sexta-feira, 23 de outubro de 2015

Soundtrack de «Sombras» - Devil Within

Já falei várias vezes acerca da importância que a música tem no meu processo criativo. Não consigo enumerar a quantidade de vezes que fui dar uma volta no meio de uma floresta em Londres, ou dos montes que existem ao redor da minha casa em Portugal com os fones nos ouvidos e de repente uma ideia (que considero genial) aparece do nada. 

É certo que por vezes não consigo concentrar-me ao deparar-me com uma tarefa particularmente exigente se a música estiver a chatear-me por trás e nessas ocasiões preciso de extremo silêncio. Mas em geral, música e movimento são os melhores amigos da criatividade. 

Por isso decidi começar uma nova série de posts onde descrevo como certas músicas em particular afetam o enredo de «Sombras».

E a primeira é "Digital Daggers - Devil Within", porque não sei que outra música usar que melhor descreva um cenário de vampiros. Acho que é um "must" para qualquer pessoa que queira escrever algo eletrizante. Desde as suas batidas inicias que proporcionam um clima misterioso e sombrio até às suas letras.

"You won't see me in the mirror
But I crept into your heart
You can't make me disappear 
Till I make you
[...]

I made myself a promise 
You will never see me cry
Till I make you

You'll never know what hit you
Won't see me closing in 
I'm gonna make you suffer
This hell you put me in 
I'm underneath your skin
The Devil Within.
[...]

Look what you've made of me
I'll make you see"

Para mim esta canção é particularmente interessante depois dos acontecimentos com Anya. Lilly é controlada por uma raiva que a move e faz destruir tudo o que lhe aparece no caminho e fica decidida a destruir a rede que lhe causou tamanha dor. 

Para ver o soundtrack completo lê este post.


E não se esqueçam de entrar no mundo fantástico de «Sombras» a partir do excerto disponível em http://bit.ly/1vsqkSJ ou em http://www.coolbooks.pt/sombras 


E vocês têm alguma música deste género que possa utilizar nos meus futuros processos criativos? Comentem se souberem de alguma.

terça-feira, 20 de outubro de 2015

50 Dicas para Escrever Melhor - Dica Nº19

Dica nº19: Empresta a mente a todos os teus personagens.

Aqui está algo que, na minha opinião, por vezes torna-se difícil de executar. 


Muitas vezes quando leio um livro e por alguma razão não consigo conetar com os outros personagens deve-se apenas a um facto: não têm personalidades próprias. O enredo de personagens acaba por ser apenas uma fotocópia uns dos outros e onde só as suas aparências parecem mudar. Isto acontece particularmente quando o autor tenta escrever em diferentes POV (Point of view – Pontos de vista) e torna-se bastante difícil de destingir quem participa no quê e quem foi o responsável por ter dado cabo do couro a quem se não tivermos o vilão a gritar pelo nome do personagem vezes sem conta.

Eu digo isto sabendo perfeitamente que também caiu vítima desta falha vezes sem conta. É difícil não utilizarmos versões nossas para todos os nossos personagens, afinal de contas são fruto da nossa imaginação. Mas se existe algo do qual me orgulho é das repetidas vezes que as pessoas me dizem que não sou aquilo que elas esperavam de mim, que pareço mais de uma pessoa enfiada num só corpo (não, ainda não fui diagnosticada com múltiplas personalidades). O ser humano é muito mais complexo do que preto no branco, queres mesmo acreditar que não consegues ver uma situação de perspectivas diferentes e utilizando duas mentes?

Um exercício que me ajudou bastante quando estava a tentar criar mais de vinte personagens (já perdi a conta a quantos são) foi escrever a mesma cena de “Sombras” nas perspetivas de diferentes personagens e ver onde estava a repetir-me demasiado na escrita e onde eles se diferenciavam.

Nota: é onde eles se diferenciam que te deves focar.

sexta-feira, 16 de outubro de 2015

Pick Up A Weirdo - La Ronda

Since, my old Aussie couple and the British girl left, I've found a another Aussie guy to be my dinner mate. It's nice, because unlike Paracas, the lodge is not full of volunteers so I don't have that many opportunities to socialise and that is something that brings me down a little, since I already miss home like crazy!!!

So, the Aussie just does his life during the day, sometimes we will share a tv show in the afternoon, and go out for dinner at night, since he is travelling alone and is a bit stranded here waiting for the girl he likes to get some free time, I guess he is also a little bit lonely.

We decided to finally see La Ronda, very popular at night in Quito. It is quite a magical place, and it reminds me a little of Bairro Alto in Portugal, with its steep streets, little bars and restaurants, vibrating with music and some people talking outside. But it is also one hundred per cent South American with its typical latino music.

We dared trying the costumary "vino hervido". I can't say it goes well with food but I'm not the best wine appreciator and my dinner mate is still deciding wether he likes it or not. It's quite fruity and sweet similar to the one I had tried with Mo and David back in Cusco.

With the effects of the wine working on us we start ranting about our latest failed attempts on romance whilst travelling, he tells me about the girl he came to Quito for and I tell him about my experience from Paracas, the only person I ever told about was David when we met in Cusco so it felt nice to have someone telling me how the lost was all on the other dude (since the only thing David can tell me is "Trish, I can't believe you have feelings!!)

Later on, the restaurant starts to get its karaoke machine pulled out and a line of anxious singers starts to form. "I think it's time to get out of here," my dinner mates rushes before we have to listen to the desperate untuned singers.

quinta-feira, 15 de outubro de 2015

Pick Up A Weirdo - Compliment more

Today the strangest thing happened. Strange for me since it's not something that happens to me everyday...

I was having my day off at the Huasi Lodge where I am now doing some Workaway experience, and I started talking to this old guy staying there. He was telling me how he had a fake stamp on his passport and was worried that he might get deported. 

I listened, not being able to do much else since immigration is not really one of my specialties and knowing that the only thing I could do was to offer to do some translation from Spanish, but also compeletely aware that my boss would be a much wiser choice. 

He just ended up thanking me and explaining me his whole situation and asking me my plans for the future. I can't say I have anything planned out, right now I am torned with the fact that I don't have money to go to China like I want to and doing some travelling in the US of A!

He seemed excited about the idea of the United States, offering me his brother's contact if I ever passed by Virginia.

The point is later that day, he came back and told me something:

He told me how, without meaning to sound flirtatious he complimented a young girl in the same dorm as him, saying "Hey, the beauty sleep must be really working for you." She was surprised and told him that as weird as it seems it wasn't something she heard that often.

He then decided to come back to me and tell me how beautiful I was and that that morning he was having a really rough morning and somehow I made it better with my contagious "bubbly" personality. That was something that I was quite shocked to hear because as an introvert who is quite sometimes confused as arrogant, being happy and bubbly is not something I hear a lot.

"Right! People normally thing that of you cause they don't know you and misunderstand you. I feel blessed because you've decided to show your extroverted side with me and made me start my day on the right foot and gave me a lot of confidence to deal with my problems. And sometimes you might not have the idea of the effect you have on people, so I just wanted to share that with you."

How wonderful would it be if people all decided to be like this old hippie man, who just wishes to spread compliments everywhere he goes, if instead of being so afraid of how we feel or what other people might think we would just be honest and smile to strangers, compliment on others beauty, others clothes, instead of being so focused on what they have of negative, or what they have that we envy.