October 21, 2015

Choosing A Soundtrack For Your Story


Music is an integral part of my life but it is not part of my writing. I prefer my writing soundtrack to be that of the tapping of keys or the scratching of a pen. I love the depth of silence. I love my day-off-Monday's when the kids are at school and my husband is at work and I don't have to focus on anything but what makes me happy - how in the quiet I can pour out words for hours without being even remotely lonely.

Quiet births an internal melody that conducts my process. 

It's a beautiful thing.

I know other writer's who only write to music. More power to them. I don't understand it - I get all muddled up in lyrics that steal focus from my own composing - it just doesn't work for me.

But what I do appreciate is the way music can speak to my story.

It never fails - no matter what the Project Of The Moment is - everything speaks to it. Conversations, radio interviews, movies, billboards, the acne constellation on the lisping coffee shop boy's face...EVERYTHING is about my book, my story, my idea.

That's just the reality of a writer's life. There's no avoiding it. No denying it. We are the center of our own universes and our work-in-progress is the eye of our personal storm. It is fed by EVERYTHING.

I adore the idea of creating a soundtrack for a project because it plays a beautiful role in establishing themes and invoking emotions. As I've plugged away at The Church In The Wildwood, I've kept track of some of the songs that seem to speak directly to exactly what I was trying to say in prose instead of poetry and I've gathered them into a Spotify Play List should you feel inclined to listen to all the feels of the tale I chose to spin.

Choose a song for its lyrics.

Choose a song for its emotion.

Choose a song that reflects your story-vision.

It's a powerful way to let people get an audible glimpse of your story-feels.

And, for demonstration sake, here's my pretty little playlist for The Church In The Wildwood.

The Church in the Wildwood novel Alanna Rusnak1. Bedroom Hymns by Florence + The Machine 
2. In A Week by Hozier (with Karen Cowley) 
3. Slumber My Darling  by Sarah Sample  
4. Cinder and Smoke by Iron and Wine 
5. Young Pilgrims by The Shins 
6. Photograph by Ed Sheeran 
7. Mama Says by Billy Pilgrim 
8. The Outsiders by NEEDTOBREATHE 
9. Lost In My Mind by The Head and The Heart 
10. Who By Fire by Leonard Cohen 
11. The Promise by Tracy Chapman  
12. Just Breathe by Pearl Jam  
13. If I Should Go Before You by City and Colour 
14. Need It by Half Moon Run
15. I Will Follow You Into The Dark by Death Cab For Cutie




What songs would you put into your playlist?
Share This:    Facebook Twitter

4 comments:

  1. Plus you've laid the groundwork for when it becomes a MOVIE!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love this 'an audible glimpse of your story-feels'.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can you really 'glimpse' something audible??? Just trying to bend minds around here ;)

      Delete

I love comments and I appreciate, consider and read each one. I welcome your thoughts, whether you're in agreement or not; however, this website is a happy place and I will remove any comment that I believe to be inappropriate, malicious or spam like.

Blog Archive

Thanks for visiting!