Flesh Out Your YA Characters

Quick Update:  Have no way to obtain the next two books in the series I've been re-reading. This makes me sad. But hey, second to last A-Z post! And technically post #101 (even though Blogger counts published and unpublished posts, so maybe that doesn't count).

Song Stuck In My Head: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day as covered by Vitamin String Quarter. That's right, an orchestra song.

On SSF, we try to merge the world of pop culture and YA writing into one. As always, music is one of the more enjoyable ways to go about doing this. And while this isn’t the first time I’ve created a playlist for YA writing, this is the first to help with characterization. We do see a variety of “types” in YA, after all. We also see characters that don't have a type, and are pretty awesome...except they're missing, well, something.

Need more darkness to your character? You don’t need to make a character Goth or wear a spiked collar to make them a little shadowy inside. If your character is a little shallow or light-minded, and shouldn’t be, then try THE INDECENT. They’re an up-and-coming band from New York with a pure grunge sound. Listen to the girl singer for one second, and you’ll feel and understand teen angst, hurt, pain. But it won’t come off as over-the-top or corny.

Choice songs: “25 Steps”, “Her Screwed Up Songs”, “Lucky Ones”

Also check out… White Lie’s “Death”, Green Day’s “Brain Stew/Jaded”, Halestorm’s “Familiar Taste of Poison”, Sound garden’s “Black Hole Sun”.

Need more oddness to your character? You’re not asking to have a character so quirky Zooey Deschanel will be envious. You just need something unique or off-the-wall about your character that’ll make him/her more real or memorable. FOSTER THE PEOPLE will always be your best bet. Their mix of dark/thoughtful lyrics and poppy/catchy music makes them very odd indeed.

Choice songs: “Pumped Up Kicks”, “Call It What You Want”, “Don’t Stop”

Also check out…Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta”, Liz Phair’s “Extraordinary”, Weezer’s “Pork & Beans”, Silverchair’s “Freak”.

Need more sentimentality to your character? Maybe he’s a tough guy or girl who needs some redeeming qualities or emotions. Look no further than THREE DAYS GRACE. Though they may sound hard rock and look dark, Three Days Grace is one of the most emotionally charged bands out there today. Adam Gontier, the lead singer, manages to sound vulnerable and tough. They're my go-to band for my own WIP.

Choice songs: “Never Too Late”, “Running Away”, “Home”. Also check out Adam’s solo cover of “Wicked Game”.

Also check out… P!nk’s “Sober”, Stone Temple Pilot’s “Sour Girl”, Paramore’s “Brick By Boring Brick”, Katy Perry’s “Lost”.

Need more badassery to your character? Maybe they’re a weakling and need a stronger shell. Maybe you need more of fighter. You need music with spunk and the nerve to punch back, to spit in your face. There’s going to be no one better than JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS for that. Joan Jett may be a little old-school, but there is nothing but timeless about her unapologetic, throaty, slack-jawed rock ‘tude. And that’s what you need with a badass character. Someone who won’t say sorry or take names. They just go with the flow.

Choice songs: “Bad Reputation”, “I Want You”, “Activity Grrrl”. Her version of "Cherry Bomb" is pretty snarky too.

Also check out…Alanis Morisette’s “You Oughta Know”, Foo Fighter’s “The Pretender”, Hole’s “Violet”, Korn’s “Counting On Me”.

Need more morals/dreams & hopes to your character? What, your character does have aspirations and goals and motivation, right? No? Well, if you need to inject some Little Person with Big Dreams into your story, why not try out American Idol numero uno, Kelly Clarkson? She was the first to go from Nobody to Superstar, and has the songs and story to prove it.

Choice songs: “Breakaway”, “How I Feel”, “Miss Independent” (okay, so in that last one her dreams get overshadowed with love, but hey, CONFLICT! Booyah).

Also check out…Stacie Orrico’s “There’s Gotta Be More (to Life)”, Shinedown’s “Second Chance”, KT Tunstall’s “Suddenly I See”, My Chemical Romance’s “Bulletproof Heart”.

Just need more depth to your character? If it’s just that they’re not complex enough or don’t have enough secrets, then you need some complex music. Music that has a lot of history, grudges, memories, and hurt in it. This time, we’ll go back to the 90’s, to the beloved NIRVANA. We don’t all understand what Kurt Cobain was singing about. Heck, we’re not even sure how he died thanks to conspiracy theorists. But we do know there was a lot of emotions going through his head, thanks to the complicated and mixed sound of Nirvana’s songs.



Choice Songs: “In Bloom”, “All Apologies”, “Something In the Way”. His last song, "You Know You're Right", is a little layered too.

Also check out…Airborne Toxic Event’s “Sometime Around Midnight”, No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak”, Hellyeah’s “You Wouldn’t Know”, Lady Gaga’s “Speechless”, the Killer's "Mr. Brightside".

Well…what about you? Do you have any go-to songs for characters? Is there a character type you have trouble with? Tell us. And I’ll see you soon for the LAST POST OF THE A-Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE AH! We made it here together! I have so many people to thank...

Later!

Queen Extravaganza

Quick Update: Really catching up now. Hey, so remember "Q?"

Song Stuck In My Head: “Black Shoes” by the Films. It’s Sims 2, but is amazing.

So about a week ago, I was out of mind with frustration and insomnia (okay, still am, but not the point) and declared no “Q” post because there was absolutely nothing I can think of that started with Q but was cool.
Well, A-Z blogging is almost up, so I surrender. And thankfully, last week's results show of American Idol introduced to me the QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA.

Who are they? Apparently the two remaining members of the original Queen had searched for the ultimate Queen cover band, one that captured the essence and spirit and most of all talent of the band, and most of all, a band to tour with. Queen Extravaganza's winners seems to fit the description a little too perfectly. They put together a group of performers that somehow, together, do Queen justice in so many ways. Let me tell you why this is probably the first cover band that is worth the money.

The Singer: A broad, strong-looking man who goes from the piano to his feet, Marc Martel (who got to perform his audion on Ellen) has the dramatic voice of Freddy Mercury. He also has the gift of vulnerability and charisma. But his voice! It sounds so realistic; we could have Mercury's ghost here.

The Guitarist: A long-haired, young thing, their guitarist Tristan Avakian started out unimpressive and forgettable. Then he started playing his own little solos, playing guitar behind his back, and making snide/snarky faces. Oh yeah. We got a rebel here. The other guitarist, Brian Gresh, isn't too bad either.

The Bassist: Francois-Olivier Doyon, who did a backflip. While playing. All I need to say.

The Drummer: Okay, I don't remember their drummer, Tyler Warren, but only because around the end of the performance, Queen's own guitarist and drummer burst on stage and joined them. Cool, right?

While the performance might not have been picture-perfect (there was a lot of flashy lights. And back-up singers) seeing the Queen Extravaganza tribute band perform was a very fresh moment on the results show, where we get to see an actual band release its inner queen, inner monster, was what made it all worth it. This is truly a band to check out, despite them being a cover band.

Don't believe me? Listen for yourself. Then go to the Queen Extravaganza's website here and learn more about them, about the contest, and even their tour dates! Woot!




Later!

The Modern Xylophone (and Other Instruments)

Quick Update: Fourth ever band concert last Saturday. My strings class is still all horribly out of tune. We rocked. Oh, and X for Xylophone...

Song Stuck In My Head: "Colors of the Wind", the Pochohantas song. That, and Aretha Franklin. Don't ask.

Thanks to the recent success of Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" (which I've blogged how many times now? Okay, sorry) I've been thinking a lot about the xylophone. In my head it's always been a part of my childhood. That little kid instrument that made tingling noises, had colorful keys, was delicate, and extremely easy to play. Yet sometimes, all it takes is some proper usage, and you get a song like Gotye's.

Love Gotye. Love him so much.

Not that Gotye is the first to ever feature the xylophone - also known as the Glockenspiel. I mean, have you ever heard a Frank Zappa song? Anyhow, since today is our "X" post...let's talk about all the other not as recognized instruments out there.

Harmonica. The bluesy mouth organ with 'tude and emotion. Obviously Bob Dylan's song featured some of the best harmonica moments. There's some more modern or well-known ones that have harmonica too.Black Rebel Motorcyle Club's "Complicated Situation". Or maybe Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks" (love that song). Green Day's "Minority". or Black Sabbath's "The Wizard". It's more present than we think.

Harp. Maybe a strumming harp makes you think of pretty angels. But the gentle, delicate instrument happens to be HUGE and very noticeable. Florence + the Machine, everyone's favorite loud girl, has the harp here and there. I think the best use of it is in Depeche Mode's "Halo" remix, which adds a haunting and not sweet tone to it. There's also many beautifully done harp covers out there on Youtube (how they could afford a harp, who knows. They're lucky is all I know).



Kazoo. After seeing an acoustic performance with one, I realized that kazoos aren't just the instruments that sound suspiciously like ducks. You can hear them in Eric Clapton songs (San Francisco Bay) or Rolling Stones songs (Cool, Calm, and Collected). And yes, even the aforementioned Frank Zappa has some kazoo here and there. (Hungry Freaks). Or even Weird Al Yancovich's cover of Smells Like Teen Spirit (well, okay, not cover).

There's tons of instruments out there. Bagpipes. Or recorders. Sometimes, even non-instruments can do a lot in a song. Glasses and spoons. Jingling of keys. Everything and anything.

What are some of your favorite instruments out there? The atypical instruments?

Later. Actually, no soon. Three posts in one day again - last day of A-Z after all!

W for Writer's Wonderland

Quick Update: Getting there with my posts at least. Almost caught up! Now I just need to do "Q" post that I skipped.

Song Stuck In My Head: "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division. Quite a haunting tune.

Right now, being a writer isn’t easy. With my junior year almost up and everyone in journalism class checking out and my classes having homework every DAY (gah!), sometimes I just need to escape. To have time to write and look at pictures of mental hospitals (for research…I have a YA/urban fantasy story that takes place in a ward, you know).

So, in a very odd post, I’m going to explore a fantastical land where ALL writers could live and be at peace. Feel free to add your own details: I’ll add them as they get up.

In Writer’s Wonderland….

Caffeine is the top food group. Energy drinks and sodas and coffee. They’ll be so important to our diet that they’ll be our rivers and lakes, like the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Your drinks will be bottled at Dr. Pepper Falls or the Starbucks Ocean. Or maybe we get injected with it like medicine.

Pens/Pencils/Flash Drives/Glasses/etc. never get lost. Nothing gets misplaced. If you set something down, it reappears a minute later before you even realize.

Writing is a respected career. When you go to reunions or just have a normal talk among peers, no “Oh, so what are you going to do with your life” sort of question will distress you anymore. Saying you’re a writer or freelancer will be the equivalent of saying you’re a heart surgeon or lawyer. 

Oops-check. We have a spell check, even a somewhat useful grammar check, but it’s not nearly enough. You said the wrong name. You actually did spell the word wrong, but you misspelled it until it became another existing word, so no spell check to help you now.

Carpal Tunnel doesn’t need surgery to be cured. Nope. You can take a tiny pill or vitamin, and it’ll be gone in a sitch. Not even that - it’ll be a cutesy, gummy pill that dissolves in your mouth, no pain whatsoever. In ten seconds, the pain in your wrist will be gone! Wow!

Later.

"V" for "Versus" on Idol

Quick Update: Sleepy. So sleepy. Oh, and hello new followers! Don't think I didn't notice you.

Song Stuck In My Head: “S and M" by Rihanna. So, a couple kids blasted this song during a club yesterday…with our 70-something year old advisor RIGHT THERE. Thankfully, I don’t think she listened to the lyrics, but still….

With American Idol being the top singing competition on TV, you can expect that there will be a lot of conflict and heat. Between contestants. Between judges. Between fans. But it seems like the show has a lot of odd clashes going on right now that weren’t intended by the producers. Let’s discuss.

Randy Jackson vs. both J-Lo and Steven. This past season or two, with no Simon Cowell to be rational, Randy Jackson has had to go from “Dawg!” to “Dude…”. Meaning, with Steven Tyler usually finding some crazy way to say how good someone sang or J-Lo fangirling over every song, he has to be the rational and honest critic. The bad cop. 

In a dramatic turn of events last night, that turned around because J-Lo has slowly been getting more critical - and Randy gets to defend the people again. It’s all very confusing, we know. But it’s good to see some judge conflict here and then.

Hollie Cavanagh vs. Musical Genres. All contestants have found their niche by now. Skylar: country sass. Phillip: artsy bluesy rock. Elise: power pop/rock. Joshua: rock and soul. And Jessica: big-voiced diva.

But it seems there aren’t really any open spots for little, blonde, and blue-eyed Hollie Cavanagh. She’s adorable and sings strongly, but has no exact genre to her. She might be any given high school’s best singer, but on a reality show like this that just doesn’t cut it.

Joshua Ledet vs. the Fans (Not His, Everyone Else’s). Mr. “Fantasia” has really proved himself to be more than a simple soul singer. He’s a performer above anything else, and hit his stride last night with his funky take on “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and insane ballad “Ready For Love".

Unfortunately, the boy’s fan base isn’t nearly as big as his talent and he has ended up in the bottom three a few times. Though Phillip Phillips is still my ultimate fave, I’d like to see Joshua make it a little farther than the Top 6. He’s that talented.

Elise Testone vs. Herself. I love Elise. I love how she mixes the roughness of Janis Joplin and Alanis Morisette in with a bubbly Colbie Caillet attitude and diva flair. The judges love it. Her fans, though there might not be that many, love it. But Elise? She doesn’t always seems sure. Every critique from the judges seems to hit her like a slap. Every wrong move or wrong note freaks her out for half the song. She’s beyond talented and knows what she’s doing, but nerves can get the best of us.

Phillip Phillips vs. the World. Everyone followed a very unspoken formula for last night, since the goal was to sing one Queen song and then sing one song of their own choice. Everyone had a spicy, loud/yelled, and pumped up Queen tune. And then everyone slowed down and had a dramatic, tear-filled ballad.

But never Phillip, who walks at his own pace. His queen song, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, was a fun rock moment in the middle of the wrong concert. And then he took an inventive take on Dave Matthews, who’s he compared to about every week, taking such a huge risk that he nearly gave Jennifer Lopez a heart attack.

Phillip Phillips never follows the other contestants or the show’s standards. As Randy put it, he’s already a true, matured artist who seems to have outgrown the overproduction and dramatics of Idol. And hey, he hasn’t even been in risk of elimination yet, not even on bad weeks. Coincidence?

Later.