Music in the Creative Process

 

The last three times I went out running, my iPod has served up “Sweet Home Alabama” as part of its shuffle. There’s no rhyme or reason to this, only sheer mathematics, which is certainly no specialty of mine. So I won’t try to analyze anything like probability. But I will say that every time the opening strains of the song start up, the same set of associations runs through my mind. I think about a guest post I did for a blog when my novel, The Qualities of Wood, came out in ebook last year, and I think about one of the final scenes in the book, when my character Vivian is chugging beer and singing along at a small town fair/festival. Because I might just know a thing or two about that.

The blog is called "The Undercover Soundtrack" and its creator, Roz Morris, describes the thought behind it:

“The Undercover Soundtrack is a weekly series by writers who use music as part of their creative process—special pieces that have revealed a character to them, or populated a mysterious place, or enlarged a pivotal moment.”

As I start to gear up for my novel’s print release in June (YAY!), I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite interviews, articles and guest posts so far. In case you missed them the first time around. The piece I wrote for Roz would certainly fit the bill. Setting plays a big role in anything I write, and I’m always mining for sensory detail. Sights, smells, sounds. Music surrounds us—in our houses, our cars and now, it’s pumped out in mall parking lots. How does all of this have anything to do with Lynyrd Skynyrd??? You’ll have to read the article to find out:

The Undercover Soundtrack - Mary Vensel White

And by the way, don’t just read mine. If you scroll to the bottom, you’ll find a complete list of authors who have submitted pieces, as well as a list of the musicians mentioned. The posts are quite interesting and may just lead you to a new book or a new song.