The staccato tap of the snare and the hiss of the cymbals come through my car stereo on the way to work, and I smile and drum my fingers on the steering wheel. The clavinet comes in shortly after, and four wah-wah measures later, I sing along.

“Very superstitious… writing’s on the wall…”

I’m not Stevie, but I don’t care. The horns pop in after a few lines; I’m straining my not-so-great voice on “when you believe in things that you don’t understand…” and I know it’s going to be a good night.

Music embeds itself into the things we do. Everything in life has a natural rhythm to it, as natural as a heartbeat, even for those who are chastised as rhythmically challenged. It makes workouts less painful, shortens a long day (or night) at work, and helps find a flow to housework. I use music extensively both in and out of story. It sets the tone, gives context, provides irony, and even acts as a heartbeat.

One of the first things I do when I begin a story is to create a playlist. Whether it’s loaded with old-school hip-hop or modern pop, classic rock to Motown R & B, or even jazz or orchestral music, it helps pace my writing from scene to scene. Invariably, at least one of the songs will find its way into the story and become a part of the scene. The Notorious B.I.G.’s Juicy found its way into The Fab 5 (shameless plug #1) when the four central characters felt they were about to embark upon the “riches” part of their rags-to-riches journey; the pre-fight atmosphere of The Favorite (shameless plug #2) was highlighted by the main character walking to the ring to We Could Take It Outside by Busta Rhymes. Currently, my favorite is a particularly intense sex scene in 4play (shameless plug #3) set to Come Together by the Beatles.

One of my current WIP’s has a playlist for each of the main characters that features a central song that defines them. As it’s an origin story for a crimefighter, Animal I Have Become by 3 Days Grace pops up frequently when charting individual character journeys and interactions. I wrote a fight scene to Fall Out Boy’s Dance, Dance and Centuries plays into how a character is perceived by the town he lives in.

Music helps me figure out what happens next, beat for beat. It’s like choreography, how every move that’s made is made more meaningful by the beats of the accompaniment. So, to my writer friends out there: do you use music in your WIP’s? What’s your favorite song for your story?

#Music #2018 #author #process #soundtracks #TheFavorite #TheFab5