Our Masterpieces...Err, Our Novels

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

RTW: Share the Inspiration...and a Winner!!

Inspiring Song of the Day: "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper

Yay! It's Wednesday again, which means we're joining the amazing chicas at YA Highway for Road Trip Wednesday! Here's what's on tap this week:



Share some images that inspire your WIP(s). We've done this topic before, but it's been quite a while, and pictures are always fun.


I don't think we shared pictures last time, so we decided to finally take a stab at it.


Pam's Pic:


During my last revision round of Wants, I decided to give one of my protagonists, Savannah, a dance icon since dance is so important to her. I researched a few famous dancers, and I decided to use Broadway choreographer, Twyla Tharp:



This is the picture that Savannah keeps on her bedroom mirror. She sometimes talks to Ms. Tharp when she's upset. Okay, I know that sounds crazy but...never mind, I think Savannah is a bit crazy. :)


Quita's Pic:


During my second round of revisions for In Limbo, Pam suggested that I look up pictures of the early 1900s so that I could get a better feel for the time period. Since the novel is based around the Spanish Influenza, I looked for pictures that showed the impact of the disease on society:





This pic demonstrates the severity of the disease and how many people were affected. It still sends shivers up my spine.


So, those are the pictures that inspire us. Do you all use pictures for inspiration?


But wait...there's more! The winner of How I Stole Johnny Depp's Alien Girlfriend is.....


Erinn!!!!


Okay, so she's our Weekend of Awesome bud, but we promise you this wasn't rigged! Erinn, we'll be emailing you shortly. :)

13 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, I seriously love both of these photos. Twyla is incredible (and that photo is stunning) and nothing aids researching past times like photographs of the period. It's cheesy, but pictures really are worth a whole freaking bunch of words when it comes to documenting the feel of a society, especially in an extreme case like that.

Alicia Gregoire said...

Good choice on Twyla Tharp there, Pam. (For the record, I doubt I'd *ever* be able to get my leg that high.) And Quita, that picture is creepy. (Of course, I'm thinking they'll all become zombies...)

KatOwens: Insect Collector said...

this post makes me want to go do some yoga, like, immediately.
such evocative photos! Thanks for sharing.

Sarah said...

Twyla Tharp is one of my favorite choreographers ever and she's extremely articulate as well. I highly recommend her book "The Creative Life" to every artist because it's brilliant. The way she lives her life is inspiring to me. :)

Tracey Neithercott said...

I can't believe she can get her leg that high. Yikes. What a gorgeous woman.

And wow, Quita, that's a powerful photo. That says a lot right there, huh?

Lara Ehrlich said...

I love the idea of a character talking to her idol when she is in need of comfort. What great character development--and what an idol!!!

The influenza photo is so haunting. If your book is anything like that image, it's going to be incredible.

Anonymous said...

Both wonderful photos for such different reasons. Twyla...well, that photo is just made of win.
And the other is just so jarring...very visceral.

Eliza Tilton said...

that last one is powerful!

Angelica R. Jackson said...

Great photos--my friend used to be a dancer and she has portraits like that on her walls. And it is amazing how many people were affected by the flu epidemic.

Racquel Henry said...

Hey that's a good idea--to use pictures. I think I'll try that out. I don't know why, but I never thought of looking up pictures that relate to the story I'm trying to tell. Excellent post. :)

Katy Upperman said...

Wow. Your images are so completely different, yet both totally awesome. I now want to read BOTH your books. :)

Alex Mullarky said...

Good image choices :) I look forward to reading Wants when it comes out! And the image of the Spanish influenza really is frightening.

Ghenet Myrthil said...

Great photo choices! They're both inspiring and thought-provoking in their own ways.