A Certain Point of View, Too

On Writing & Storytelling: Melodies and Songs to Write By

—

by

Alex Diaz-Granados
in , , , , , , , , , ,

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Late Morning, Sunday, July 23, 2023, Lithia, Florida

When I’m writing – be it for this blog or for when I’m working on a script or other literary project – I like to have music playing in the background. That’s mostly because I hate working in a totally silent room; the day last week that I had to do so because my Amazon Music app wasn’t working properly, I wasn’t terribly happy about it. Music, especially classical music, soothes my nerves and lifts my spirits. As a result, I am usually more productive when I have something playing in the background than when I’m not.

Although Saving Private Ryan only has a slender connection with the Reunion duology (the narrator is a historian who specializes in World War II) Omaha Beach was the music I listened to when I was writing a scene where Jim, then just 18, walks through his high school’s halls on his last day of school.

I also find inspiration in music when I write. There have been many instances when I’ll be listening to one of my albums – more often than not a movie soundtrack – and one or more of the tracks will suggest something related to the story. A track like Omaha Beach from the Saving Private Ryan soundtrack, for instance, can plant a seed in my brain even if my story has nothing to do with World War II or Steven Spielberg’s movie. And that seed can be a setting, a scene, a character’s emotions at that point in the narrative, or even a plot point.  

To order a copy of the paperback edition, just click on the image above!

As many of my regular readers know, I’m working on my first novel, Reunion: Coda, the second book of a duology that began with my novella Reunion: A Story (2018). It’s a combination of coming-of-age/character-driven romance (without a ton of cliches) story, and music plays a huge role in the narrative. Many of the characters love music, including the narrator/protagonist (or, as Stephen King might say, my “I-Guy”), and several of them are or were musical performers at some point in their lives.

As a result, there are quite a few songs that are either part of the story’s “original soundtrack album” or served as sources of inspiration for the settings, characters, and situations in both the novella (which, if you have not done so already, you can buy on Amazon or the Barnes & Noble website) or its upcoming continuation/sequel, Reunion: Coda.

Since today is my day off from working on the novel, I figured I’d share some (but not all!) of the more prominent songs that are either mentioned in the duology (especially in the longer novel) or have served to inspire me when I write.

Enjoy! And have a nice Sunday.

  • Moonlight Serenade
  • Moonglow
  • In the Mood
  • Somewhere (from West Side Story)
  • Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
  • Forgotten Dreams (aka “Marty’s Theme”)
  • For Elise
  • I’ll Go No More A-Roving
  • Red River Valley
  • There is Nothing Like a Dame (from South Pacific)
  • All the Things You Are
  • This is Not the End

Comments

2 responses to “On Writing & Storytelling: Melodies and Songs to Write By”

  1. henhouselady Avatar
    henhouselady

    Music is important.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Alex Diaz-Granados Avatar
      Alex Diaz-Granados

      Yes, especially in my case since I tend to see stories in cinematic terms. I often “see” a scene from a story almost as if it already existed on film. And as we all know, no movie is complete without a musical score.

      Liked by 1 person