The Power of the Song

I can freely admit to having never experienced some of the events that occur in my novels, and for that I am thankful.  Most of the time—and I know this method doesn’t work for those who need quiet—I utilize music as the background inspiration to my writing.  I’ve mentioned this before, but much of my first novel, Windswept, was soundtracked to Miranda Lambert, as this was in the months following “Four the Record” being released.  I listened to the song “Safe” in particular a fair number of times, and that seemed to be the running theme of the book—the power and the safety of lasting love.  The first half of “Kentucky Summer” is Celine Dion; the latter half is Rascal Flatts.  Go figure.  And George Strait has stuck by my side through pretty much every book; it helps that he has about a thousand songs to choose from, and that “Pure Country” is a romance at its core.  Chris Young’s “Neon” is also good for writing inspiration—every song on that album is like a novel itself.  “She’s Got This Thing About Her”?  Fantastic.

In fairness, all music does not work for all projects.  You have to get in a certain place, and some songs just won’t take you there.  Adele is amazing, but usually works better for the conflict portion of the book.  By that same token, I haven’t listened to George Strait much at all for my current book which is set within the confines of a city.  I guess my conclusion is that inspiration comes in many forms, but sometimes the best place to push it along is a three-and-a-half-minute song.