Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Characters Need Entertainment Too







A lot of fellow authors I’ve spoken with need silence to write. Some need soothing music. With others, it’s mood music. With me, it varies. It seems as if each story takes on a life of its own with a continual theme for the entire time I’m writing. My default writing background music is Warren Zevon. He’s also the default music for my life most of the time.

The last book I wrote needed show tunes. Of course I sang along. This one requires old musicals playing on the TV as I write. I can’t tell you how many times I listened to The Happiest Millionaire since I started this story. Last week it was Summer Magic, My Fair Lady, and Disney cartoons, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, and The Aristocats. Yesterday, it was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mary Poppins, and the Sound of Music. Now it’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and maybe later I’ll put on The King and I. By the time I play Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, State Fair, Oklahoma, and Singing in the Rain I should have this one finished. Good thing. I’m running out of choices.

I can’t wait to find out what my next group of characters needs as entertainment while they’re sharing their story with me. It’s always so much fun.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I must have silence and popcorn when I write otherwise it's impossible to string words together

Molly Daniels said...

I was waiting for an interview 12 years ago, and had to wait in the bar. There weren't a lot of people, and I could clearly hear the soft rock playing overhead. Needless to say, all of a sudden inspiration struck and I began a general outline of how I envisioned Book #3 was going to flow. The person who interviewed me asked what I was working on and was impressed when I told her it was "#2" in the series. I got the job. Later, I worked some more on it while Prince's 'Purple Rain' album was playing!

Brynn Paulin said...

My characters often need songs about sex, lol.

I can't listen to the current track with the kids in the car.

Phoenix said...

And HOW exactly does one using Disney classics or musicals to find the theme for bondage books?

I write in silence. If I put the computer down (big if) then I might watch Emma or Pride and Prejudice just for a feel of the English cadence.

Bronwyn Green said...

I'm a music girl, too - all of my books have their own soundtracks, but some songs do overlap.

LynTaylor said...

LOL! I'm with AJ. I can't consentrate with people around me talking or singing. I've just downloaded a heap of music in the hope that I my be inspired, but I tend to find myself concentrating on the words of the song, rather than what's in front of me :D

Grrr!!! Why do I keep getting the Incorrect OpenID url error message, when the url IS correct?? Will change to blogger and see if it works ...