Goodbye Becca

Does that title confuse you? Does it maybe make you a little bit nervous? Maybe it should. I know it does me.

Here's my confession. If you have been reading this blog, you know that Becca Lathorn is my pen name. In fact, if you're a follower you probably know my real name anyway. Here's what you maybe know, something I haven't been able to admit to myself until recently. I use this fake name to separate my writing from God. There's always been a disconnect between my writing and my faith, I know. Something I thought I could get away with if I wrote things that were cool enough. It was the perfect crime, the way I could be whoever I wanted to be while still following God's plan. I mean, if my rebellions were only written, who could they hurt? How could they hinder my path? That, and I think I did it because I was scared that if I wrote about God, that'd be sealing my doom somehow. I started really getting serious about writing around the same time I started making friends at school, I wasn't going to let God get in the way of that. (Without going into detail, that didn't work out so well for me in the end. Surprise surprise.) And while I got away with not writing very Godly things with my friends for the most part, there were those who could tell from the beginning. And now it's something that I not only can see, but can't ignore.

About a year and a half ago I went to a Christian writing conference where God started to set this train of thought down in my heart, gave me a conviction. Before I went to that conference I thought writing with God was a plan destined for failure. I could name the number of Christian writers I knew on my hand, and had actually read even less. God showed me at that conference that was far from the case. I saw people at that conference that did what I never thought to do, acknowledge the fact that their writing was a gift from the Creator and offer it back to Him, to use to see His kingdom come.

Over the course of the past school year, starting college, I actually saw my voice for Him grow in the least likely of places. I depended on Him and sang His praises in the place where it was most difficult, in a liberal arts college filled with people who thought me naive deluded and weak for practicing a life of sightless faith and trust. It was there that my mission from Him became clear, my writing was to be used to glorify Him, no matter the anxiety I had towards how it may work out in the end. I discovered my love for children's fiction there, and the first Christian stories that I actually found myself interested in. And I knew, whether it would lead me to riches or rags, I could no longer afford to squander my words.

That's when I started to look back, and realized that under this name I invented for myself, I wrote some things I wasn't proud of. Whether or not these things actually ever saw the light of day is a different matter, it was the fact that I allowed my imagination to commit these deeds that lead me away from what I should have been doing all along.

You, readers, have seen this journey as well, to some extent. If you go back to the beginning of this blog, you will see little God and more Me. Yet in my more recent posts, you will see me grow bold in talking about Him.

I see now that my thoughts can be put to better use.

I guess this could be considered my literary baptism in a way, but the point of this post is to end it. There will be no new posts on this blog. I'll be taking down my website soon as well, and my Facebook page. I'll be starting from scratch. If you want to hear my new words, I'll be posting them over at Cartoons And Afternoon Tea. After I've gained some momentum I might bring some of my old (God-oriented) posts from here but that's the last you'll here from Becca Lathorn.

5 Reasons Why Jesus Was Right About Sex In Media

Okay, so maybe I'm making a bit of a leap here. The bible doesn't directly say AND GOD DECLARED THERE SHALL BE NO CANOODLING IN THE MAGIC PICTURE BOX OR THE MYSITCAL SOUND CUBE. (I mean, probably not. I don't know, maybe it's somewhere in Psalms.) But when you get to thinking about what Jesus's opinion is, can you actually tell yourself yeah, he'd be cool with it? Yeah, no. And you know what, I get where he's coming from. I so do.

1) Sex Has Been Ruined For Me (...The Hipster In Me Anyway)
I haven't even had sex yet and I'm so freaking over it. It's just so...mainstream. (Dun-dun- DUUUUUN!)
It's everywhere! It's on TV, movies, books, EVERYWHERE! It's really freaking sad that you can't escape it even if you wanted to and personally, it's sucked all of the discovery out of it for me. I feel like I've been robbed of half the excitement of my wedding night because I already know what's going to happen more or less. I mean, come on media, at least say spoiler alert.

2) Inflation (Nickles Used To Be Worth A Lot. So Did Sex.)
The fact that sex is everywhere cheapens the value of it so much. It used to be that you had to invest in the person you where engaged with, that you had to put in effort. Now that people feel they have the liberty to do whatever they want sex has been down graded to it's most basic physical pleasure. And that just sucks because God intended it to be so much more. He gave us a gift when he made sex a meaningful experience. He could have just left it at "procreate the species" like he did with animals and made it a chore but he wanted us to find joy in the act of bringing new life in this world and he wanted us to share a deeper bond with the person you choose to spend your life with. Well, so much for that. And not only that, but it makes it out that this cheap, meaningless exercise is worth so much more then it is. I mean, this knock off of intimacy is meant to be the reason for existence? MMMMMM, nope.

3) Cake Analogies (Death By Association)
This is probably one that's a bit personal, but sex has ruined cake for me. I don't know if you know this, but in college, all you ever talk about is sex. (And Doctor Who, which I'm cool with.) So one, I have nothing to talk about most of the time. And two, I know a lot of things I'd rather not know. But whenever I'm trying to vent my frustrations about this with my friends back home, there are always children in the room. And they look up at you with their little eyes that know nothing of the shame in the world and babies grow out of cribs for all they know. And none of us want to ruin their happy little minds so we tried to find a substitute word. And that word was...
Cake.
I'm so sorry.
Because now, cake has been ruined for me just by being bound to all the horrific experiences I've had involving my far to blunt confrontations with sex in college, like watching a graphic film in order to study it or when someone in fiction writing is reading what is generously called soft porn. (They have a name for that at Columbia, Art.) Now, when I think of cake, I think of that night when my roommates talked about all the sexual conquests they've had in their life and when they tried to give me advice about it. That's not a night I want to remember when I'm at my friend's sister's five year old birthday party.

4) Needless Distractions (Why Have A Relationship When Someone Else Can Have It For You?)
Speaking strictly from a storytelling point of view, having sex or a relationship in a story can be a crutch. Don't get me wrong, romance is a driving theme in life and without it none of us would be here, and I'd be lying if I said that my heart doesn't melt when I read a good romance. Heck, even when it's a minor plot point in a book, if it's done right then HECKS YEAH I SHIP IT. But let's keep in mind, the romance has to be well done. This means that it has to have significance and needs to be fully fleshed. What do I mean by this?
Well, for one, for it to have significance means that you can't just have it there to have it there. It can't ever be a last ditch effort, or part of some formula to make an instant success. When you force a relationship into a plot it only drags it down and damages it's credibility. If you want an example, go watch any movie that's out right now. In fact, I dare you to find a movie without at least one romance going on, main plot or back point.
Second, the romance needs to be fully fleshed. Hollywood will tell you that you're significant other only exists to jump in front of a bullet for you and to fulfill you physical needs. Everything else is a side note. This is a cheap thrill designed to get you to identify with a character by playing on what you hope you're girl/boyfriend or spouse will do for you. But see, that's not all that there is to a relationship. (I would know, I've never been in one.) First off, you're partner does not live for your convenience. They are indeed their own person as well. And again, contrary to what we see all to often, you and your partner do not become one symbiotic being. Yes, the affection you feel between you is intense and yes a lot of your being should coincide or compliment your "other half" but the two of you remain to very different being with very different problems and from that there will be conflict, real meaningful conflict where it results in real awkward pain and something difficult to work through rather then divorce or angry, cheap sex. When you see a romance that does this, you've seen a romance done right.
And I realize that this section is getting a bit ranty but while we're on this note I feel I have to say that not all stories need a romance. Sometimes the conflict already placed is significant enough that it doesn't need anything else or a character just isn't ready for that level of relationship or wouldn't necessarily encounter it in the setting they've been placed. Look at some Cartoony Greats; Spongebob, Tom and Jerry, Pokemon! (I realize that at some point all of these shows had a romance but they didn't shove it into the lime light and tried to force it to be something it's not.) I mean, when we live in a world where Cartoon Network can't seem to string along a couple of shows without some sort of love story, you know we're going overboard.

5) Comparisons (I Don't Have Anything Clever To Say Here...Yet.)
Much like not every story needs a relationship, not every person needs a relationship. Me, I'm eighteen and I've never even had my first kiss. If I were to go by the standards of today, (largely enforced by the media), this would be because I'm not good enough to have a boyfriend. Maybe it's because I don't fit a cookie cutter figure or because I'm not interesting enough or I'm just too just darn awkward to become a "completed set" and to be worthy of participating in "the ultimate pleasure". Once upon a time, I really believed all those things were true. About a year ago I realized that I didn't have a boyfriend because I didn't really want a boyfriend. I wanted exactly what TV told me I should want, someone who lived to make me look and feel better. And when I really thought about it, I liked being single. I wasn't ready for a relationship at that level. And besides, there were no guys around me that I could truly picture myself with, at all.
But here we've got all these people jumping into relationships for those very reasons, we've created a co-dependent society. People are impatient and aren't willing to wait to for the person they're truly meant to be with, no matter how long it will take, because they think that being a partner and a friend is overrated and just want to get down to the bottom line. We all think that we need that special someone and we need it now, or else we're not really living. And shouldn't we all be blessed that the media has found the meaning of life, sex. So we date and we marry the perfect body without considering the perfect soul, because, well that guy is married and this girl is happy and yada yada ya.

Point is, don't listen to or compare yourself to anything, fictional, lyrical, or otherwise. It never ends well.

Stats of the Week

Song: Let's Dance To Joy Division by The Wombats

Book: The Rook by Daniel O'Mally

Word: Selfie (Yeah, it's a word now. Look it up.)

Quote: "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."
~Unknown

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I'll Die 1000 Deaths Before I Make My Life Easier (Why College Is SO Much Better Then Pre-College Schooling)

I didn't have time to whip up a picture related to this post so...

Greetings Monkeys. It's great to see you again. You know, you spend so much time as a human pretending to be an octopus that you lose track of your priorities. Like writing blog posts for all of the five people who will read it.

So yes, college. That's still a thing for me. Semester 2 is under way (or as I like to think of it, semester 1 take 2) and a great many things have changed for me, both with their advantages and disadvantages. But here's the thing now, the kiddie gloves have come off. While before in high school and first semester college I had maybe three hours of homework a week that I choose to blow off because why the heck not, now I have a good ten-fifteen hours a week of professional-grade work to turn in. And I LOVE IT!

Perhaps you've heard this a thousand times, but high school is the dark over-world of standardized education, and almighty terror of one-size-fits-all-learning. Well, one sized doesn't fit all as I'm sure you've gathered, and whether it's because you aren't engaged or you keep up, more often then not you will be restricted by this. Me, the problem is that I learn in a very weird way. I can only do well in a subject if I can manipulate it in some sort of aspect. Writing? Easy, I can control what I say and my interpretations of a book. Math? No problem. Puzzle solving, like Legend of Zelda. Science? That's just math with explosions. But see, even with the subjects I could manipulate at school, I still was very restricted, in that I could only play with them so much. High school is a very controlled environment, no elbow room allowed. And then, to test your skill, you don't apply them. You mere pencil in a few bubbles and hope they're right. So me not being so great in high school, yeah. Not a shocker.

That's why I was looking forward to Columbia so much. The learning style there is one that always keeps you engaged, with small classrooms and discuss-based lessons, you are always affecting the outcome of your education which means you decide what it is. Which. Is. Awesome.

BUtt Beca, cant uz mak ur edkaton easy thn?

Short answer, nope.

They will still challenge you. In this week alone I had to read seventy pages, write 10k words, and a many other things, all the while making real considerations of your future career and building connections. So expect to be working. Like a lot. Like. A. Lot. A lot. All the time. Now, I can't say that this is true for all colleges, but as for Columbia, I'd have to say that even with the work load and the nightmares I sometimes get now-(Apparently that's a thing. Stay in school, kids, you'll never sleep.)-I'm thriving in school more now then I ever did. And so, even with my butt being kicked left and right, I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Stats of the Week

Song: Arcadia by Marianas Trench

Book: Dirk's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

Word: Fable

Quote: "Life happens when you're busy making other plans."
-Allen Saunders

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Check Point Acquired

NO! NO! GET BACK I SAY! BACK TO THE ABYSS FROM WHENCE YOU CAME JABORWAKI! 

~*Looks to Monkeys*~

Oh, gimme a sec. 

~*Turns back to Mosnter*~

TASTE MY KEYBLADE YOU FOUL BEAST!

~*Jaborwaki dies. Turns back to Monkeys.*~

Alrighty then, sorry about that. So, I'm guessing it's been a while. I really wouldn't know. See, I was on my way to class one day when I spotted this blue phone-box thingie. Me, I thought that phone booths were extinct so I figured I'd call someone just as a joke or something. Well, it ended up not being a phone box, so I ended up getting lost in it-long story short, I don't know what year it is...Uh-huh...Only a couple of months?...Not bad for a mere mortal like myself. 

College. You never know what's going to happen. 

So, as it seems I just can't keep up with checking in with HUMANITY on a regular basis, I'm going to jumble up the next few holiday posts in one. Ahem. 

Merry Christmas! 

Happy New Year!

Happy Other Holiday That You Celebrate!

I'm glad we got to share this moment together. 

You all know my good friend Princess Faith, right? Well, for my New Year post I'm going to give her a reading list that she must finish by next year. Feel free to try it yourself. (Princess: I picked these books specifically with you in mind. Do not tell me you probably won't like them.)

The Princess Faith Really Needs To Stop Doubting Me Dare Reading List

1) The Giver by Lois Lowry

2) Fahrenheit by Ray Bradbury

3) Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

4) Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

5) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

6) Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

7) Gracling by Kristen Cashore

8) Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore

9) Hitchhiker's Guide To The Universe by Douglas Adams

10) The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

11) I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

12) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

13) Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

14) The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

15) Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

16) Eragon by Christopher Paolini

17) Finish the freaking Mortal Instruments already

18) Did I mention The Giver

NaNoWriMo Announced!

It's that magical time of year again luvies, NANOWRIMO! (Dun-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnn!)

*Official Explanation: National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo as many know it, is a annual internet-based dare, to write a full length novel in the span of a month. The official month is in November but they also include summer months such as June and August. Standard length for the novel is 50,000 words, around 1500 words a day. Click the following nonsensical sentences to learn more.
NaNoWriMo: Hello, my name is Mustache McFerguson and if you have never been to space then how can you know whether the chicken came before the egg or vice versa?
NaNo's Young Writers Program (For those under eighteen): Did you know that 43% of all jokes end in Popsicles?
Camp NaNoWriMo: Gluing earplugs to your cheeks are a great way to avoid catching your hair on fire.

"Butt Bec-uh, why u b doin' nam-mo-wiii-mo? Ain't u supposed 2 b doin' the college things?"~Love, a Monkey

-Shut up, go back to your corner.

Yes, I am still going to try NaNo this year, even though I'm super busy with college stuf. After three years of participating I still contend that losing is just as fun as winning in NaNo. So no, I do not expect to win. But to be able to get my idea off the ground and try new things is enough to give it a shot anyway. Besides, I can't resist. I just love NaNo, with all my heart and soul. Plus, I'm pretty sure it's in the bible. In fact, I'll look it up. Let's see here, *shuffles through pages in bible*, Ah! Here it is. 1 Opinions 3:28=Doing NaNoWriMo makes Jesus happy. See? There you have it. NaNoWriMo.

Wanna see the synopsis? Here it is!

<><><><><>

Mandy was a country hick, or so she felt when she first left Feay, Mississippi. But with nothing but a duffle full of essentials and a full ride to Columbia University she made her way in New York. Now the head writer for a critically acclaimed sitcom and New York Time's Number One Bestseller for her much beloved Fairy Tales, Mandy feels like she finally belongs in the city. But now that city loves her, will she ever be taken back by the country? And does she even want it too?

Dewy has never been the brightest kid. But along side his best friend Aaron and his older sister Mandy it never seemed to matter. However, since Mandy left for the city nothing's been right, and Dewy struggles to hold onto what little he has left. It's not easy though, with his parents all but disowning Mandy and Aaron growing more and more distant with every passing day. And now that Jane moved into town, what once was friendship is now a war to see who gets the girl. And if Dewy doesn't wise up, he's going to lose his sister, best friend and new-found crush.

Aaron doesn't want to admit it, but the city is calling his name. Ever since his best friend Dewy's older sister Mandy left, he's grown bored with the sleepy town of Feay. And the more adventures he hears from his grandpa, the more things he reads about Mandy's exploits in New York, the more he dreams about leaving the country. And when Jane shows up in town, with her ocean hair and her electric eyes, Aaron can't deny it any longer, even if it means abandoning his best friend and hometown in the process. 

In a series of letters, find out how Mandy Dewy and Aaron discover what it means to follow their dreams, no matter what the price.

<><><><><>

By the way, I want you to be a part of this too. No, I don't mean that you need to write a whole dang book with me, I'm only forcing Princess Faith  too do that. (By the way, I am not giving you all permission to go and troll her blog, forcing her to do NaNoWriMo, but at the same time I'm not your mother so I can't control what you do. Even with subliminal messaging or reverse psychology.) What I mean is that I want you to be able to reap the benefits of a story in a month without having to do any of the work. What can I say? I'm a giving soul. So I'll be posting the letters that will make up the story on a separate blog I'm starting, http://mandyinthecity.blogspot.com/. So follow along if you so desire.

UPDATE: THE BLOG FOR LETTERS TO MANDY IS OFFICIALLY DOWN. SORRY PEEPS.

Well, I'm not going to hold you here any longer. Go forth and prosper. Happy NaNo everyone!

Stats of the Week

Song: Funeral by To Kill A King

Book: Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Word: Manipulation

Quote:  "Princess Faith should do NaNoWriMo."
-Jesus and Han Solo

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How Too Not Be Boring And Other Important Things To Remember When Conversing

Most people would think that introverts don't know how to converse properly, that we're all socially awkward. Unrelated fact, most people are dumb. Only the most noticeable of the sunlight-challenged stumble upon their words. Most of us, we live among you. We look like you. We talk like you. We walk like you. But we are not you. And yet you don't even know we are there. To you, we are one in a crowd.....

(Dear Pittacus Lore, please don't sue me. Show some love for someone else that's hiding from alien overlords. ~Love Becca)

As a writer: nay, as an introvert; nay, as a person who is easily bored and irritated; NAY as a person slowly turning into a horse right now, it continually astounds me that the majority of people I meet aren't capable of holding up a conversation of any substance. Saddens me, even. Perhaps this is because I am only meeting people my own age these days (and let's face it, as a whole, us newly made adults leave much to be desired) but it seems to me that at this point in their lives they should have the basics of courtesy and the ability to be the smallest bit interesting. So, before they ship me off to the glue factor, I shall endeavor to teach the world (or at least my generation) what our mothers seemed to fail to do.

1) Be engaged.

I put this first because this is the biggest problem I see and, coincidentally, my biggest pet peeve. People aren't engaging in a conversation. No, I don't mean interesting. I mean invested. We as a whole have seemed to forgotten that a conversation is a two-way street. And, let's admit it, we love hearing the sound of our own voices. Me, I think mine has a bit of a blue-jay song quality to it. So we use talking to others as a way soundboard the particular going-ons of our lives without giving any interest to the person we're going too. But do not be fooled, monkeys, for this is not a conversation. It's barely a step up from talking to a mirror. Actually, it's more like a step down. At least when you talk to a mirror it doesn't think your a snob. It thinks something along the lines of Oh dear lord, do I really have that many zits on my pane? I told mom windex would make it worse, but did she-Oh. Wait. That's the person standing in front of me. Never mind ma, you rock. 

Mirrors and their zit problems aside, I can tell you nothing is more annoying then someone who does not contribute to a conversation. Like they end each sentence with a statement about themselves. Example.
A: Ugh, seems like it's going to rain today. Isn't rain the worst?
B: One time it rained where I used to live.
A: Got a busy day ahead of me. You got any plans?
B: Yeah, one time a had a busy day too. It was the busiest. But don't tell me about what you were going to say because I don't care.
A: Making mac and cheese tonight. Want any?
B: Yeah I had mac and cheese once. It was yummy.

JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!

My point is this, when in a conversation, remember that you are not the only one standing there. Take interest in what the person your talking to has to say. Perhaps if they take a question, you might ask them one back. Or maybe if they are telling you a story, ask them about details. For the love of God, at least act like you care what they say.

2) Take a breath every once in a while, before you suffocate and die. 

We all know that one person whom we wished had an off switch. And whether it be because of lack of filter, lack of volume control, or lack of a pause button, we find ourselves exhausted after these encounters with little to show for it. This one kinda ties into the last one, but why don't you watch what you say and how you say it? Now, I'm no supporter of censorship, but when it comes to conversation somethings are down right distasteful and cruel at times. Or perhaps you're telling us things about yourself that we'd rather not know. It's also possible that we are concerned for your well being seeing as you haven't stopped talking for the past ten consecutive minutes and your face is turning a bit purple. Or maybe, just maybe, you're causing permanent damage to our ear drums because YOU CAN'T SEEM TO LOWER YOUR VOICE A COUPLE OF NOTCHES AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT THERE'S THESE COOL THINGS CALL MINTS NOW A DAYS, THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO FRESHEN YOUR BREATH. MAYBE YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO THAT.

3) Act friendly. 

Last but not least, let's dive into the topic of people that always seemed annoyed that you share relative space with them. There are these people out in the world, let's call them "people with issues", and they generally give off the vibe as hating all living things that grow under God's blue sky. When you acknowledge them, they glare at you. When you speak to them, they reply in word worded answers that come with a bit of a bite. When they walk by babies, the babies start crying. I have the pleasure of knowing a number of people like this, so I have something to say to both parities involved in this dilemma. First, to those with a bit more cheerful disposition. Be patient, these people simply do not know how to communicate properly. Behind the scowl and the eyes of the tundra, they are probably thinking about unicorns. And to those without the cheerful disposition, I hate to be the one to inform you of this, but we are all scared of you. That may seem cool now, but in the end, your probably going to die alone because of it. Might I suggest cracking a smile or even mustering a head-nod every once in a while to at least starve off this morbid fate of yours? At the very least, turn up the heaters behind your eyelids, your frozen stare is literally giving me a cold. (P.S. Ignoring me will not get rid of me. I live here too.)

That's what I got for you this time folks. Hope it helps. Now if you'll excuse me, my roommate will not stop glaring at me so I think I'm going to get the snow boot out of the closet.

Stats of the Week

Song:  Seven Devils by Florence And The Machine

Book: The Code Of The Zombie Pirate by Scott Kenemore

Word: Exchange

Quote:  "Keep living Ed...It's only the pages that stop here."
-Markus Zusak, I Am The Messenger

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Music

Hello again Monkeys. Yes, as always, it's been a while since we've talked. Forgive me, I've been a bit bogged down, what with all these vampires I've been having to kill lately. But here's a something I haven't talked about yet. And how the heck could I have over looked it for so long?

MUSIC!

Ah yes, music. The great escape, the soother of the soul. Surely everyone can relate to music! If they can't....they are lying. And Jesus doesn't like it when people lie so perhaps they should take five in the corner before they read this page.

"Butt Becka, this blog iz be about write stuffs. Wat do music hav 2 do with cpelling?"

SILENCE YOU FOOLISH PRIMATE! MUSIC HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH WRITING! (By the way, you spelled my name wrong dummy.)

Music is a great tool for writers, whether it be for inspiration or for focus or otherwise. Music can take you away from your world and guide you to the great expanse of your mind. Or, given the right lyrics and the right time, can spark inspiration. They're catchy, quotable, and above all, productive. No matter what way you use them they are somehow helping you to achieve a goal, whether it be to rest or brainstorm or otherwise.

So what does this mean to writers? How can we properly use music to it's full potential? What kind of music is best? All great questions, rest assured. And the answers, as they typically are in art, are entirely up to you.

In my personal experience, first thing is to make sure that your music fits your mood. You can't be listening to heavy death metal while trying to write a romantic scene between two fourteen-year-olds anymore then you can listen to a Sara McLachlan song without thinking of dying puppies and feeling manipulated. If your trying to write, or even just trying to hash out a scene in your head, be sure to match the music with the mood accordingly. For example, happy scenes will go with mostly go with music with upbeat flute playing, or cheerful keyboard, intense face-off scenes can and will be matched with a Skrillex song eventually, and as always, romantic comedies will always be sound tracked with Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis.

Also, and this may bum some of you out, but the music you use should at least air on the side of lyric-less. Lyrics can be a big distraction. You could be in the middle of writing and be so focused on the song that you start typing out the lyrics rather then the story. Or you might just stop typing all together because of a catchy tone. Music is meant to accent the writing experience, not overpower it. Think of it as if you're watching a movie. The music will add a lot to the movie as a whole but it's place is in the background, not fighting with the characters or the action for dialogue. What do you want to focus on, Snape uttering his last words to Harry or the slow Lydia song playing in the background.

*Side note: Yes, dubstep does qualify as lyric-less for the most part.

I few suggestions for good writing music for me are:

Music with Lyrics
-Florence And The Machine
-Mumford and Sons
-Boyce Avenue
-Tyler Ward
-The Fray
-Matt Nathanson
-Metric
-To Kill A King

Music Without Lyrics
-Any Soundtracks From Your Favorite Movies or Videogames
-Lindsey Stirling
-Aston
-Sam Cushion (He is not on iTunes, look him up on Bandcamp) (Some of his stuff is free)
-High Five Spaceship (Also look up on Bandcamp, some of his stuff is free)
-Hans Zimmer

That's all there is for this week, thanks for stopping by. Now, if you'll excuse me, the undead pirates have broken down my door and my roommates are running low on ammo. They're going to need my golf club. Ta-ta for now.

Stats of the Week

Song:  Lo by Dawn Of Midi

Book: I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

Word: Melody

Quote:  "Everything we do is music."
-John Cage

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