Dawn Wright's Blog

Haven't you been down this road before while driving down a road? Cheesy, I know. (Big grin) But might I ask: Why does music sound better in the car? It just goes down better with a scenery passing by on either side and cars gliding past. Nothing compares to music blasting in a car--nothing. I swear the seats have something in the cushion, something brewing under your butt like uhhh nostalgia! Yeah. And the rearview mirrors have power like invisible laser beams that zaps into your mind to play memories in your head like sitcoms in syndication. But you love it! And you think that everyone that knows you is stopping what they're doing to feel the emotions with you. I don't know. I always knew I was weird so maybe it's just me. Even the person in the car beside you should feel the pinch in your heart or the excitement NASCARing through your veins. Don't they? What's wrong with those people?

Well, since music brings us all together, how about I share my playlist with you? How about I tell you what I go through? (This is the author in me.) I hop in my black muscle car and strap on my safety belt. I pick up my iPhone because I haven't bothered to replace my iPod, and I open up YouTube. My boyfriend has finally gotten to the point of not shaking his head at me for relying on videos to pose as a source of a music playlist. At least after months of harassment, just last week I've finally gotten to the point of making a legit playlist instead of typing in a new song per red light. I think he's somewhat proud of me now.

But here we go:



20. Neneh Cherry: Buffalo Stance


Okay, okay, Simmer down friends. I HATED this song as a child but I heard it in the latest commercial for Express and was like, "What?! Forgot that song existed!!!" Now I get silly in the car with that song.
Okay, okay, Simmer down friends. I HATED this song as a child but I heard it in the latest commercial for Express and was like, "What?! Forgot that song existed!!!" Now I get silly in the car with that song.

19: Mya: Fallen


This is one song that people probably slept on compared to her other songs. This song doesn't blossom till the end when the strings come in and the ending is beautiful and topped off with congos. As an ex-percussionist, I'm a sucker for any drumline instrument. I'm a recent fan of this song, too.
This is one song that people probably slept on compared to her other songs. This song doesn't blossom till the end when the strings come in and the ending is beautiful and topped off with congos. As an ex-percussionist, I'm a sucker for any drumline instrument. I'm a recent fan of this song, too.

18: Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam: Can You Feel the Beat


Eighties oldie by goodie. Grew up with them. Love their collection. Need I say more? But I play the extended version, because uhhhh, I FEEL the beat.
Eighties oldie by goodie. Grew up with them. Love their collection. Need I say more? But I play the extended version, because uhhhh, I FEEL the beat.

17: Joyce Sims: All in All


What is this song? you ask with attitude and cocked brows. Relax. My boyfriend deejayed this at a New Years Party and one woman from NYC went wild. I didn't get it until he played it in the car and you know the rest . . . Give it a try but blast it. Very energetic and it fits the club scene in my book.
What is this song? you ask with attitude and cocked brows. Relax. My boyfriend deejayed this at a New Years Party and one woman from NYC went wild. I didn't get it until he played it in the car and you know the rest . . . Give it a try but blast it. Very energetic and it fits the club scene in my book.

16: Jennifer Hudson: Dressed Up in Love


I'm a HUGE Sex and the City fan and her pipes send chills down my spine. Need I say more?
I'm a HUGE Sex and the City fan and her pipes send chills down my spine. Need I say more?

15: Tear for Fears: Everybody Wants to Rule the World


This song used to make me wanna cry as a child. Yup. I was a sentimental thing and I still am today. But now, this song just gives me good vibes--with a hint of sadness.
This song used to make me wanna cry as a child. Yup. I was a sentimental thing and I still am today. But now, this song just gives me good vibes--with a hint of sadness.

14: New Edition: If it Isn't Love


Aaaaand what little black girl from the 80's didn't like them? And who doesn't love the idea of their movie airing this month on BET if they were a fan back then? I'll wait . . .
Aaaaand what little black girl from the 80's didn't like them? And who doesn't love the idea of their movie airing this month on BET if they were a fan back then? I'll wait . . .





13: Missy Elliott: Beep Me 911


Give it up to the lady of innovation, Missy Freaking Elliott. Back then, 702 was the shizzz. Steelo? But combine these two awesomes together and you get a hit of mental ciggaweed that takes you baaaaack. Don't worry, I don't smoke.
Give it up to the lady of innovation, Missy Freaking Elliott. Back then, 702 was the shizzz. Steelo? But combine these two awesomes together and you get a hit of mental ciggaweed that takes you baaaaack. Don't worry, I don't smoke.

12: UGK ft. Outkast: I Choose You


I love how the song takes a while to crank up because Andre 3000 is tappin (talking and rapping) in the beginning, but when the song cranks, it cranks and the song makes you hammer the air with a Snook Dog gangsta lip. All of a sudden, the cars beside you wanna know what's happening.
I love how the song takes a while to crank up because Andre 3000 is tappin (talking and rapping) in the beginning, but when the song cranks, it cranks and the song makes you hammer the air with a Snook Dog gangsta lip. All of a sudden, the cars beside you wanna know what's happening.

11: Gwen Stefani: Cool


Hated this song and ignored it when it first came out. Now I like her whiny bridge and chorus. Sounds a little 80-ish so you can't go wrong there. C-cool.
Hated this song and ignored it when it first came out. Now I like her whiny bridge and chorus. Sounds a little 80-ish so you can't go wrong there. C-cool.

10: Ohio Players: Fire


Now hold on. Give me a chance. First of all, this song has a good pace and thanks to Hell's Kitchen, I finally got curious enough to just look it up. Sometimes, it's okay to just get down to some good ole funk with some congos and a guitar! Yeah, I'm down.
Now hold on. Give me a chance. First of all, this song has a good pace and thanks to Hell's Kitchen, I finally got curious enough to just look it up. Sometimes, it's okay to just get down to some good ole funk with some congos and a guitar! Yeah, I'm down.

9: Def Leppard: Love Bites
This song is beautiful. The end.
This song is beautiful. The end.

8: Partners in Rhyme: Kasam Se


I'm sure no one has heard of this song. That's okay. But it is absolutely beautiful. Just beautiful. It also comes with a hot beat and some lady singing in a language I cannot understand. Some of the best songs, we cannot understand. But I don't mind foreign languages singing in my ear at all. I embrace it! And this song is no exception but it brings it in all different directions. YouTube it. You won't be sorry.
I'm sure no one has heard of this song. That's okay. But it is absolutely beautiful. Just beautiful. It also comes with a hot beat and some lady singing in a language I cannot understand. Some of the best songs, we cannot understand. But I don't mind foreign languages singing in my ear at all. I embrace it! And this song is no exception but it brings it in all different directions. YouTube it. You won't be sorry.

7: Kascade: Move for Me


Did you know I love dance/house/techno music? Well you do now. And this song has such a slight 80's hint that you could almost miss it. But I enjoy this song most at night when I drive into the city.
Did you know I love dance/house/techno music? Well you do now. And this song has such a slight 80's hint that you could almost miss it. But I enjoy this song most at night when I drive into the city.

6: The Who: Eminence Front


If you have a TV you've heard of this song. Thanks, GM! They were smart to pair this hot and sexy song with their product. This song is a hidden gem.
If you have a TV you've heard of this song. Thanks, GM! They were smart to pair this hot and sexy song with their product. This song is a hidden gem.

5: Justin Bierber and Skrillex: Where Are U Now


Okay. First of all, if anyone would've told me years ago that I would've included this boy in my playlist I would've punched them. But let's give this man props. This album has been unforgettable and when you hear this song, you stop what you're doing and you slide your neck and shoulders. Genius.
Okay. First of all, if anyone would've told me years ago that I would've included this boy in my playlist I would've punched them. But let's give this man props. This album has been unforgettable and when you hear this song, you stop what you're doing and you slide your neck and shoulders. Genius.

4: Tito Rojas


What's a list without salsa? Ohhhh this song. Ohhhh this song. Blast it, listen to the string bass. Appreciate. Good. Music. I'm a big old school salsa fan. It also keeps me on my toes with my Spanish.
What's a list without salsa? Ohhhh this song. Ohhhh this song. Blast it, listen to the string bass. Appreciate. Good. Music. I'm a big old school salsa fan. It also keeps me on my toes with my Spanish.

3: Ariana Grande: Side to Side


I know songs lose their heat as you get used to them, especially when they're very recent. But, let's ignore that for a moment. I like her voice, and when you pair it with the reggae sound, you get something magical here. I just can't imagine what that video shot must smell like when you mix genitals and steam.

Remember that initial sense of pride that you had when you wrote that first page of your book? Then it grew when you hit page 20? Then from there, you thought, "Ahhh, shux! I'm doing it now?" Then that feeling subsided as you wrote more and more pages, and then you grew increasingly anxious to get to the finish line while battling that bittersweet feeling of kissing your characters good-bye? Well, relax, my friend. They will be with you for a very, very long time.

 

The manuscript. The thing that gives you so much pride while stealing all of your energy. It ain't for the faint of hearts! This thing will go through so many hands it'll make a prostitute jealous!!! Okay, well, whether it gets seen by a handful of people or more, it should see more than just your set of eyes. You will scan and re-scan, read and reread, write and rewrite, and more. You'll always ask, "How can I say this or that better?" Just when you feel confident in yourself, the world and all else in between, you'll tamper with it so many times until you reach what you feel is perfection. Perfection. That will never happen. But I do know, you start thinking of your favorite author's writing style, and you may find yourself wondering just how he or she would say it. I know I do. I can't help but think of Stephen King and his breathtaking writing style. Then I stop reaching for the stars and settle for the ceiling. Why? Because your writing style has a ceiling effect until you polish your craft with each keystroke over time.  That's more than okay. You are where you are right now because you must pay your dues. If any of us thought we could wake up and roll over and write with the mind and style of any other great writer, that'd be crazy. Besides, you must fall into and establish your own writing style, and then one day someone else may admire yours. But we all have to have our own voice, but as long as you know this, it's okay to drool over another writer's style. But all in all, this manuscript of mine was crafted by these little hands of mine and I reveled in that feeling for as long as it lasted. Remember when your teacher or professor asked for a 20-page paper and you gasped? Yeah, on one hand it's nothing compared to writing a book, but it's something when you have to add research on top of a topic you could care less about.

 

But I can't say it enough. After you write your first manuscript, I think you can pin that Author badge on your shirt pocket. Unpublished or not, but just because you had an idea and you wrote it out into a book, that makes you an author in my manuscript.

What made you pick up the keyboard-since I highly doubt it was a pen in these days-and write your first book?

I can tell you that I had already read my share of Harlequin novels when I was 19. That means a lot of sex scenes, which I enjoyed reading, so when I opened up a book (that shall remain nameless) that had nothing but sex in it, I couldn't take one more finger-poking scene or reference to nudity that I felt didn't need to be there. And you know that as an author, it's a crime to me, to suggest what should and should not be written by the hands of another writer. Just out of respect, you know? I dare someone to question my imagination and what I want to say, so I decided to put down the book and do it my way and do away with all the mental complaining. So, if you don't like something, do something about it, right? Right. So, with respect, I put down that book and started my own! 

 

I should also share my other point of influence. Sex and the City. I lamented the end of the series even though I became a viewer a year or two after it had ended. And even though I appreciate each leading lady and their characters' contributions, I wanted diversity. I didn't know how well that series would've worked with any other type of woman, but I think very nicely. But that, too, had to be respected, and again, I told myself to do my own thing and to make it my own. And I did. I stand beside it with pride. And you should of your work as well. I love diversity and grew up around it. Not necessarily at the beginning of my childhood and some other places in my life. Some colors were more prominent than others. But I know my college, current living and work experiences in the DC area, has been heavy on diversity. I couldn't see my life without it! My work will never be painted by one hue from the canvas of ethnicity. However, I have to make it clear that I didn't mind that SATC did the complete opposite with their leading ladies. I always respect what creators of art do because I know, if I don't like it, then I can put the book down or change the channel. Not rocket science here.

 

I also know that my baby was born from the streets of DC with the DNA of all the inspired work her mother had been exposed to. So when you read my work, there's some kind of strand of inspiration floating around in there, whether it be from the well-traveled streets that lace(d) my various residential addresses, the sentiments of my heart or my deep appreciation from other people's art. Surely, those who know me well, will always see ... me.