On Writing & Storytelling: Music that Inspires Me While I’m Working on ‘Reunion: Coda’

Late Morning, Wednesday, September 20, 2023, Lithia, Florida

Hi all.

As you know, I love listening to music when I write. It doesn’t matter what I’m writing; it could be a blog post such as the one you’re reading now, or a first draft of a screenplay, or a prose story, but unless I have a good reason to write in a totally silent environment, I must have some music playing in the background even if I’m not consciously listening to it. It soothes my nerves – especially when I’m feeling unhappy or nervous – and, more often than not, I get inspired by certain styles of music or even specific songs that my writer’s mind (obviously inspired by the many movie soundtracks I’ve heard throughout the decades) attaches to the characters and situations in my stories.

Today, of course, is a workday for me. That means that after my rest break I will be working on the Reunion: Coda manuscript. And even though I figured out that Chapter 11 needs a fourth scene and I know what needs to happen in it, I still have not “broken the code” that will take that scene from the recesses of my subconscious and onto my Word .docx file for the novel’s first rough draft.

As a result, when I resume writing between 1 and 2 PM, I will more than likely be listening to the following songs and/or compositions to assist me as I compose Chapter 11, Scene Four:

• A Bridge Too Far (Main Titles), music by John Addison
• All the Things You Are, music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
• Somewhere, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
• Hey, There, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
• Forgotten Dreams, music by Leroy Anderson
• Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90, III. Poco allegretto, composed by Johannes Brahms

Each one of these songs and compositions has an emotional connection to the characters and situations in this part of the novel, although only one or two are explicitly mentioned in the overall story.

Anyway, I’m running a bit behind schedule, so I’ll close for now. Until next time, folks, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.