A Short Playlist – All That’s Unclaimed
The mind is mysterious. If I find myself banging my head against the wall, not knowing where to take a story, I often turn to music.
As I begin a work-in-progress, I also start a playlist. As I write, songs will hit me. Whether they describe the conflict or are songs that I believe my characters would put on repeat on their iPods, they get added. They can grow out of control. Sometimes exceeding twenty or more songs.
Here are four songs from my playlist for All That’s Unclaimed.
It’s My Life by Bon Jovi – This song is an anthem for my hero, Ben Crawford. He’s spent a big part of his young adult life in school and/or training for his career. He’s worked so hard to prove himself to his parents, that he’s somehow missed the good things in life that are right in front of him.
You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This by Toby Keith – Long time friends, Ben and Anna are both a little hesitant to take their relationship to the next level. The title line, “You shouldn’t kiss me like this, unless you mean it like that.” perfectly describes the push-pull between them.
Open the Door by Eric Himan – For me, this is another Ben song. It describes how sometime this biggest happiness is ourselves. The first step, the hardest step, to take is often just opening the door to the possibilities of the future.
Wide Awake by Katy Perry – This song is more for my heroine Anna. When I was writing her moment of clarity–when she sees the real issues between her and Ben–this song came to me. Throughout the novel, she strong and independent, but maybe just a teeny-bit blind to what Ben is going through emotionally until the point she becomes wide awake.
Do you connect music with the books you read?
