For the past week I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with a blog for this month. And I’m drawing a blank. Yeah, I know, I’m a writer, words should just flow out like endless rain into a paper cup….oh, sorry…Across the Universe just popped into my head. That happens to me often lately, something or someone will trigger a song in my head and suddenly it’s musical theater in there. It’s not all bad though…unless it’s a song that drives you nuts (like CeeLo Green’s F U)…because music is one of those things that gets my muse dancing. And, if the muse is happy, the words start flowing. But for me, it’s not just any kind of music, it has to be something specific--a specific artist, a specific song. When I wrote my novel Forget Me Not, the only music I could write to was Garth Brooks and some Tim McGraw. I don’t know why but their music kept the scenes flowing. When I tried listening to them for my second book, it didn’t work. I had to pull out some different artists like Evanesence and Nickleback. My third book, the muse only wanted Sarah McLaughlin. I’m currently working on another paranormal romance and I’m having a little problem with pinpointing the music…although the Beatles Across the Universe does get the scenes moving a bit.
So, what about you? What do you gotta do for your muse to get him/her to work?
6 comments:
like you I love music when I write I think it does help the word flow,Sp far it's been country or Celtic music. Although there was one book that need Broadway show tunes. Mostly Andrew Lloyd Weber.
The current wip so far seems to be a little bit of everything. :)
lol on the show tunes.
Sometimes my muse will put songs in my head to mess with me. This morning I woke up to the Lazy Song.
And, my apologies for the overuse of the word *flow*...I obviously need to work on my editing skills. haha
I've always admired people like you, Terri, who can write with music playing or in the middle of a busy Starbucks - I'm the quiet one. Well, not really quiet but my muse wants a peaceful, quiet environment in order to do her best work.
I always have a theme song that plays in my head for my characters. In the story where the heroine is an ex-con framed for murder, her song is Desperado (Clint Black?). In another story where the heroine sacrifices everything, even her life, for the hero's happiness, her song is Anything for You (Gloria Estefan).
Now, I say the songs play 'in my head' because they do just that. I haven't mastered ITunes yet, but I'm working on it. Then I'll experiment with listening to the song in the real world.VBG
My muse is a tricky little devil. She doesn't respond to anyone set of stimuli. Sometimes music and usually that is when I am in the car sans computer. She pops in and out of my writing life. Not always when I want her to.
I love hearing what people listen to when they write. I have to write in silence most of the time, but my last manuscript had a few sessions written with the Gladiator soundtrack in the background. If I do listen to music, I like instrumentals, and I also like soundtracks. They have been designed to evoke emotions to go with the movie, so they work well for me.
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