August AW Blog Chain

(Note: It’s been several days since my last post. That is due to my move on Saturday from Orange County to San Francisco. I’m all settled in now so my posts are back on track!)

This month, I am participating in the August Blog Chain from the Absolute Write forums. Here is my question from Forbidden Snowflake:

I noticed you’ve got a Novel Soundtrack. How much has music influenced your writing? Do you first chose the songs and then write while listening to them? Or do you put the Soundtrack together later? Also, do you have different playlists for different moods? Does music ever bother you while writing?

Music is a huge influence on my mood while I’m writing and a must. I’d almost venture to say that it is difficult for me to write without music. I wouldn’t say that I necessarily listen to the words while I’m tapping away at the keyboard, but the cadence of the songs playing through my headphones definitely put me in a creative space.

The music I’m listening to tends to change over the course of the writing. For TOUCHED, I started out listening to a lot of Tyrone Wells. I discovered him on Pandora, then saw him in concert at the House of Blues back in January. His voice had a soothing, gorgeous quality that reminded me of my main character, Asher. Eventually, my soundtrack evolved to what you see on my blog. These are the songs I listened to the most, and I’m pleased that a lot of the lyrics actually fit my storyline. The arrangement of songs was definitely done after the story was complete.

The greatest invention I’ve discovered this year is the Genius feature in iTunes. You select a song in your library that fits the mood you’re in, hit the Genius button, and a playlist is created of similar songs from your library. The result is a fluid playlist that changes with my mood. If I’m writing an action scene, I click on a song by Nickelback or Red Hot Chili Peppers and end up with a list of fast-paced songs. If I’m writing a tender scene, I click on Tyrone Wells’s “Sea Breeze” and get a mellow mix of songs. No arranging necessary! I think this – along with the ability to google faces for my characters – is an incredible tool for writers.

Be sure to check out the next blog!

My question for Angyl78: You mention miracles in multiple posts on your blog. What constitutes a miracle to you, and do you plan to factor this into your writing?

The participating blogs in Absolute Write August 2009 Blog Chain are:

Claire Crossdale http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com
razibahmed http://www.blogging37.com/
aimeelaine http://www.aimeelaine.com/
bsolah http://benjaminsolah.com/blog
dnic http://four-lettered-words.blogspot.com/
JamieMT http://thevarietypages.blogspot.com
LiliCray http://mutteringsofascribe.blogspot.com
ealexis http://eviealextheobsessivewriter.blogspot.com/
errantruth http://www.sputnitsa.wordpress.com
Lady Cat http://randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com
Proach http://desinfocenter.blogspot.com/
Simran http://dark-horse-adaptations.blogspot.com
lostwanderer5 http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com
Forbidden Snowflake http://www.alleslinks.com
coryleslie http://corrinejackson.wordpress.com/
Angyl78 http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/
Bookdragonette http://pannarrans.wordpress.com/
RavenCorinnCarluk http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com