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Last Saturday, I attended the ArtCentriCity event in Silverhill, Alabama, hosted by the band analog missionary. I was honored with the task of “opening” the concert with a short presentation about how I use music to fuel my writing.

With all the public speaking I’ve done, I’ve found it easier—in most cases—to go off talking points rather than read a speech when presenting to maintain a conversational tone. I also wanted to keep things short because people were there for music and I didn’t want to be that person talking too long when the audience is wanting the main event. I kept my notes concise. Looking back, I think they were too brief and I wasn’t focused as well as usual. I mean, I was standing in front of a drum kit with guitars and other instruments around me. Not my typical backdrop, though I decided opening for a rock band was a bucket list item I didn’t know I had.

This blog post is the stuff I wish I had thought to say, but didn’t, along with what I did share so those of you who weren’t there have an idea of the overall picture. Yes, this will be a little longer than typical, but I’m in between projects so I have the time (and desire) to write. I hope you enjoy the peek into this aspect of my creative process.

Art is emotional.

It’s created to move someone to feel something or share an experience. When I look at photographs, paintings, statues, mosaics, or whatever, I want to feel the image, smell it, hear it—I want to fall into it and experience it. Sometimes it’s only a handful of pieces within a museum that gives me that ultimate feeling. It’s the same with music. The sounds either speak to me or they don’t. The tones invite exploration or repel me. Or worse, do nothing. I’m not drawn to a certain genre or style of art, I’m drawn to what moves me. I want my senses involved—visual, textural, auditory, scent, and taste—even if just in memory when I experience art in any form. No matter the medium, art can allow you to feel them all and I want to do that with my writing.

Music helps me create mood, character, plot, motivation, and emotions when I’m drafting a story. I tap into the musicians who have evoked the experiences I’m seeking to impart to my readers to help me feel those emotions/events stronger so I, in turn, can convey them through my words.

Art feeding art, art feeding life.

About half my books are dedicated to musicians/singers who have helped me do that because I like to credit those who inspire me. It’s my way of fangirling. I can talk about my favorite musicians as much as I do books and my other fandoms, but I don’t always get the chance because my music tastes are so varied it’s rare I meet someone who is familiar with several of my favorites. After my speech, I was asked by a couple people how I could listen to Helloween and Martina McBride, or Helloween and Hanson because the spectrum is so varied. (Yes, I’m a fan of each and have seen all three in concert at least once.)

It comes down to feelings. Those singers/bands have deeply moved me with many of their songs. When I experience emotions to my soul I’m a fan for life.

Ever since I was a teenager, when I begin a writing project, I create a mood music playlist for it which I will listen to while writing, doing chores, and driving so I can keep the story fresh in my head. Back in the previous century, I wrote it out in a notebook and stacked my CDs in order for easy access during my writing time. Nowadays, I do it in my iTunes account with songs I own. If I like it, I buy it. No streaming music subscriptions here. I still upload CDs into my account when I buy them (yes, I’m old school) and expand my music collection as often as possible—physically and digitally. I’m the easiest person to shop for because I love iTunes cards. No denomination is too small. I have more songs than books, though I have more books (thousands) than full albums.

Music inspires on so many levels.

I’m a firm believer in songs—and books and people—coming into your life when you need them. When creating a playlist, I’ve often felt inspired to add an acquired album I’ve had for a year or more but not listened to yet. (Yes, just like my massive to-read list, I have a to-listen pile.) Each time that’s happened, a song or more has been exactly what I needed for a certain scene or character in the book. (That’s how Joey Hatcher found his way into the dedication of Severed Legacies.)

There have also been new releases from favorite musicians that came out right when I needed it. Most recently was last summer, when I heard “I’ll Find a Way” on Mitch Malloy’s THE LAST SONG album the first time. It was the perfect fit for the main guy in my current project—which will be my next release.

Or in the case of an analog missionary concert in 2022, I heard several songs that fit main character, Josephine Wolf, of my then project (which is now published as Alliance: Washington Square Secrets 2 and dedicated to the band.) I also acquired all three of their albums that night and listened to them while writing the book.

After finishing several drafts of a manuscript to where I’ve got a firm grasp on the story, I cull that massive mood music playlist (up to a couple hundred songs in length) into a soundtrack featuring anywhere from five songs for a short story to about a dozen for a long novel. Those songs, when I hear them, immediately transport me to that certain point in the stories that they represent, so much so that I sometimes cry when I hear it if it was for a poignant scene.

You can listen to all my soundtracks on my Youtube channel. Find them on my Playlist category and enjoy my books in a new way.

Questions and comments are always welcome.

All photos in the post were taken by me on February 3, 2024 at the ArtCentriCity event. See the group’s Facebook page for information on upcoming events.