Words & Music

I know, I know - I’m the world’s crappiest blogger.  Wit and witticism seem to escape me when I need to call it up on demand, but put me in a social situation where snarky sarcasm is bound to get me in trouble and – tada! - you’d be amazed at the foolishness that flies out of my mouth. 

Tonight, though, I found myself sitting here getting distracted while I tried to write. My mind kept wandering off to random tangents, flitting from one subject to another faster than a hummingbird’s wings. Focus had left the building. Typically, I blame any lack of focus on my ADD meds wearing off, but this wasn’t the same. Then I realized, I hadn’t queued up any of the playlists that I use when writing. 

Playlists, you ask? What are these playlists you speak of? 

Simply put, whenever I am writing, I create a group of music that somehow inspires the story I’m trying to tell. For my upcoming short novel, The Price of Valor, I’ve already dropped the entire Top Gun soundtrack into a list, along with several other songs that reminded me of the military, deployment, separation, and waiting. When I wrote Smoky Rooms over the winter, I had a cache of songs about lost love and second chances. 

It’s not that the lyrics necessarily inspire me (I’m not a Hugh Grant/Drew Barrymore movie, people!), it’s more that the music itself sets a tone or ambiance that I’m looking for. It’s a little extra piece of stimuli to help draw the pictures in mind with the words I need to convey them. Imagery plays a big part in my writing, and music has always figured prominently in my life. I suppose it’s only natural that in order for me to to do one well, the other needs to be present. 

Music and Lyrics -- cheesy, sweet movie. Check it out!

So, now that I’ve avoided writing for another thirty minutes while I put this post together, let me dart off to youtube and see what I’m inspired to work on next. Drop a comment; let me know how you receive your inspiration.

Also, the lovely author DeAnna Felthauser has featured me on her blog today. Go give it  a look-see and leave her some love!