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[soignee]

Sometimes music helps, sometimes it's a distraction. I wrote this while listening to The Hurts debut album on repeat, so for once music helped.

Mostly I zone out and day dream, though, if music is on. I suppose daydreaming helps writing? Heh.

[Maria13]

maxernst wrote...

Maria13 wrote...

Not so much listening but I've been following "The Pillars of the Earth" these last weeks not only because I think Prior Phillip is hot... (what does that say about me?) but because of the sets, the villages, cathedrals, markets, abbey, castles etc give me a feel for the DA environment. I mean the plot is hackneyed but WTH it is great fun...

I've read the book and its semi-sequel "World Without End".  There's a little bit too much soap opera in them for my taste, but one thing they do well is convey the complexity of medieval society.  He does a nice job of portraying the power relationships between church, nobles, king, merchants and trade guilds. It's also enjoyable to see something set in the medieval era that's not all about battles.

Would you recommend it? I mean I can put up with smaltziness on TV, that's what TV's for, but I was put off buying it on Amazon because, although a lot of people were raving some were saying, "this is so badly written..." and I can't abide really bad writing.  But I still like prior Phillip 'cause he's Welsh and the actor has a nice homely look about him... I do like the overarching plot, the civil war between Maud and Stephen not a subject I was very familiar with.

[inquartata02]

I'd recommend Pillars of the Earth, but I wasn't much a fan of World Without End. Pillars I've read multiple times, but I doubt I'll read World Without End again. It's a long read, but a light read, if that makes sense.

[Corker]

LupusYondergirl wrote...

 but does anyone besides me ever listen to medieval era music while writing to kind of put themselves mentally in that "era"? I sometimes feel like listening to the sort of thing they would listen to makes it a little easier to get into my characters heads on occasion.

 

I have a huge collection of medieval and Renaissance music - and I've made singable English translations of some of it! - but I've never considered it as a writing aid.  My major hobby is medieval re-enactment, particularly music and poetry, and I will geek out worse than Dagna on the subject.

Edited for pedantry: "The Art of the Bawdy Song" is an awesome collection and I love it to death, but IIRC everything on it is late 1600s to early 1700s - not exactly medieval.

Some of my favorites:
Les musiciens de Provence (Arion 68064) - I'm not so fond of the trobadors but love the troveres.

Music for the Six Wives of Henry VIII - The Tudors aren't exactly medieval either but it's a good CD

Edda: Myths from medieval Iceland by Sequentia - the music is all hypothetical but is performed on reconstructions of Germanic instruments.

Cantigas de Santa Maria of Alfonso X el Sabio by the Martin Best Ensemble - a very bouncy rendition, full of verve.  Contains the "holy pork chop" song.

Between March and April, by the Sherwood Consort - medieval English music (and some modern improvisation in medieval style)

Modifié par Corker, 16 novembre 2010 - 01:16 .

[maxernst]

Maria13 wrote...

maxernst wrote...

Maria13 wrote...

Not so much listening but I've been following "The Pillars of the Earth" these last weeks not only because I think Prior Phillip is hot... (what does that say about me?) but because of the sets, the villages, cathedrals, markets, abbey, castles etc give me a feel for the DA environment. I mean the plot is hackneyed but WTH it is great fun...

I've read the book and its semi-sequel "World Without End".  There's a little bit too much soap opera in them for my taste, but one thing they do well is convey the complexity of medieval society.  He does a nice job of portraying the power relationships between church, nobles, king, merchants and trade guilds. It's also enjoyable to see something set in the medieval era that's not all about battles.

Would you recommend it? I mean I can put up with smaltziness on TV, that's what TV's for, but I was put off buying it on Amazon because, although a lot of people were raving some were saying, "this is so badly written..." and I can't abide really bad writing.  But I still like prior Phillip 'cause he's Welsh and the actor has a nice homely look about him... I do like the overarching plot, the civil war between Maud and Stephen not a subject I was very familiar with.

I don't think it's that badly written, though he's no Margaret Atwood.  I'd describe his prose as workmanlike, but the books are a pretty fast read.  I wouldn't recommend reading both, because he reuses a lot of the same characters and plot devices in World Without End.  Way too much deja vu.  But you've managed to survive reading my prose, so you should be able to tolerate his.

Side note:  Have you noticed how if a book has any sex at all in it, there are reviews complaining about the graphic sex scenes on Amazon?   I really don't recall there being that much sex.

[Addai]

Maria13 wrote...

Not so much listening but I've been following "The Pillars of the Earth" these last weeks not only because I think Prior Phillip is hot... (what does that say about me?) but because of the sets, the villages, cathedrals, markets, abbey, castles etc give me a feel for the DA environment. I mean the plot is hackneyed but WTH it is great fun...

Ooh, saw this on Netflix streaming so I'll start watching as well.  I've had that book on my shelf for a while, hadn't gotten to it though.

If I listen to anything while writing, it is rock ballads, heavy metal and a few more sensual (modern) songs thrown in.

[maxernst]

I don't listen to music particularly when writing, but particular song lyrics sometimes inspire me to write. I was writing a backstory for my Neverwinter Nights 2 character in which I started each chapter with a quote from a song (the character was a bard, so...). I remember the first one was from a Concrete Blonde Song:



"And if I had my choice, I'd take the voice I got cause it was hard to find"



Now that I think about it, I flagrantly stole another line from Concrete Blonde. "I'd give every song I have in me to have you back again."

[Raonar]

Well, as i've said before,I listen to epic music (instrumental+Choir), particularly Two Steps from Hell. I could say that The Merchant Prince has become my protagonist's theme song of sorts. Anyway, I load that mix or another and jsut let youtube go through the songs,  one after another.

[Maria13]

@Maxernst, what's with the modesty? I like your stuff... So if you recommend TPotE I'm going for it... I can download it on my birthday Kindle which is a definite plus... The sex complaints on Amazon were a plus for me...



@Inquartata, another recommendation, thanks, definitely going for it...

[Maria13]

Addai67 wrote...

Maria13 wrote...

Not so much listening but I've been following "The Pillars of the Earth" these last weeks not only because I think Prior Phillip is hot... (what does that say about me?) but because of the sets, the villages, cathedrals, markets, abbey, castles etc give me a feel for the DA environment. I mean the plot is hackneyed but WTH it is great fun...

Ooh, saw this on Netflix streaming so I'll start watching as well.  I've had that book on my shelf for a while, hadn't gotten to it though.

If I listen to anything while writing, it is rock ballads, heavy metal and a few more sensual (modern) songs thrown in.

Don't be put off by Ian McShane's wig! 

[Janni-in-VA]

"But I still like prior Phillip 'cause he's Welsh and the actor has a nice homely look about him... I do like the overarching plot, the civil war between Maud and Stephen not a subject I was very familiar with."



You should try Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael novels. He's a retired Crusader/hired sword who's now a Benedictine monk in Shrewsbury. He's a lovely character with a rich backstory, and she has a firm grip on the cultural history of the age. I can't remember, offhand, the name of the first novel, but I'm sure they're available in paperback on Amazon.

[Maria13]

@Janni, thanks, yes, another of my favourite homely looking actors Derek Jacobi played him on TV but I haven't got round to the books yet....

[Janni-in-VA]

Ah! The TV adaptations were actually quite good. I was pleased with them. They're very soothing to read; a bit old-fashioned in style, kind of like reading Dame Agatha.

Speaking of music to write by, if you like medieval/renaissance music, track down Anonymous Four.  They are no longer recording, but all their work is still available.  Wonderful rich harmonies, beautiful voices, seamless blend -- their work was amazing.

Modifié par Janni-in-VA, 16 novembre 2010 - 03:40 .

[Sialater]

God, I love Ian McShane. He's slowly eclipsing Alan Rickman for me. I know, blasphemy! But I don't think Alan Rickman could pull off what McShane did in Deadwood. But then, could McShane pull off Snape or the Sheriff of Nottingham?



Anyway, I do have a few celtic CDs but since I use them to help me sleep at night, I really can't write with them. Pavlovian responses work on humans, too.

[mousestalker]

Alan Rickman

[Sialater]

OK... you made your case.

[Maria13]

I like Alan Rickman too and John Malkovitch and Ian Mc Shane it's just that his wig is a bit dodgy in Pillars, his acting is otherwise great...

[inquartata02]

His portrayal of Waleran Bigod was certainly sufficiently creepy. *shudder*

[LupusYondergirl]

Maybe of interest...
Lifehacker just did an article about the best distraction-free writing tools. The vote results are here, and a better description of the finalist programs is here

Modifié par LupusYondergirl, 17 novembre 2010 - 04:48 .

[Elysium-Fic]

LupusYondergirl wrote...

Maybe of interest...
Lifehacker just did an article about the best distraction-free writing tools. The vote results are here, and a better description of the finalist programs are here

Definitely of interest.  Thank you!

[Maria13]

Just doing some research on sleeping in armour and came upon the following tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwentyFourHourArmor specifically on DA:O it says:

Bioware can't seem to make up their mind about this trope. In their newest RPG Dragon Age: Origins, anyone who can wear armor, does, 24/7. The only exception is when the main character and love interest decide to do some sparring.

• It's back on when they wake up the next morning. Because the
  first thing anyone does after sex is put on their armor, then lie back
  down, right?
• It does make an effort with some of the NPCs though, the
  landsmeet members for instance are all in normal clothing when you meet
  them in the city and full armor at the landsmeet itself. Arl Eamon wears
  normal clothes normally, fancy chainmail to the landsmeet and a suit of
  full plate when preparing for battle.
• There's a scene early on when the main character wakes up
  without wearing armor. An entire conversation goes by this way, and when
  it's time to hand control over to the player there's a scene shift and
  the character is back to wearing full armor again.

Oh, well so Alistair does not get to sleep in full armour in the Deep Roads then...

[maxernst]

Maria13 wrote...

Just doing some research on sleeping in armour and came upon the following tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TwentyFourHourArmor specifically on DA:O it says:

Bioware can't seem to make up their mind about this trope. In their newest RPG Dragon Age: Origins, anyone who can wear armor, does, 24/7. The only exception is when the main character and love interest decide to do some sparring.

• It's back on when they wake up the next morning. Because the
  first thing anyone does after sex is put on their armor, then lie back
  down, right?
• It does make an effort with some of the NPCs though, the
  landsmeet members for instance are all in normal clothing when you meet
  them in the city and full armor at the landsmeet itself. Arl Eamon wears
  normal clothes normally, fancy chainmail to the landsmeet and a suit of
  full plate when preparing for battle.
• There's a scene early on when the main character wakes up
  without wearing armor. An entire conversation goes by this way, and when
  it's time to hand control over to the player there's a scene shift and
  the character is back to wearing full armor again.

Oh, well so Alistair does not get to sleep in full armour in the Deep Roads then...

[*]In DAO's defense, it may be that any sensible person comes to a Landsmeet prepared for combat.  After all, you can choose to take on Loghain and his supporters in a melee rather than duel him--maybe that's a perfectly normal way for a Landsmeet to end. 
[*]The image of putting your armor back on after sex is amusing, though.  It reminds me of a series of '80's D&D T-shirts:  Fighters do it in armor, Thieves do it in the shadows, etc.

[Shadow of Light Dragon]

Consider ourselves lucky we don't have to repair armour in DAO, much less have it adjusted for character size/shape (I always laugh at putting a non-dwarf in Legion of the Dead armour, for instance). That's not taking into account that some things...just can't be adjusted. Unless lyrium as a component for the metal means One Size Fits All and makes it comfortable to sleep in etc.



But some armour you wouldn't bother with in certain situations. You wouldn't wear plate on a boat, for instance, since if you fell overboard you'd drown before you could get out of it (unless you were really fast cutting straps). The Deep Roads? I think you'd go with stuff that's easy to put on and off, good for mobility and doesn't take away from your ability to see/hear (helmets/caps SUCK).



I think you'd stink coming out of the Deep Roads no matter what you were wearing though.

[LupusYondergirl]

Ah, nice to know my "AOA updates=ffnet breaks" streak remains unbroken!

It doesn't break every time I update... but I do seem to update immediately before every time it breaks.

Bah.



Also, from what I remember in The Calling, they didn't really "make camp" per se in the deep roads. It was more "Let's just try and steal a few hours sleep here" before the darkspawn find us again. Although they're not as dangerous during the blight, it is still "their" territory. Even with someone on watch you'd still have to hope to get back into your armor immediately after being woken up before they're on you, and that's still depending on from how far off they are before the wardens can sense darkspawn or anyone who isn't a warden can hear them.

[Maria13]

Shadow of Light Dragon wrote...

Consider ourselves lucky we don't have to repair armour in DAO, much less have it adjusted for character size/shape (I always laugh at putting a non-dwarf in Legion of the Dead armour, for instance). That's not taking into account that some things...just can't be adjusted. Unless lyrium as a component for the metal means One Size Fits All and makes it comfortable to sleep in etc.

But some armour you wouldn't bother with in certain situations. You wouldn't wear plate on a boat, for instance, since if you fell overboard you'd drown before you could get out of it (unless you were really fast cutting straps). The Deep Roads? I think you'd go with stuff that's easy to put on and off, good for mobility and doesn't take away from your ability to see/hear (helmets/caps SUCK).

I think you'd stink coming out of the Deep Roads no matter what you were wearing though.

Definitely agree on the stink... Planning for that...