Music for writer’s block

It’s a scary thing, writer’s block. It’s like… the doldrums. There you are, the captain of your story, enjoying the wind in your sails as your novel just breezes along, adding a few thousand words each day to your hefty first draft, when suddenly the air is still. Inspiration is gone. The novel stuck. Not knowing what comes next in your own story can be frustrating, disheartening, and a bit like quicksand–the longer you do nothing, the harder it is to get out.

In the fifteen-month process of writing Critical Times, there were more than a few times where I’d go several weeks to a month without adding even a single word to the first draft. Then there were the numerous other times where I’d open the file just to be perplexed by the current scene, unsure what ought to happen next. Although I had some idea of how I wanted things to play out in the final half of the book, what I actually wrote in the final draft bears almost no resemblance to that original concept. As I’ve said before, I write better this way, not being too meticulous about plotting but rather letting things happen organically as the characters deal with the situations that arise.

This is why I found music so helpful. I’ve said before that I work visually, and I mean that in the most literal way possible. I see the characters and the lighting and the weather and try to frame the shot as a director for a movie might. Then it’s lights camera action and I’m transcribing what I see as it unfolds. And apart from what I’m seeing, I’m also taking cues from what I hear. What’s the soundtrack for this scene? Do I hear the high, tense wail of violins to suggest impending danger, or a low, rhythmic drum and heavy, deep brass notes signaling a call to action? What emotional reaction is this music eliciting?

In this vein, starting with this novel I actually listened to the music that I thought fit the scenes as I wrote them. I found that doing this was incredibly helpful, as it helped push the story along when I found myself stuck, sort of like having a handy little outboard motor on my sailboat when the wind died down.

Aside from music, I also listened to a lot of rain and thunderstorm sounds. As any of you keeping up with Critical Times know by now, the setting of the story is much darker than the first two novels, and having the constant sound of rain and thunder in my head just seemed appropriate, especially for the end of the book. (No spoilers! That’s all I’ll say!)

Anyhow, I thought I’d share links to the YouTube mixes and rain tracks that were responsible for at least some of Critical Times. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy listening along as you read, too?

Cinematic, intense music great for action scenes with high tension.

Lighter, more reflective, helpful for scenes where Luke or Amy were reflecting on things.

For everything else...