It’s time for you to write. You sit down at the computer and what happens next? Does your desk have to be spotless or is messy okay? Does the house have to be quiet or maybe you have to have a constant stream of noise?
Today, we have author Dakota Caldwell sharing his writing tip.
Welcome, Dakota!
Name: Dakota Caldwell
Genre: Various (sci-fi/fantasy, comedy/horror)
Latest Release: Apocalyps Squad
Writing Tip:
When you sit down to write, what do you do? Naturally, you have to pull up both Facebook (to provide ample opportunity to post about how you keep getting distracted), Youtube (to provide the distractions. And cat videos!), and Google (to provide obscure answers to random issues in your book that most people will skip over anyway). However, once this is done, you likely pull up your favorite music player and tune out the rest of the world.
Music is a key part of writing that I honestly believe is far too overlooked. For some people, simply listening to an epic soundtrack can provide the inspiration to create truly mesmerizing imagery, to invoke the natural resonance of a scene. However, it can actually be taken a step farther than that.
Simply put, audio is the most powerful form of stimuli that we have access to. Your mind will retain a noise for many times longer than it will retain an image, a smell, or a feeling. Hearing a song that you listened to in high school can bring back those feelings of being a teenager, the examples go on. With this in mind, it’s actually quite possible to train yourself using music.
In short, pick one type of music to listen to while you’re writing. Once you’ve done that, don’t listen to that music ANYWHERE else. After a while, after simply hearing that particular type of music, your brain will automatically switch into writing mode. For me personally, it’s helped eliminate writer’s block on more than one occasion, and has improved my focus a hundredfold.
I love listening to music while I write. My pandora playlist is a mixture of genres, but as soon as I hear 80s’ music (my favorite), my mind starts rolling with ideas. I will have to try only listening to one genre!
Advice For New Writers:
In the interest of providing the most cliche and overused advice on the internet: Go for it.
Yeah, yeah, I know I sound like a shoe commercial, but… The fact remains that this single piece of advice has lead me to the point where I stand today. Allow me to explain.
Through my writing, I go to a lot of comicons. They’re fantastic places, indeed. Wonderful venues to gawk at cosplay, full of amazing people to meet and befriend. When I started going to them around two years ago, I quickly met a number of other local authors. Friendships formed almost immediately, and I am still in contact with many of them today. I’ve met high schoolers self-publishing their first book, and I’ve met seventy-year-olds who are just getting around to releasing their first novel. And… Something struck me as quite interesting about it all.
The older members of the author crowd were full of advice and wisdom, life experience and wonder that they placed carefully into their books. However, almost every one of them had a single regret: “I wish I had started writing sooner.”
In fact, as I’ve continued doing cons through the years, this has become a theme. I have never once met an older individual that didn’t wish that they had started writing earlier in their life. Conversly, I’ve never met a younger author that regretted starting out when they did. And… I think a lot of this comes back to fear. We fear the unknown, we fear rejection, we fear all these terrible and horrible things that could come with putting ourselves out there. But… We’ll never know how far we can fly unless we get some air under our wings. Our close friends and family, those beta readers that have put up with us for years, are never going to be able to point out all the flaws in our writing. There’s no way that we could truely know how people will respond to going on a journey with our characters.
Maybe you succeed right off the bat, maybe it takes a few releases to build up steam. Maybe people hate the book, maybe they love it. The fact of the matter is that there’s only one way to find out. I published my first novel in January 2017, against the wishes of… Well, pretty much everyone except my girlfriend. Two years later, that book has been taken out of print, that girlfriend is my wife, and my writing is better than it ever would have become if I hadn’t put myself out there. The road might be full of bumps… But there’s only one way to know for sure.
I think you’re right. When I was in high school, I wanted to be traditionally published and well on my way as a writer by the time I was thirty. Life happened, and then that goal changed to completing my novel by thirty. I ended up going back to school to get a degree in Creative Writing in my thirties. My first novel was traditionally published by thirty-five. Looking back, I wish I would have majored in Creative Writing from the very beginning, instead of trying other things first. Don’t let fear stop you!
The Apocalypse Prevention Department is a secret division of the United States Military, tasked with detecting and preventing world-ending events before the world, well… Ends. Of course, since the world isn’t really in the habit of ending that often, the government keeps it staffed with their misfits and renegades. For years, the ragtag group of bureaucrats has enjoyed a life of luxury. However, when their department is threatened with budget cuts, they’ll be faced with a task even more daunting than saving the world: Actually doing their jobs.
Dakota Caldwell is the author of multiple series that involve violently ending the world (and a few that involve saving it). He currently lives in Kansas City with his wife (who doesn’t want to see the world end) and his daughter (who basically is his whole world).
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/dakotacaldwellauthor/
www.leadpyramidpublishing.com (blog/online store)
Before you go, take a moment and connect with Dakota on social media and check out his latest release, Apocalyps Squad.
What about you? Do you listen to music while you write? And if so, what kind of music?
Great tips, and Apocalypse Squad sounds like a fun read!