Creativity Friday: Inspiring a Novel*

As I work on The Novel these days (which is just about up to 71,000 words, hooray!), I’m finding inspiration in more places than I can keep track of. I know I’ve mentioned my semi-recent trip to Montreal to view the Waterhouse exhibit, which has several paintings that figure prominently within it. While art seems an obvious inspiration to someone such as myself, I’ve also been finding inspiration in music. In particular, Schubert’s last string quintet, D. 956.

Never heard of it? Even for hard core classical music fans, it’s wouldn’t be surprising if you hadn’t. It’s not one of the composer’s heavy hitters, like his oft-performed Trout quintet or Death and the Maiden quartet (which also makes a cameo appearance in the novel). But there’s something so transcendent about this quintet that I decided that it had to play a part during an important scene for my main character, which takes place at a concert.

Aside from the gorgeous music, the history of this quintet is touching. First off, it was one of the last compositions Franz Schubert wrote before he died in 1828 at the age of 31. Maybe I’m reading into it, but while listening to this quintet I get a sense of the composer railing against the limitations of life, especially in the exquisite second movement adagio — there’s a slightly schizophrenic quality in the way the music ricochets between sweet melody and over-the-top all hell breaking loose. Another interesting fact about this quintet: Instead of the usual two violas and one cello, this string quintet features one viola and two cellos, which gives the music a dark verocity. Also, the quintet wasn’t performed in public until 1884 — just three years before when my novel is placed. This made me consider how my fictional characters might respond to hearing it for the first time.

The quintet is such an intense piece of music that it reminds me of a scene from E. M. Foster’s ROOM WITH A VIEW (the book, though it’s also referenced in the Helena Bonham Carter movie). I’m paraphrasing here, but someone comments that playing Beethoven stirs the heroine Lucy Honeychurch up too much — ie: bad Victorian lady.

You can listen to a recording of Schubert’s string quintet, D. 956 here, courtesy of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (another radiant place of inspiration). Warning: the quintet is a good 45 minutes long, but you download it to listen at your convenience.

Here’s an excerpt describing it from The Novel:

The quintet began with several chords which promised tranquility. Alas, this was not to be — the instruments lurched into a passionate declaration of purpose that took my breath away. The double cellos offered a primal roughness. As soon as I’d girded myself for more of the same, the violins emerged from this chaos with a Viennese waltz-like song that suggested pure water burbling along a twisting stream. This theme continued for some time, interrupted periodically by chords that teased with the intensity of the opening, before dissolving back into a sharp fugue…. The fugue now built to such a climax of such intensity and speed that I could hardly stand it….

Next up was a plaintively slow adagio, to contrast against the previous movement. This music spoke of regret, of lost opportunities. Yet there was acceptance within it; as if it affirmed, Yes, life is finite. But it is worthy. This musical theme was reinforced by slow pizzacato plucking against long, low somber tones. It sounded like someone being comforted as they wept.”

I hope this music carries you away, dear reader!

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* This is part of an ongoing occasional series of posts about inspiration for the two books I’m working on right now. The first is a novel set in Victorian during the Aesthetics Movement. The second book is a follow up to DOOMED QUEENS.

• Filed under The Novel, be-mused, creativity, events, new projects | One Response

Round and about: a very utilitarian round up

For the past ten days, I’ve been sick in a very Victorian invalid sort of way. Meaning that if I had a fainting couch, I’d be lolling about on it (preferably in a velvet day gown while clutching a bottle of laudanum). I’ve even been without a voice for four days. The good news is that, while I don’t have access to nineteenth century opiates, I do have a prescription for antibiotics. I’m definitely on the mend.

So, as a means of playing catch up, here’s a round up of what’s been going on in Art and Words land.

1. Last Friday was the second gathering of the Creative Women’s Networking Salon at the studio-gallery. It was a resounding success — so much so that the Salon will now become a regularly scheduled monthly event, like our Tarot Salon. I’m thinking first or second Friday of each month.

At our last salon, I was joined by a wide variety of women photographers, editors, writers, bloggers, artists, and crafters — an amazing array of talent. After the event, I noticed that some of the women “friended” each other on Facebook and beyond. That made me very happy, since one of my goals with my studio-gallery is to foster creative community in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park.

2. The Paul Taylor Dance Company is now at City Center in Manhattan through mid-March. I’m fortunate to know Annmaria Mazzini, one of the intensely gifted dancers who perform in the company. (She’s also a talented jewelry designer — I have several of her magical pieces.)

Seeing Annmaria dance has become a special ritual for me, marking the end of winter and start of spring. This year was extraordinary because Thea was old enough to attend with us for the first time! Annmaria even gave Thea a tour backstage at City Center, which thrilled my daughter immensely.

Thea and Annmaria, still in costume from dancing the 1960’s-themed Changes.

Imagine being (almost) five years old and looking out at this vista. In the words of Thea, “really cool.”

3. One of the things I love most about Brooklyn is the community (see item #1 above). One of Thea’s friends is a little girl named Theodora, who lives around the corner from us. Theodora’s mom is Jenny Offill, the author of several books including the novel LAST THINGS, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Jenny has a short story in Electric Literature from which she will be doing a reading of on March 14 at 7pm at KGB Bar and Lit Review. More info here.

Another neighbor mother and friend is journalist Sharon Lerner. Her first book THE WAR ON MOMS is being published by Wiley next month. It’s battlefield reporting on the widespread realities facing most American women today: the lack of paid maternity leave, the dearth of decent part-time work options, and the shortage of good, affordable childcare options. It tells the truth that overworked, stressed-out American moms need to hear: that they’re not alone — and they’re not to blame. Read excerpts here.

4. Related reading news: We’ll be having author Mary Sharratt visit the gallery all the way from England on March 15 at 7pm to present and sign her new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL. I’m very excited — this is an exclusive for us, since the book won’t be released until early April.  DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL is garnering some extraordinary praise and received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Learn more about this event.

5. I’ve decided to start offering semi-regular blog posts about my inspirations for The Novel, which is set amidst Victorian England’s deliciously decadent Aesthetic movement. For example, I wrote last month about my trip to Montreal to view the Waterhouse exhibit. The next one will go up later this week as part of my ongoing Creativity Friday series. It’s about my obsession with a Schubert string quintet. (Listen to it here.)

6. Finally, several people have yet to claim their prizes from our Valentine’s Week giveaways. Please send me your info so I can get your goodies on the way. (Or, if you e-mailed me and have yet to receive a prize, please send it to me again — your e-mail did not make it through.)

And with that, I hope you all are having a great week!

• Filed under The Novel, art and words, creativity, events, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, studio and gallery, the art world, the world around me | 2 Responses

Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere: raffle winners! and Valentines! and cute kids!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated during last week’s “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere”, which was held to mark the relaunch of the Love Tarot app. I had a truly wonderful time reading all of your comments, stories, opinions, and thoughts. I loved having the opportunity to get to know you, my blog readers, better.

As a side note, your tales of dating woe made me shiver with horror as well as laugh in astonishment. I sincerely hope that things have improved considerably on your collective romantic fronts since then!

Special thanks to Sandra Gulland, Holly Tucker, Donna Henes, and Ruth Ann Amberstone for their wonderful guest posts. Much appreciation to Diane Saarinen for helping me organize this week of Valentine-themed love.

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. And today is (drumroll please!) the day in which I announce the winners of our daily giveaways from last week. Congratulations to:

Audra: You’ve won Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland.

Leslie: You’ve won The Lover’s Path by me.

Fran: You’ve won The Queen of My Self by Donna Henes.

Joy Lerner: You’ve won the Goddess Tarot deck and MP3 of The Tarot School’s teleclass for The High Priestess from Ruth Ann Amberstone.

Silverlotus: You’ve won the Amor and Beatrice print.

If you could e-mail me your mailing addresses to kris at kriswaldherr dot com, I’ll arrange to get your prizes off to you pronto.

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In closing, here are some images from the children’s Valentine making workshop we held at the gallery this weekend. For a period of about three hours, my workspace was taken over by about fifteen kids wielding glitter glue and sequins. At one point, a group of them commandoed my work table, transforming it into a private club house. There was even a “No! Grow Ups – Only Kids” sign.

It was overwhelmingly cute.

However you spent your Valentine’s Day (or “Love Day” as one child called it), I hope it was fulfilling and fun!

• Filed under be-mused, creativity, events, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, studio and gallery | 2 Responses

Sandra Gulland guest post: On the Writing of Love Letters

To kick off my “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere” featuring the Love Tarot app, I am fortunate to have Sandra Gulland as my guest. Sandra is the internationally acclaimed author of the bestselling Mistress of the Sun and of the Joséphine B. trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide and been translated into thirteen languages.

In this post, Sandra offers a very touching history lesson about the writing of love letters in seventeenth century France. On top of that, we’re giving away a copy of Mistress of the Sun to one lucky blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: Historian Holly Tucker spills about the seventeenth century’s favorite sex manual.

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In times past, a girl was told never to open a letter from a boy. A virtuous girl was expected to hand it over unopened to her parents. But of course lovers always found ways around such strictures. Josephine, who had received ardent love letters from Napoleon when he was courting, was strict about her daughter not receiving letters. Josephine had been an adult when Napoleon came courting, and living in the unsettled period after the French revolution. Ironically, it was that very daughter who, in later life, published the letters Napoleon had written to her mother after they had married — but she made sure to edit out the erotic lines.

In my novel, Mistress of the Sun, the King slips or writes notes into the margins of books he sends Louise de la Vallière, the young woman he courts. In truth (for this great love is a true story), they exchanged poems. They each enlisted the help of one of the King’s Gentlemen of the Chamber to carry the poems back and forth, but also — perhaps feeling inadequate to the task — got him to help in the composition of the missives. I changed this account somewhat for the novel, but I am charmed by the story.

Someday, perhaps I will write a story about a go-between between lovers. In the 17th century, public scribes could be hired in the Cemetaire des Innocents in the heart of Paris, and some of these, no doubt, were called upon to write letters of love.

Imagine: a young man in love, venturing into the stinking cemetery, stepping around open graves, wending his way around the statue of Death, thinking only of the love he feels, the words he wishes to compose.

Shyly, he sits across from the old scribe, stutters out his need.

If only we could overhear him … and read the lavish, embellished words that the scribe scratches out. Will it read, simply: I love you? No, these words are too powerful! (And too, the scribe is paid by the word.) No doubt the scribe will suggest flowery images to express the young man’s emotion, describe his sighs and tears, his unimaginable torments, sign him as a slave, ready to follow his beloved’s every request.

The young man leaves with a letter — a scrap of paper which he will (somehow) put into the hands of his beloved, and thus change his life forever. For in spite of the flowery language, she will read, simply, in his eyes: I love you.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a copy of Sandra’s wonderful novel Mistress of the Sun! (Read my full review here.) To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about your favorite love letter!

Maybe this love letter — or e-mail, if you’re the modern type — was one you happily received from a beloved. Perhaps you were its enthusiastic author. Or it was a letter from literature or history? Personally, I find Napoleon’s letters to Josephine to be rather hot stuff: “A kiss on your heart, and one much lower down, much lower!”

(I wonder if these are the edited versions mentioned by Sandra. If so, I’m blushing to imagine the original letter….)

The small print: You have until midnight EST on February 14 to leave your comment. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Monday, February 15, 2010. Sorry, but the giveaway is limited to U.S. and Canada only.

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Top art: Cupid and Psyche from the Love Tarot app by Kris Waldherr.

More about the Love Tarot app: Considered to be the most romantic app in the App Store, the Love Tarot app offers gorgeous tarot readings inspired by famous love stories, such as Tristan and Isolde and Cupid and Psyche. This five star-rated app was recently relaunched to include a tarot journal for users to save their readings and other inspirations.

Available in Lite and Full versions, learn more here. Or download the Full version on iTunes now.

• Filed under events, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path | 17 Responses

The Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere begins….

As I mentioned last week, this upcoming week is going to be special for this blog. From February 8th through 12th, I’ll be having some very lofty guests here:

Best-selling author Sandra Gulland (Mistress of the Sun).

Urban shaman Donna Henes (Queen of My Self).

Renowned tarot authority Ruth Ann Amberstone (The Secret Language of  Tarot).

And, finally, acclaimed historian Holly Tucker (Wonders and Marvels, Blood Work).

These amazingly talented and inspiring women will be joining me for a week of love-themed posts and special giveaways. It’s all to celebrate Valentine’s Day — and the relaunch of the five star-rated Love Tarot iPhone app, which was recently updated with a tarot journal for saving readings and other inspirations.

The week will be kicked off tomorrow morning with a wonderfully romantic piece by Sandra about the writing of love letters.  (Side note: I’m extremely flattered that she writes that her post was inspired by my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path.) On top of that, we’ll be giving away a copy of Sandra’s bestselling book, Mistress of the Sun. To enter the raffle, all you need to do is comment.

A huge bouquet of thanks to these illustrious ladies for participating in what I hope will be the most romantic week on the blogosphere. And I hope you’ll to “see” you here beginning tomorrow!

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PS: To learn more about the Love Tarot and my other iPhone and iPod Touch apps, please visit my new-and-official app website here.

• Filed under be-mused, creativity, events, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, queens, tarot and oracles | 2 Responses