Writing and Music

Yes, I went to the Unicorn Writer's Conference in Connecticut last month and had a wonderful time. I sat in on some wonderful workshops and met so many nice writers and agents. Since then I have had to buckle down and write, revise and polish before I send off two manuscripts to interested agents.

While I do this everyday, there is one constant which keeps me company and it is music. Every time my fingers begin moving across the keys, some playlist of mine is helping me, guiding me, keeping me in the zone. Each of my novels has its own titled list. There's one for Everlast, one for Candleburn, one for Slow Burn, and the list can go on. Since Everlast is a paranormal I like to surround myself with music like Anberlin's "Haunted" and every song from J.R. Richards' "A Beautiful End." My main character in Slow Burn, Jenny, is a diehard Linkin Park fan and I've lost count the amount of times I've listened to "A Thousand Suns." When the scene involves my other main character, Ryan, something by the band Red has to be playing. And for Candelburn, my dystopian, I usually like to listen to Kate Bush, Imogen Heap and the soundtrack to Ergo Proxy.

For me, writing and listening to music have to go hand-in-hand. Music has tremendous power. To transport. To evoke emotions. To inspire. To anger. To always create. And I'm always searching for new music, for something in the song to speak to me, to grab me, to open up something, to stroke my muse. I am amazed at how one creative force needs the other and how well they work in conjunction.

Okay, enough for now. Back to work.