short list. First, I wanted to thank you again for stopping by the site and engaging our readers with your humble intelligence. While I can’t directly speak for anything pertaining to your stories, questions 9 and 10 of the interview were really informative.

Since I’ve taken to the task of writing the “O’Leary Letters”, I can’t help but agree with your statement about inspiration. While I had Shannon planned out from the minute my fingers hit my keyboard, there were moments where I felt she’d be arguing with my ideas from behind the computer screen. In fact, she made sure I got everything right. It’s nice to know that other authors follow that little saying that you mentioned.

As far as research is concerned, while I’m writing little tidbits home as Shannon, I try to have relevant information pertaining to her home life in Ireland, (i.e. Cooley’s whiskey and pub names) and I would also agree that doing that research (no matter how little or big) is what ultimately makes the story even more special. I think it shows the reader that you are invested in that story as much as you hope the reader will be.

Thanks for taking the time to do the Q&A, and I’ll be sure to reflect back to #17 where both Pete and I are concerned. There is nothing harder than getting published, and “endeavor to persevere” is a great piece of advice to follow.