The playlist I promised......

Here's the thing........I've been putting this off for a while now, for many reasons. 1) I wrote this book 7 years ago, so this list is extensive! 2) my writing process meshed with musical content has many forms. Music to write too-the creative process if you will, and then music to edit too. 3) Some of the songs are the character's songs, and I can't give too much away at this point.

So, the creative process playlist. These were the songs I listened too while the story formed in my mind, and while I wrote in pencil on a bus. Please be forgiving that it was 7 years ago.

One- Johnny Cash. I listened to this a lot at the end of the book, when things get a bit emotional.
Lucero- That much further west(demo) this version is instrumental and a bit grainy.
Jimmy Eat World - Futures
Jimmy Eat World - Your House
Jimmy Eat World - If you don't, don't
Jimmy Eat World - The middle
Angels & Airwaves - Everything's magic. (this song belongs to a character. When you read it I think it will be blindingly obvious who this belongs too.)
The Movielife - This time next year
Box Car Racer - There is
Fall Out Boy - Take over, the breaks over
Fall Out Boy - The Patron Saint of Liars and Fakes
Paramore - Misery Business
MSTRKRFT- Heartbreaker
Band of Skulls- friends
Motion City Soundtrack - It would be easier to tell you the songs I didn't write too! Some are a bit too emotional for me so LGFUAD was not one I wrote too, along with hold me down.

These are what I can remember, and yes I still listen to some. Mostly Motion and F.O.B- their first two albums I enjoyed but subsequent not so much.

OK. Now when it comes to typing up from drafts and editing, I need music that will keep me ticking over, but not interfere with my concentration. Which is why I favour the instrumentals.

The Middle East-Blood
White Hinterland - Icarus
Mogwai - too much to type!
Some songs my husbands BMX dvds have ingrained into my brain..one day I'll write them up...maybe! Just watch the Etnies promo's online!
M83 - Midnight City
F.O.B- Young Volcanoes
You and Me at Six - I don't own any but put the catalogue on via spotify, one of our characters is a big fan.

A friend once said that I am a sucker for twinkly guitars, heavy drums and a dude with a nice tone. All of those things can be found in J.E.W, F.O.B and M.C.S.

Some sample tracks from those darn BMX vids! The second video, music isn't so cool, but the idea is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cb_mkSucE8E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sDunDRGd48

Keep a thing for 7 years and you will find a use for it.

Keep a thing for 7 years and you will find a use for it. Proverb.

A lot can happen in 7 years.

This man drew an intricate maze.
http://imgur.com/vDwmTc9

People believe that chewing gum stays in your system for this length of time.

There was a war that was named "The 7 year war.".

And this weekend, I finally managed the to finish the first three chapters for the book. It has taken 7 years for the final copy to happen, but it has!

And it feels very good!

Playlists

So summer holidays, entertaining children, sending "The book" off to proof readers, and the broadband breaking, for what felt like many, many years has resulted in a hiatus of blogging activity.

However this did not prevent Sir Dave-or David Frankum as you all know him, the epicily awesome illustrator from getting on and doing his thing!

So I shall share a few bits of tantalising excitement from Daves mind, along with his playlist to which he draws, as a few folk realllllly want to know what I wrote to and I thought well I'll let you know what Dave draws to as well, because I am nice like that ( and his songs are probably better than mine. Fact. And my playlists are not as neatly labelled chapters 1-3. Mine are: Iris's songs, Jonathon's songs, Songs for arguing too and so on). And also because once you get to actually read the book, it would be interesting to hear what you guys think. Do the playlists come through in the writing, or do you think "EH? I can't imagine that part being written  while listening to 1D!"- which actually never happened.

So here are a few of Daves sketches-yes I typed correctly, sketches, as in rough, quickly thrown together drawings of one of  our characters.

Are you missing Edward Cullen? Are you pining still for some complicated literary existence of a fella. Well that's him there. You will find him in your local woods, local club and possibly HMV if you still have one open near you. Also lurking in dark shadows.

This is much less mugger/rapist than it translates on paper...for once we might need the words. However I adore the way Dave has captured the movement of our character in this pose.

So playlists.....

Daves for chapters 1-3:
1. When I first came to town - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.
2. Every day is like Sunday - Morrisey.
3. Beautiful Summer - Primal Scream.
4. The River - Bruce Springsteen.
5. Flume - Bon Iver.
6. Sundown - The Jesus and Mary Chain.
7. Under the house - Public Image Limited.
8. Wide open space - Mansun.
9. Wasting the Dawn - The 69 Eyes.
10. The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen.
11. The sun ain't gonna shine anymore - The Walker Brothers.
12. Dirt - The Stooges.
13. Red Eyes and Tears - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
14. Untitled - Interpol.
15. New Dawn Fades - Joy Division.
16. Resigning - Blur.
17. Marquee Moon - Television.
18. From Despair to Where - Manic Street Preachers

Q & A with Mrs Coe

I got asked the other day how I wrote my book. I shrugged, I shrug a lot. It just happened, my husband went riding, I was bored and trawling through Amazon for another book to read. But nothing caught my eye, and this was before Kindles and free downloads.
I done what most virgin writers do and wrote straight from my crowded, noisy, brain onto a blank word.doc.
This worked for all of 5 pages. Then I realised that 3 days a week, I sat on bus for two hours a day to go to work, looking out the window daydreaming while listening to music. So I swiftly bought a folder, A4 pad and 6 pencils. I don't know why but I discovered very early on I like writing in pencil. I worked out that if I had 6 freshly sharpened ones, I could get roughly 2 hours of writing from them.

I wrote on the bus, I wrote on the back of the sale tickets and scraps of till roll when I was at work. I had no idea where my story was going, all I had was an idea, a few characters, and some pretty intense scenes inside my brain. Music played a huge role in my writing, songs would be the soundtrack to scenes, they would set the tone for where conversations went, sometimes I find that lyrics have crept in between the quotation marks! My musical tastes have changed, hell even my characters musical tastes have changed, they had their own favourite songs! But I still find writing, imagining, creating, editing needs to be done to a musical score of some sort! I mostly like music without words nowadays...something I have acquired from my husband. Those BMX videos had to infiltrate my life somewhere!

I never wrote chapters as such. Just big blocks of writing which only recently got chopped up into chapters. I was writing without an end in sight, at one point I didn't know the end, I didn't know what was going to happen to the characters, they were essentially going on their own journey and I was a mere spectator taking notes in the back ground! Somehow the story wove itself, things happened that I hadn't intentionally "Set up".  Then an ending was born! It reached a nice organic end, and the characters still don't let me rest, there is more to be told.
As far as publishing goes, as far as "Giving birth to your creation", putting it out there for all to see. I sat on this baby for a loooong time. I never liked the idea of selling it to someone who didn't want to read my book, they wanted to sell my book. So I did nothing. Then self publishing happened, and I said "Hell yes!" to that. It's terrifying, almost like getting naked in front of folk you don't know. They don't care about you as a person, so they can say whatever they like about your weird mole, or wonky nipple.
 In April I had a bit of an early thirties crisis. I was all whiney "I haven't done anything with my life!" then I realised I had, but it was in my wardrobe and I needed some closure on this bad boy!
So that is the edited version of how I wrote a book.

 

 

 

David is many thongs, boring is not one of them.

Dave has been working very hard, almost in over drive some would say. But that is said by foolish folk that don't know him so well, if Dave does something, then he does it to the end, with everything he's got.
And that can defiantly be said for the illustrations he is producing for Strangelands.
He has read the second draft from start to finish, and produced around 300 rough sketches, yes 300! the second zero is meant to be there.

Here are two "Rough" sketches of the main character.

If you follow Dave on Twitter @DavidFrankum, not only will you get see sneak peeks of the illustrations of the book, but also all the other amazing art work he does too! So it's a win, win right.

To F**k or not to F**k.

I have a conundrum....and I genuinely need help!

In the book, sometimes, it "felt right" for some of our characters to drop the f-bomb. I know they are 15/16, and I recall being much younger and saying f**k, s***t, and all the other lovely profanities that accompany that part of the English language. But, I'm a little bit like, Do I take them out and replace them with "Frikin'", in my opinion, it's too American, this book is set in England. I want to avoid the English/American merge, cross over that happens.

I think this wouldn't be a problem, if I wasn't a Mum, I know my kids will swear when I'm not around, I reckon they do it now sometimes, and have a good snigger after. But, I keep thinking, is it right? I'm of the mind-set at the moment, that as long as it's in character, and context, and not overly used, (although I am awful for cursing during everyday conversation as though it is just another normal word, or use it as a filler until the right word pops into my head to carry the conversation forward, I know I'm such a lady!) it will be ok.

Thoughts please!!!

P.s I promise the first page, as soon as I have retyped the chapters. It won't be long I swear...boom boom!

I <3 inspiration

I just love it when a song, or a film or a book just comes along and sweeps you off your feet.

Last night that happened when I watched this ....

It reminded me of the conversation I had with one of my best friends who is also editing the book for me. By editing I mean checking my spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I said to her, back in 2007 when I started this, the characters in the book didn't have mobile phones, or laptops. But now they do, this draft around! I said "Do you think the young kids will get it? will my teenagers in this book be like them?"
and she replied "Yes, of course. Teenagers don't change through the ages, have you noticed teenagers haven't changed in literature?"
I thought "I guess not."

This film also reminded me of how much I <3 Broken Social Scene, (I was moaning the other day I didn't have a soundtrack to write too).

The joys of writing for yourself....

It's beautifully sunny here right now, it's the second day of the great British summer which may last a week if we are honest. I've been at work since half nine, come home thinking I really want to try and convert my legs from the rare blue tone they have to milky white...for those of us with Scottish blood, that's a tan.

But I should really crack on with the editing of Strangelands & Troublesome things, and change my printer cartridge.

I'm so organised, I'm going to hate this desk soon I can tell.

Although in more exciting news, I had a n epic meeting with Dave, the epic illustrator, so many exciting things are coming this way!!!!!! And I'm not going to tell you! (insert evil laughter here).

World Book Night....

At work I received a text today asking what World Book Night was. Fortunately I was right in front of a PC and looked it up.
http://www.worldbooknight.org/

It is the great idea, that 20,000 volunteers take to the streets this evening and hand out 20 copies of their favourite book, to members of the community who look like non-readers. How you distinguish that, I don't know. I think intense training was under taken to ensure this.

I've been thinking what is my favourite book?

Honest answer... I don't know. I love too many books! I have narrowed it down though.

Tales From Moomin Valley:
I love the Moomins, I even have a tattoo to prove it. Fact. The innocence, courage, joy and sense of adventure in these books is overwhelming and heart warming, The fact that after a tremulous time, i.e saving the world from a  flood, comet, or magician that came from the moon, all you need is Moomin Mama, a hug and some raspberry juice and it's all ok.
We have two copies of the Moomin books, one for the kids to read, and my own personal ancient, well loved ones!

Mister God This Is Anna:
I read this when I was 19 just after my Dad died. A book I've kept, but never re-read. Moving, Funny and heart breaking.

Like Water For Chocolate:
My friend recommended this,  it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. In desperation Pedro marries her sister Rosaura so that he can stay close to her. For the next twenty-two years Tita and Pedro are forced to circle each other in unconsummated passion. Only a freakish chain of tragedies, bad luck and fate finally reunite them against all the odds.

Show More

Show Less

Show More

My guilty pleasure......Saraha hangs her head in shame..........................

The Twilight Saga!!!! I'm Team Edward by the way :P

What books would you hand out?

Show Less

Once there was a girl....

who's imagination was sooo big, even bigger than her, who at eleven was very tall for her age. This girl liked to tell to stories, in her head to herself. She liked walking to school on her own, well it looked liked walking, but in her mind she was often riding a unicorn, or being escorted by Moomin Troll, who by the way waited for her after school everyday by the gates.
This girl grew into a woman.

Who over time had two children, some really boring jobs, and numerous pets, who all died from her poor animal skills. However this girl-woman (yes, that is a word. Look it up in the Dictionary of Coe-isms.) did not outgrow her imagination.
She loved to read other peoples stories, but one day the worst happened. There were no stories of interest. So she wrote her own.
It began in 2007 and is still an on going journey, it was written on the 701 to Bluewater, where she worked in a surf shop which is no longer there, (sad times).
Then after it was completed it got put in the wardrobe.

But now it is back out with the help of some very dear friends!

So its gone from the garage, to the wardrobe and back to here.

It's happening alright, Strangelands & Troublesome Things is going to make it out into the world of stories. With illustrations by the incredibly talented David Frankum check out his work here. http://www.daveyf.co.uk/

 

Over the next few days I plan to post the first page from the book, just to see if your imaginations can handle it!