Soundtracks of Life

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Soundtracks of Life

April 6, 2012 by jessicaschaubbooks

Years ago I read a piece of advise that made me smile: Create a soundtrack to your life. Yes. A soundtrack. I loved the idea and spent a few days gathering CD’s and scouring iTunes for just the right songs. The result was a 15-song play list of my life. I play it constantly for writing inspiration, dance to the music with my children and listen to it on long drives. But mostly, and you can laugh at me, I play it loudly during the moments of my life that should be big but feel anti-climatic. For example, I finished my third novel a few weeks ago and no one was home to celebrate with me. Saved by my soundtrack, I poured a small glass of wine and listened to U2′s ‘Zoo Station‘ three times. Then I set to work editing, feeling my ‘movie moment’ had been fulfilled.

My son repeated me when I said, “I love you.” It came out more like, “Wuv U” but I’m not picky! I celebrated by rocking him to sleep to George Winston‘s ‘Holy & Ivy’.

When I slid my submission packages across the counter at the post office, I was torn between the Rocky theme song or ‘Eye of the Tiger‘.

Now I’m creating the best query letter I can possibly write, formating my chapter-by-chapter synopsis to be just as entertaining as the book I hope they will publish. What is the music of choice? ‘The Kiss’, the beautiful violin music from The Last of the Mohicans.

I’m sending submission packages to smaller publishers in hopes that someone will ‘Take a Chance on Me‘ (ABBA). And send them out I will. A submission can only be successful if I try…and try and try again. If I stop writing and submitting, then failure will embrace me like a choke vine. I refuse to quit (I Will Survive). Rather, (imagine ’Stayin’ Alive‘ here and picture me walking down the street, full of motivation and wearing a spiffy white suit) I will will weed through the Writer’s Market 2012 once more, take all the notes I can, attend the conferences, support authors at booksignings and writing groups, and remember who it is I write for: God (Il Divo‘s, ‘Amazing Grace’) and the young minds and hearts who want an excellent story about people with a pulse.

Share your song – what music motivates you? Workouts, writing, driving, dancing with the kids…share the soundtrack of your life.

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Posted in Goals, Writing | Tagged motivation, music, Publish, Query letter, sountrack, Writer, Writers Resources | 6 Comments

6 Responses

on April 7, 2012 at 7:43 pm | Reply j wood

What a great idea. I better start paying attention to songs I hear and make a list. Thank you.
on April 9, 2012 at 5:51 pm | Reply Maria

=D My favorite song currently is…….Hungry Like The Wolf,…….. Courageous from the movie,……..a couple other songs from 88.1………..Oh! Real Gone, Life is a Highway, Girls Not Grey and i cannot recall the hundreds[thousands] of other songs that inspire me! Well, there is this one that REALLY inspires me is this one song on 88.1 that goes “All the pain that you’ve been feeling can’t compare to the joy thats comin’” ;D Right now my dog, Riley has her nose in a bag whining for attention!
on April 9, 2012 at 5:52 pm | Reply Maria Stenske

Oops, last name
on April 9, 2012 at 6:33 pm | Reply jessicaschaubbooks

Ah, Hungry Like a Wolf – that would be a great theme song for my son
on May 15, 2012 at 3:42 pm | Reply Three Ways to Create Motivating Writing Space « jessicaschaubbooks

[...] Soundtracks of Life (jessicaschaubbooks.com) [...]
on February 19, 2013 at 1:48 am | Reply The Heart of a Story: 4 Strategies to Strengthen a Novel « jessicaschaubbooks

[...] Setting. I don’t know about you, but the term ‘setting’ in relation to writing brings back nightmares of high school writing classes. Time and Place. Referring back to Deardon’s book, The Story Template, she uses a beautiful term: Story World. That has a lovely fantasy feel to it – the genre I first loved. What is the story world of your novel? Write down everything you can about where and when your novel takes place. Include notes about the weather, the culture of the people, the clothing, lifestyles, common complaints of people in this story world. Does your story take place in a real place at a real time in history? If so, gather as many photographs and paintings as you can and decorate the walls of your writing space. Is there a type of music that would fit in that place and time? Make yourself a playlist and play that while you write. [...]