Raven Raye

Write it Like a Song

By Raven Raye

 

Listening to music has helped my writing. And not just by carrying me away to that part of my mind where I can get lost in the forest of tall thoughts. When you listen to a song, you’re being dragged through the story of one night, a few days or someone’s whole life. Here are some examples: Hotel California by The Eagles (one of my favorites), Ocean Gypsy by Blackmore’s Night, (and some older ones) Send in the Clowns by Judy Collins, Honey by Bobby Goldsboro, and let’s not forget all the songs by Gordon Lightfoot. All of these have a common thread; economic wording. With an average of three verses and a couple of choruses, taking all of three to four minutes, the singer can wrap us into the life of their subject. They evoke images and deep emotion when we listen to them. We sing along. They can even make us cry (Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle). Would that I could pull that kind of response from all my readers! What I’ve (tried) to learn from them is to make every word count. Delete extraneous and filler words. When you line-edit, rearrange your sentences for maximum impact.

It helps me to read what I’ve written out loud. Now that I’m single again, I read to my cats (pathetic, I know), but they don’t seem to mind. What kind of tricks do you use to make sure you don’t have extra words or maybe left something out? Yeah, they have programs for this, but then I have to slip and slide on the learning curve. Think I’ll save that one for between my next two novels. ~ Raven

 

Broken Prophecy

Only Killian’s bloodline was created with the planet. No other can accept the Seal and no human can carry the seed to bear the Heirs of Aeden.

Killian, King of the Fey, is in love with Marcella Rowan, human and forbidden to his kind. An errant Angel, seeking revenge, awakens creatures thought long dead or mythological. Marcella’s life in danger and against the Divine Council’s orders, Killian saves her from death—by claiming her as his soulmate. As earthly and other-earthly creatures polarize toward good or evil, Marcella and Killian must survive the forces driving them apart. Only their love can unite the worlds of magick and mundane. Only their love can force their peoples to put aside bigotry, jealousy, and fear to overcome the evil tearing the earth apart. Only the magick they make together can repopulate Earth’s garden in Aeden.

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 Thank you for "winging" it on my guest blog, Raven!

Enjoy the Fey,

Josephine