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89,777 Words Later

  • First Draft
  • Holly Lisle
  • Music
  • Playlists
  • The Way of Wolves

IMGP2773smallAnd another first draft is finished!

I started in March, against my better judgement because I was still revising The Tempest’s Serenade, and here I am, almost ninety thousand words later, ready to revise the first draft of my dystopian vampire story, working title The Way of Wolves.

I thought it might be fun the share the playlist that emerged as I was writing it. This one was inspired by some pretty dark stuff, and if genre hopping gives you whiplash, buckle up (or engage the skip button) because I’m mixing rock with techno and dance again. Overall, though it sets the dangerous, dystopian mood of my story, and sprinkles in a dash of hope and love to keep things interesting. However, as Halloween approaches, I think a bit of darkness is appropriate!Outsiderzone @ Big Stock

Did I mention that my story features vampires?

I give you, my Way of Wolves playlist:

Way of Wolves w: ImagesFlatCropA YouTube version of the playlist is HERE

Zero Minus One @ Big Stock

What’s on your Halloween playlist?

Images courtesy of Luiz Baltar, ‘BSK’ @ stock.xchng and ‘outsiderzone’, ‘Zero Minus One’ @ Big Stock
Dystopian Halloween Hybrid Underworld Vampires Viva Voce
October 20, 2013 Kirsten

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25 thoughts on “89,777 Words Later”

  1. Alex J. Cavanaugh says:
    October 20, 2013 at 5:59 pm

    Congratulations! Now you can start editing.
    I never make actual playlists, but there are usually a couple albums or bands that supply the best inspiration.

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 20, 2013 at 9:16 pm

      Thanks, Alex. 🙂
      Playlists have become an essential part of my process. I think it might be a way for me to tune into the mood and the characters as I imagine the soundtrack for my scenes.
      They also help me slog through the editing phase!

  2. Rena says:
    October 20, 2013 at 6:05 pm

    Congrats! There is nothing more magical than saying you are done with a novel! (Only to not really be done because edits). As for my Halloween playlist, well, I’m into the classics: The Nightmare Before Christmas is on continuous loop for the next two weeks!

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 20, 2013 at 9:17 pm

      Editing is definitely the hard part for me!
      Cool soundtrack. 🙂

  3. Pingback: My Studying Playlist – Smart Stunning Searching
  4. mph96 says:
    October 20, 2013 at 7:58 pm

    Wow, congratulations! Nothing like winning NaNo before it even starts, right? 😀

    I don’t recognize any of the songs on the playlist (and I only recognize two of the bands–Depeche Mode and the Foo Fighters, but I like both)–but I think it’s cool that you *have* a playlist!

    I’m looking forward to reading these stories!

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 20, 2013 at 9:21 pm

      Thanks, Melinda!
      Most people won’t recognize much of what’s on my playlist because I usually end up picking songs I don’t hear in my day-to-day life. This way, when I hear these special songs they get me right back into my story. 🙂
      Someday, when I finish something, I’ll be excited to share the stories these playlists inspired!

  5. nancyrae4 says:
    October 20, 2013 at 9:09 pm

    Wow! Congrats on first draft conclusion. Now for the fun part. Will you use the same playlist for revision?

    Happy Halloween:)

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 20, 2013 at 9:26 pm

      Thanks, Nancy 🙂
      The playlist is a starting point for revision, and this one is actually a subset of about 250 songs that make up the entire novel’s writing playlist folder. As you can see, music is integral to how I create–I don’t ask why anymore … I’m just grateful that it works!

  6. T.F. Walsh (@TFWalsh) says:
    October 20, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    Huge congrats… that’s awesome, and I really love the sound of your new story. Thanks for sharing your playlist.

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 23, 2013 at 8:57 pm

      Thanks Tania! I can’t wait to start revision. If you’d have told me last year that I’d be writing a story about vampires, I would have thought you were nuts, but here I am, and loving it. 🙂

  7. shell flower says:
    October 21, 2013 at 6:48 pm

    Yay for finishing another first draft. Good job! And that is quite a playlist. I love how you mixed dystopian with vampires. Now that’s an original twist on both genres!

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 23, 2013 at 8:59 pm

      It’s funny. I didn’t consciously ‘decide’- and think, “You know what, I’ll mix Hunger Games with let’s say True Blood …” but my idea ended up being a little of both!
      Thanks. 🙂

  8. Mike Schulenberg says:
    October 22, 2013 at 12:30 am

    Congrats, Kirsten! That is quite an extensive playlist. I don’t have exactly have playlists for stuff I write, but I do have certain music that I go to depending on what I writing.

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 23, 2013 at 9:01 pm

      Thanks, Mike!
      Playlists are a loopy kind of obsession for me. But they really help me get into the right frame of mind for the story. 🙂

  9. Melissa Maygrove says:
    October 23, 2013 at 10:15 am

    Ahgggh! Stop teasing me. I can’t wait until you publish! LOL

    Going to check out the music…

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 23, 2013 at 9:04 pm

      Publishing is most likely a ways off for me still, but you know … I’m always happy to find a beta reader or two. Just sayin’ 🙂
      I hope you like the music!

  10. armchairauthor says:
    October 24, 2013 at 12:49 am

    Let me just say, dayum girl! That is a thick manuscript and a very fine playlist. “Dystopian vampire novel” has me intrigued.

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 24, 2013 at 9:36 pm

      The manuscript isn’t quite as thick as it looks–it’s double-spaced with inch-wide margins. I learned the hard way that I need lots of room to scribble in my changes!

  11. Candilynn Fite-Writer says:
    October 28, 2013 at 8:29 am

    Wow, congrats on finishing your draft! Playlists are cool. Yours is much more organized than mine. I don’t even think what I do can be called a playlist. I usually go to Pandora and begin adding music / artists that help me connect with a particular mood for my projects. But Pandora adds in other music they think you’ll enjoy. I spend more time “thumb-downing” their music choices and I get frustrated with the channel. Do you make your playlist in itunes?

    1. Kirsten says:
      October 28, 2013 at 10:52 pm

      Hi Candilynn,
      Yes, I use iTunes for my final playlist, but I play around in other music players to get ideas. Pandora is great for that because I’m open to new stuff but am pretty fussy about what ends up making the cut. When I really need to hunker down and write, only a commercial-free custom made playlist will do!
      Have you tried Spotify? It’s free and you can select your own artists and playlists. I use it a lot to listen to whole albums and decide which songs I want to buy.
      I actually blogged about it a while ago here: http://ascenicroute.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/hitting-the-spot-for-music-lovers/

      As you can probably tell, I do love my writing music! 🙂

  12. Kristina Stanley says:
    October 30, 2013 at 6:38 am

    First draft! That’s a moment to celebrate. Thanks for the list of tunes.

    1. Kirsten says:
      November 1, 2013 at 11:07 pm

      You’re welcome, Kristina! 🙂
      Finishing that first draft is so deeply satisfying.

  13. findingmycreature says:
    November 2, 2013 at 1:28 am

    Congrats! What a beautiful milestone! I’m so excited about this story, sounds very intriguing (like all your work!)….look forward to breaking into your house and…I mean…

    ;P

    Seriously though, You should be SO proud. That first draft is real! x

    1. Kirsten says:
      November 5, 2013 at 8:22 pm

      LOL. And I am very proud of this one.
      I’m hoping the revision goes a lot more smoothly than it did on the last story!

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