by Rachel D. Russell, @RDRussellWrites
I used to always write in silence—and, by silence, I mean I put on the hearing protection that would silence heavy artillery. The kind of silence that isn’t actually silent at all—because you can hear every heartbeat. Every swallow. Maybe even every neuron firing in your brain.
Then, the idea of writing with music was proposed to me. You know what?
I kind of like it.
There are still times when I need silence, but when I’m ready create in a multi-sensory experience, these are a few of my favorite ways to add music:
- Build a playlist for your character. You can use Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, or similar apps to create a unique playlist for each of your characters. Currently, my hero is a country boy. His playlist includes some Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Lonestar, and Alabama.
- Let music lift your soul. A 2017 peer-reviewed study found that listening to happy music correlated to an increase in divergent thinking. This is a really good thing—divergent thinking is the creative process whereby we come up with new ideas. If you hit a block, tune into music that brings you joy.
- Go classic with classical. It’s often been linked to greater cognitive thinking, but I find classical music often helps me write, too. There are several classical music playlists available on YouTube. I pop in my earbuds and it’s like my characters are playing across the page with a movie soundtrack.
- Involve your readers. Post to your social media a snapshot of who your character is and ask your followers to give you their best song ideas. This can be a fun way to develop that character playlist.
- Set the mood. Sometimes I like to use an era of music to dive into the emotion or characters of a scene. The classy nostalgia of a big-band. An action-tempo of a suspense soundtrack. Or the retro vibe of a 1980’s or 1990’s mixtape.
What’s your favorite way to add music to your writing time?
He’s in Deep Haven to relax.
Detective Daniel “Boone” Buckam is more than burned out. After fourteen stellar years on the job, one bad judgment call—and, fine, a whole lot of cynicism—has forced him into a mandatory vacation. If he can get his head on straight, there’s a job as Police Chief waiting for him back in his Minneapolis suburb.
But then he meets Vivien.
Actress Vivien Calhoun isn’t really a drama queen. Sure, she gets swept up in the emotions of life—but please, she’s an actress. Or, um, was until a stalker made her flee the bright lights of Broadway. Now, she’s passionate about directing her local theater production. But when she accidentally ropes an uptight police detective on vacation into her cast, she can’t help but wonder if he might be the leading man she’s always longed for.
Of course, she’s in trouble.
Boone can’t help but like Vivien. He might even have a type—vivacious and bubbly, with a penchant for attracting danger. He can smell trouble even if she can’t, and is pretty sure her stalker has hunted her all the way to Deep Haven. He’ll have to stay by her side—even if it means being in her silly play—to keep her safe. But Vivien is more than he expected as she helps him discover a part of him he’s locked away…the part that said he could never love again.
So much for relaxing.
Rachel D. Russell writes contemporary inspirational romance focused on forgiveness, redemption, and grace. She’s a member of Oregon Christian Writers, American Christian Fiction Writers, and My Book Therapy’s Novel Academy. Her debut novel, Still the One, released in January 2021. Her second novel, Then Came You, released in July 2021. Both novels are part of the Deep Haven Collection with Sunrise Publishing. When Rachel’s not cantering her horse down the Oregon beaches, she’s probably interrogating her husband on his own military and law enforcement experience to craft believable heroes in uniform. The rest of her time is spent enjoying her active family, including two teens and three keyboard-hogging cats. You can catch up with her at RachelDRussell.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.