Keep motivated, Keep movin' on

I'm wrapping up chapter 2 of Arabian Nights now, but I wanted to share a bit about my motivations/methods real quick.

I'm all about finding what motivates yourself, and wielding it like a weapon. If something gets your creativity flowing, grab it and use it, before you lose sight of it. Or, as a certain pony once said, "You’ve gotta use what you’ve got to do what you can." For me, music is a HUGE motivator: between work, commuting, and listening at home, I'd guess I spend 12 hours a day listening to music. No exaggeration.

Having the right soundtrack to accompany my writing is also important to keeping motivation high. As I mentioned in my previous blog, Arabian Nights has a bit of a theme around the letter "A". Luckily, two of my favorite bands names' start with A, and their style fits with what I want for Amira's adventure, so naturally, I've listened only to their albums whenever I write for Arabian Nights.

Those bands are:
Amorphis, a melodic heavy metal band that frequently incorporates exotic musical styles, including a bit of an Arabian sound on occasion.
Aviators, an incredibly diverse and prolific brony musician, who churns out amazing works of art in so many musical genres I can't even list them.

I can wholeheartedly recommend these artists, regardless of your normal musical tastes, if only to experience their diversity and talent. Check them out if you get the chance

So what am I deriving from these bands? How am I applying it to my writing?
Most of all, I want Arabian Nights to feel cohesive, yet diverse. With their clear identity and extreme breadth, both Amorphis and Aviators match this goal perfectly. I also want to capture the feeling of exotic locales and unusual cultures, giving Amira's adventures a tone of, well, adventure

I'm not looking to reference anything directly from their songs but to capture their impact instead and channel it into my stories. If all goes well, you readers will travel with Amira (and Twilight) to places unimagined, see sights unseen, and feel with them the deep emotions that arise from the wonderful union of a relationship and a purpose.

Now, lest I sound like a skipping record, I will say that music isn't my only motivator. Working within limitations (like my "A" theme) and solving problems (like how to handle Twilight's new castle and title, without much canon yet to build upon) are also exciting challenges. And of course your positive reactions to Arabian Nights have been hugely inspiring. I want to thank all my readers for giving me, and Amira, a chance.

I hope you stick around for a while. We've still got 1000 more tales to tell.