Let’s Talk with Karla Brandenburg
Soundtracks
by Karla Brandenburg
Music is an integral part of who I am. I grew up with it and we have a running joke about βthat music affliction,β which means at any point in time, any member of my family might just break into song as it applies to the topic under discussion. Most of us can be transported into a specific time and place when we here a song. A first kiss. A first dance. The birth of a child. Our brains cross wires and that song is forever associated with that moment in time.
How many people have ring tones specifically assigned to the people in their lives? (Raising my hand). I was in the office a month ago and walked away from my desk to talk to one of my bosses. When I came back, someone who sits near me looked up and said βYour sister called.β Now how the heck could he have known that? And then I looked at my cell phone sitting on my desk. My ring tone for all of my sisters is βSistersβ (from White Christmas). Red-faced, I apologized for not silencing my phone. Fortunately, the people I work with know me well enough and understand (and sometimes even like!) my quirks. He laughed and said it gave him a smile for the day.
I went to a writerβs conference recently where one of the sessions focused on creating a playlist for each of your characters, something that would immediately put you into your characterβs head. The end result is that it creates a sort of meditation, you and your characters, and when youβve moved onto the next book, but revisions come back, you can easily slip back into the mindset by switching playlists.
For me, itβs more of a soundtrack. I donβt identify my characters with songs, but somewhere during the course of writing a book, a song gives me the tone of the story. For Mist on the Meadow, it was Supertrampβs Even in the Quietest Moments. For Cookie Therapy, it was Andy Grammerβs Good to Be Alive.
And since βItβs good to be alive/right about now,β Iβll randomly draw the name of one commenter this week to receive an ebook version of Cookie Therapy.
Posted in Let's Talk, with Karla Brandenburg, zed: Former Authors β’ Tags: BLB Discussion, contest, giveaway, Karla Brandenburg, Let's Talk, Soundtracks | 14 Comments
I have my own personal DJ who cues up songs from my past based on sometimes obscure (even to me) connections between my current thoughts and my past.
In Doubtful Relations (pub date 8/23/16), I used ringtones as a fun way to help characterize the protagonist’s son.
Ring tones opens a fun
new approach to “people” soundtracks.
Soundtracks are a crucial part of my book writing prep — since I write a series, I have a soundtrack for that whole shebang from Atlanta to Savannah, past and present, plus separate playlists for each of my protagonists. If I need to get into Tai’s head, nothing does it like some Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires.
Do those playlists go with you from book to book, since I know you have a series with Tai and Trey? Or do they have new playlists in each book?
I love music too, and I wish I was disciplined enough to make a soundtrack for each character, or even the main characters. Trouble is that songs (most of them) come with lyrics, and once I hear the music, I have to sing the words. Yes, I’m a Music Addict. I hear one song, then I have to hear another. Yikes. I have a problem. The only way I can write is with no music. But I can edit to music that has no lyrics. I’ve discovered some popular music done with cellos etc that fills this niche for me. Maggie, a recovering musicaholic
Agreed, I sometimes play classical music to distract me from distractions (if that makes sense) so I can concentrate on writing. If I hear a song while I’m writing with lyrics, yes, I want to sing along too!
My sister has some interesting ringtones for our family and her friends. π I love music… it soothes, improves my mood, gets me moving, etc.
Me, too. All kinds of music! But I do have different types of music for different moods.
I used a playlist for writing. Some had lyrics, some didn’t, but after listening to it as often as I did, the words ‘disappeared.’ Also, it was one hour long, so I knew I’d been working an hour when it ended.
A subliminal timer! And something to help keep you on track.
fun title
Thanks π (it’s a fun book!)
I need quiet when I write so no music in the background for me. My husband is the musician in the family. He plays the guitar and listens to classical music – but only when I’ve finished my work quota for the day.I prefer the rule of silence.
There are definitely days I can’t bear the distraction, but most days, I can tune out most anything.