The song that started it all

I read a good article this week by an author who released a soundtrack of sorts for his book. Basically, he put together a list of songs that fit the mood and tone of the book. If I remember correctly, he then built a playlist for the soundtrack and shared it on sites like Spotify to reach a new group of readers.

I’m intrigued. Music plays a vital role in my writing process, and sharing the music that conjured the scenes for me has always been my plan. But I’ve had a hard time settling on the best way to share.

In my mind, the perfect way this would work would be with live links at the beginning of each chapter and section in a digital book. If your reading device stores or links to your music library (iphone, Kindle Fire, etc.), you can touch the links to play the applicable music as you read. If your library doesn’t already include the music, maybe you’d just get a few seconds of preview and the option to buy.

Sounds great to me. Unfortunately, the coding and the rights negotiations required to make this dream a reality are not within my power at the moment. For now, I have to stay lower tech.

I’m working on a list and the best way to share it, but for now, let me share the one song that started the Gateway series: 

The Red by Chevelle

When I heard this song, I saw the climax of Children of Genesis play out my mind many years before I would write the first words of the book. Years before I even knew what the story was all about, in fact.

That’s the way writing goes for me. I hear a moving song and it creates a scene in my very easily distracted brain. While I’m listening to the song, I feel all the power of the scene like my emotions already know the story leading up to it. Every time I hear the song, I see the same scene, or a variation of it. Over time I start building a story around the scene in an effort to recreate what I feel when I hear the song.

I have a feeling my process is not even close to unique. I’m guessing more authors should thank the musicians that inspired their work, including me.