Thanks to everyone who commented on my 13 Days of Doctor Who music post. It was great hearing all of your thoughts and reactions to the Doctor Who soundtracks. The winner of the Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol soundtrack is Erin! I will be contacting you via email, but if I get lost in the spam abyss, feel free to contact me at ryann {dot} m {dot} murphy {at} gmail {dot} com.
In preparing for the post, I tried to make a video of my life set to the Doctor Who soundtrack. I probably should have left it on the cutting room floor, but here it is if you want to check it out.
When I used to think of the non-traditional work women did during World War II, I thought of Rosie the Riveter. Not anymore. From now on I will also think of Daphne Orem and, fair Whovian, so should you.
Daphne Orem shown here with a wobbulator.
Daphne Orem was a sound balancer during the war and afterwards she worked tirelessly to start a experimental sound creation lab. Finally, in 1958, she and Desmond Briscoe founded the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Much of the work done at the Workshop consisted of recording sounds and then manipulating them through editing, pitch-changing, and reversing the tape. Soon, wobbulators and oscillators were added to the mix.
But, Ryann! We are here about Doctor Who, not a history lesson!
Okay, fine. Fast forward to 1963 when Doctor Who’s first producer, Verity Lambert, contacted the Workshop looking for someone to do sound effects for her little sci-fi series, just six episodes long. Soon, the famous Doctor Who theme was born, thanks to music written by Ron Grainer and created by Dick Mills, Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson from the Workshop.
Brian Hodgson scraped a key along piano strings to create the TARDIS sounds.
And, a lot of knob-twiddling. And Hodgson scraping his mum’s house key along bass strings from a dismantled piano to create the TARDIS sound that we know and love. Genius, yes? But, seriously, don’t try that at home. (Looking at you, Mr. Murphy.)
But, you know the story doesn’t stop there. The series has endured for decades and some of those original sound effects are still used in the show today. Since 2005, Murrary Gold has been the music director for Doctor Who and has taken the show’s music on a slightly different, though no less awesome, path.
While I can appreciate the advancements of the earlier efforts, I love the addition of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales for the recent Doctor Who soundtracks. Now the theme song has became a siren call between Mr. Murphy and I, summoning the other through time and space…well, from the side of the house anyway. We alternately pretend to play the violin part or sing the electronic “Whooo-eeeee-ewwww”. Here’s the link if you want to play along at home.
The genius of Murrary Gold and Ben Foster shine through every note. Did you know Gold created a theme for each Doctor as well as Rose, Donna, the Cyberman (boo, hiss) and more? My question is, when do we get OUR own fan theme? It could be a hipster track created from the sounds of our minds being blown and our hearts being broken (#teamdonna).
Vocal performances also enhance the soundtracks of several episodes. “End of Time” is particularly moving as each time the Doctor talks of his upcoming death or bids farewell to his companions, haunting vocals in “Vale Decem” create a requiem leading us towards a regenerating Doctor. Melanie Pappenheim is also breathtaking in Rose’s farewell from Season 2.
Even with all this amazing music, Doctor Who still inspires people to create their own musical mashups in tribute to their favorite show. You can even make your own own version of the Doctor Who theme with the radiophonatron. Come on, I know you want to try it. Master this and you’ll be a hit at parties. Well, certain parties. Well, okay, just Doctor Who parties. Still, try it already!
Here is one of my favorite mashups. You might want to grab a box of tissue. No? Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Looking for a Doctor Who Theme you can dance to? Check out this groovy tune:
It takes a lot to make a television series capture your mind and your heart. I can appreciate great acting and brilliant storytelling, but an outstanding soundtrack can bring it all together and wrap it up with a bow of emotional intensity. For me, the Doctor Who soundtracks do exactly that.
“The Universe will sing you to your sleep, Doctor. This song is ending but the story never ends.” –Ood Sigma
Thanks for stopping by and thanks to Erica and Eliza for letting me climb aboard the Doctor Who train!
Mini Prize:
To enter my mini prize giveaway of a copy of Doctor Who – A Christmas Carol, the soundtrack to the upcoming Christmas episode, leave a comment with your name and email address below. This giveaway will close on midnight CST on December 24. The prize will be either CD or MP3 as appropriate.
Grand Prize:
To enter the grand prize giveaway for the Complete Sixth Series on DVD, please leave a comment with your name and email address. You may enter once at every stop on the blog tour for a total of thirteen chances. The Grand Prize giveaway is limited to the US and Canada, due to regional restrictions on the DVD. Individual contest will close at the discretion of the author, but the Grand Prize contest will accept entries on any site until midnight CST on December 24th. We will post the winner on December 25th, and notify the winner via email.
The 13 Days of Doctor Who bloghop has begun! Check out the Wibbly Wobbly Schedule of stops for all things Whovian and prizes galore! The TARDIS will drop by this blog on December 21, so be sure to stop back.
Excuse me, when did it become December? My November was a blur thanks to deadlines-a-go-go, so when my Golden Heart entry was finally in the mail, I could breathe.
And read.
Remember what that was like? The anticipation of time to savor a great new fantasy? The wonder of meeting Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy for the first time and knowing that you could spend the entire winter break with them? Sigh. So, I decided it was time to rediscover that anticipation. I checked out every appealing book I encountered at the library and surround myself with them this weekend. The first did not disappoint, even though it did make me stay up way too late.
Girls Don’t Fly by Kristen Chandler is a contemporary YA novel about a high school senior, Myra, who is dumped by her boyfriend out of the blue. Right there, I was hooked. I mean, I get that. Turns out that Myra is also the glue that holds the struggling household together. Her hard working parents rely on her to help transport, feed, and care for her younger siblings. When Myra’s older sister gets pregnant and moves back home, even more weight falls on Myra’s shoulders.
Myra struggles with the aftermath of the breakup. She needs a job, but is constrained by her responsibilities at home. When she learns of a scholarship offering a trip to the Galapagos Islands, she sees a chance to get away from her life–if she can raise $1000 by the scholarship deadline. Myra’s is a story of potential. She has loads of it, but even she doesn’t realize it. Those around her are too wrapped up in their own lives to notice what she could do if given half a chance.
I loved the rhythm of Myra’s first person narrative. The scientific threads added terrific texture to the overall story. The adults in this story weren’t perfect, and they weren’t villains, either, which made the story that much more believable.
In the end, I kept reading into the night because I wanted to know what happened to Myra, her scholarship application, and her budding relationship with cute graduate student, Pete. A great, realistic read with good conflict and decisions without easy answers.
Writing inspiration can be found all around us. Get creative and write the story behind this picture in 200 words or less to win an autographed picture of Sir Cletus, the world’s best yellow Labrador.
After years of off and on writing, I took the plunge and attended a writing conference in Ohio about this time last year. It was a very inspirational conference and I knew my next step should be to join the Chicago-North RWA Chapter.
So, I did.
Now, nearly a year later, I don’t have a contract. I’m not close to finding an agent. And yet, success is mine. I have some dear friends that have great supporters and beta readers since the beginning. I have found a community of intelligent, generous writers who inspire me on a daily basis. In February, I read a selection from my first completed novel to a very encouraging audience. Somehow, they made me feel good about my writing, while also pointing out that I had room to grow. A Lot. Really. Keep working, dear.
I soaked in the feedback and looked at my work with a new eye. I reworked a few different versions and sent one to the Molly Contest sponsored by the Heart of Denver Romance Writers. Earlier this week, I found out my submission made it to the final round. The final round! Be still my writerly heart. Thank you, also, to the judges that provided constructive criticism in the score sheets. Pure. Gold.
So, who knows what next year will bring? I have a few goals, but it is the journey that continues to challenge and stimulate me. Above all, I am very thankful to not be traveling alone.
Shameless plug: Registration is open for Chicago-North’s awesome conference: SpringFling 2012!
Audiobooks hold a special place in my literary heart. Not only do they make commuting time more enjoyable, but they have a way of immersing me in a story that is beyond compare. Recently, I listened to Ten Miles Past Normal, the YA debut by Frances O’Roark Dowell. In short, I didn’t want this story to end. Even though it doesn’t need a sequel, I desperately want one!
Janie used to love living on a farm, but now she just wants to be normal. As a high school freshman, she is having trouble finding her crowd (so realistic) and she ends up discovering how she can be a part of something bigger than herself, whether it be fighting for change or learning to play bass with the school’s jam band. I really liked Janie’s character, and I also loved Monster, the older high school student who takes her under his wing when she stumbles into a plan to learn to play the bass. An interesting, inter-generational subplot about the Civil Rights movement also move the story along.
Janie’s troubles adjusting to high school have turned her into an uncommunicative teen. I appreciated how this story helped us understand why she might be short with her parents, as well as why her parents react the way they do. For this reason, it would be a great family read or book discussion.
The narrator, award-winning Jessica Almasy, performed this story brilliantly. I plan to track down the rest of her work pronto. I loved how distinct and beautiful each of the characters’ voices were, including the Southern accents (again, LOVE Monster!).
The only thing that keeps me from giving this book a perfect 5 star rating was the fact that Janie didn’t have any major obstacles or missteps in this story. I’m okay with that, but I was surprised she didn’t need to be a little proactive in solving her problems or that she didn’t go so far off the deep end to experience some kind of consequence.
That being said, I very much enjoyed this book and believe it would be appropriate for 5th-8th graders to read and 4th-8th graders to listen to. This would also be a great family vacation listen and could be an interesting catalyst for conversations about family dynamics.
The striking cover draws you in, but it’s the story that will keep you from putting it down. 17-year-old Maura “Mo” Fitzgerald wakes up in the hospital and finds out that the same brutal attack that put her there also killed her best friend, Verity. As the secrets emerge about that terrible night, her family and the friend she thought she knew, Mo encounters two very different boys: one who was sent to protect her and one who wants her to help save the world.
Mo’s world is very real, even mixed with a fare amount of magic. Traveling between Chicago and New Orleans, she is faced with a decision that is wrapped in a debt-of-sorts to Verity. The more she learns about what is happening in her world, the more she learns about herself. The last few chapters race buy as the tension builds and lead you to a showdown you wouldn’t expect.
This is the debut novel for Erica O’Rourke, esteemed winner of the Golden Heart for Best YA Manuscript in 2010. It is sometimes difficult to be impartial when reading a book by someone you know “in real life”. However, it was the storyline alone that kept me up too late reading it several nights this week. It will be hard to wait for the next one in the trilogy!
I have multiple personalities. I am a full-time librarian and part-time romance writer. While attending the awesome Romance Writers Association national conference I realized there were some subtle differences between this conference and the library conferences I have attended in the past.
Networking, networking, networking. It isn’t easy, but networking in your field is important. The writers I met (biased sample size, LOL), at this conference were there to connect with people as much as they were there to learn about their craft. I do know librarians that are very good at networking, however I was at a library conference recently that began each and every program with the explicit instructions to introduce themselves to people on their left and on their right.This was not needed at RWA. Often moderators needed to quiet participants down prior to beginning a session.
Friendliness, helpfulness, and checking your ego at the door. I found my fellow RWA attendees to be, on the whole, very friendly and helpful. The “First-timer” ribbon on my badge was a very effective icebreaker. Several times I spoke with presenters following a program panel or when I encountered them on the escalator. All were open and willing to chat, even if they were a NYT bestselling author and I was just a lowly unpublished author. Conversely, I can easily recall approaching program speakers at library conferences and having them listen to me with half an ear while scanning the room for someone more important or influential that they could ditch me for. Boo.
Chicago-North Rocks. Okay, so I knew this already, but the fact was really driven home as I met several writers who don’t attend chapter meetings because they are too far away or the meetings are not productive. I firmly believe that joining my chapter and attending meetings on a regular basis has been one of the best decisions I have made in terms of my writing career. The group is full of supportive, successful writers and I learn something from them almost daily.
Story Arcs, GMC, Blah-blah-blah. Oh, I learned a lot of other stuff at the conference, too. A LOT. I learned how to put words to the vague knowledge that something was missing from my WIP (external conflict, baby). After the first full day of the conference, it was clear my contemporary romance would need more revisions before I would be able to confidently submit it. Therefore, I chose to cancel my pitch appointments with my selected editor and agent so others could have the opportunity. While some disagreed with my choice, after reading Scott Eagan’s post about pitching at conferences, I look forward to completing my revisions and submitting my work with a well-developed strategy.
I was fortunate to meet many people in real life that I have encountered in the Twitterverse. I hope to meet many more in the future. See you in Anaheim!
Well, I am loving the RWA experience anyway. I could have done without my cab driver nearly hitting Leif Scriber on the long ride from the airport. I probably could have also done without the impromtu tour of the fifth floor men’s restroom. Seriously, I tried to leave those kinds of embarassing moments in junior high.
What I have enjoyed, even beyond the very informative workshops, has been the genuine helpfulness shown by unpublished and veteran writers, some from my own chapter and some I’m meeting for first time.
As a librarian and writer, I feel fortunate to be in such great professions. I am also glad that I finally made it to this national conference!
Gah. Writing 'fun facts' abt myself and again realize I'm stereotype. Trying, in vain, to include left-handed w/out saying 'in right mind'. 1 day ago
RT @David_Boreanaz: I'd like to be that American cowboy who shakes things up at Downton Abbey. I'm open for a visit Mr Fellowes. #ITV @m ... 2 days ago
