Unbeknownst to me, my subconscious has been searching for a theme song. While I was writing, rewriting, and editing book two, I had a theme song. Although I did not have one when I began writing book two, I discovered one partway through. It inspired me when I did not feel like writing, encapsulated my main character’s journey, and became almost a mantra to spur me on as I wrote and edited.
Now that I am about done with book two (for now!), I am moving on to book three. I have written a lot of pages and there are moments when I have to set it all aside because I’m not certain where I’m going.
While giving book three time to percolate, I have worked on promotional aspects for Banished Love and decided to do a major edit for book two. However, through it all, I have had this nagging sensation something was missing. A theme song isn’t something I can write to. It’s more a song that keeps me excited and full of hope as I continue my writing journey, dedicating hours of time to my computer and imagination rather than to friends, cleaning my house or other worthy endeavors. I listen to it in the car, as I walk to work, as I do dishes, and somehow it motivates me to continue. However, a major stumbling block in finding a theme song for book three has been an inability to discover new music that has captured my imagination.
Friday night, I remembered to tape a show on PBS called Nashville 2.0 highlighting the “Americana” music movement. During this past weekend, when I watched the show in pieces during breaks in editing, I realized that almost all of the new music I like now falls into the “Americana” category. If you haven’t seen the show, I’d highly recommend it. While I watched the show, I paused it and visited iTunes to hear more of the music of the artists they were highlighting. I found a lot of new music from bands I wouldn’t otherwise have heard about. Most importantly, I found my theme song for book three.
I did not realize it would be my theme song the first time I heard it. However, the second time I listened to it, I knew it was the song. It was one of those, “ah, there it is,” moments, when I realized I had found something I had not even realized I was searching for. A truly wondrous thing. Do you listen to music when you write? Do you have a song that motivates you to continue writing?
Do you want a sneak peek at BANISHED LOVE?
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