I think most writers gather certain muse-y things about us when writing novels. Be it a special soundtrack on your ipod, a painting or photo that moves you, or even the traits of real people, usually some characteristics get locked in along the way as we progress in our stories.
Here are some of my muses for God’s Daughter. Here’s how I pictured my main character, Gudrid. SORT OF! I haven’t found the perfect face for her yet.
(This is Amanda Seyfried, from Letters to Juliet.)
For Gudrid’s husband, Finn, I kinda pictured this guy, only with longer, curlier hair. (I’ve showed you this one before) This guy is a Scandinavian actor of some kind:
And for the illustrious Leif Eiriksson, I needed an uber-male…i couldn’t find a great photo until I finished writing my book. And here he is:
Yes, this is some guy named Clay Matthews, an NFL player of some kind. As you may guess, I know nothing about the NFL, but quite a bit about inspiration. Runner-up for Leif was:
Yup, it’s Kellan Lutz from a famous movie series based on a book series…now WHAT series could that be? Something about vampires?
Sometimes, you just can’t find a photo of what you’re looking for. I can picture Aurora (from Otherworld) so vividly in my head, but haven’t found a photo capturing her red-headed gloriousness yet.
I even have theme songs for Leif and Finn loaded onto my ipod, for inspiration as I stare at the wall on my elliptical machine. I won’t release the details on those yet, but IF a movie’s ever made, listen for the soundtrack!
It’s interesting to see how the movie version of books often changes things that were probably vivid to the author, such as hair-color or eye-color. I won’t even go into how disgusted I am with the makers of Percy Jackson for changing the haircolour of Annabeth from blonde to brown. HELLO! Did you even read the book??? Same for the dude who tried to remake The Bionic Woman TV series, and he never bothered to watch the original with Lindsay Wagner first. Well, here she is, you dolt, and that’s why your series bombed:
But I digress.
**Do you, as a writer, have muses you turn to while writing? Music? Photos?
**Do you have any favorite movies based on books that totally captured the main character JUST as you imagined him/her?
Awesome actor and actress choices 🙂 My muse for my WIP is Cloe Moretz from "Kick-Ass" and "Let me in". She rocks! After I saw "Kick-Ass", I was like "wow, that's my MC right there."Thanks so much for your comment on my blog. I went and looked up the "Punched" SNL short and it was HI-LARIOUS! So glad you told me about it 🙂
My muses while writing are anyone and anything! I tell my family and friends that no one is safe. 🙂 If I hear a conversation and like it for a story, I write it down. If I see a person and like his/her look for a story, I write it down. If I see a crazy situation play out, I write it down. It never ends. If we went line by line through any of my stories, I could tell you who or what inspired each detail.For me, the movie version of a story is rarely as epic as what's in my head based on the book. But…The Lord of the Rings movies would be the top of my list.
I have a file of reference images. Sometimes it's a place or it could be a piece of clothing I think my MC would wear. I also have a playlist of songs that I usually go to when I have to sit down and write. I try to avoid finding pictures of my characters though. Having someone post a picture of a guy that they think is really hot, whom I find unattractive, dampens the whole reading experience. Rather than imagining a cute guy I'll be forced to pictures the Abercrombie & Fitch model they settled for instead.
I don't think I have ever thought of a muse for myself. I pray and as I feel lead, I write. I think Vivien Leigh from Gone with the Wind was the perfect cast for Scarlett O'Hara. For me, the movies often don't live up to the books, but this is one movie I absolutely LOVE as much as the book- even though they cut so much out of the book.
So funny you should mention Gone With the Wind, TC! Liz Taylor would've been great, BUT Scarlett wasn't supposed to be GORGEOUS-gorgeous, so I think they picked the right one w/Vivien Leigh (who's also pretty, but in a different way, I'd say). And K. Turley, I get what you're saying…I actually debated sticking these pics up of my characters for those who think they're not so good-looking…as I say, they're not TOTALLY what I was picturing, more "along the lines of" this or that person. The key was that Gudrid needs to be astoundingly beautiful, Leif needs to be tall/built and blonde (Nordic), and Finn is smaller, with seaman's muscles…I have another guy who's very important to my story, but I know I won't be able to find a visual on him. For this book, for me, the visuals were very important for some reason! Kristy, Chloe Moritz isn't in The Hunger Games movie, is she? Is that another girl?And Jennifer, I'm with you! I know, most of my characters are weird conglomerations of people…never straight-from-life, though. Just certain character traits. I try not to use situations of fam. members, b/c they'll probably recognize them someday! I like your disclaimer to friends and family: "If you know me, you might be in a book someday!" HA!
Hey Heather! Some guy named Clay Matthews? He's a Green Bay Packer. (Now you're in the know!)Thanks for following. I haven't done a top science fiction books post, although might have to do one next year. A couple people have told me CassaStar had the same feel as Ender's Game. Ironically, I've never read it!
Wow, you've GOT to read it, Alex! The following books in the series aren't quite as good, but the first one is a must-read for sci-fi. I personally didn't like "Dune" and didn't get through the first chapter of it, and I know it's supposed to be a classic.
(And thanks for the clarification as to Clay's team, Alex! Good to know, in case I ever decide to watch a football game! But I'd rather watch the X-games…that's more my speed!)