Writing to a Soundtrack

I’m still in the middle of querying “Crying Call,” and things are looking up on a couple of fronts. In the meantime, the best strategy for keeping my sanity during this “waiting game” is to work on other projects. Outlining and researching “Drawing Dead,” my working title for the third book, while Becka and I continue to plug away on a spicy romance/thriller.. But I think there will also be a third writing project this summer….

I’ve decided I’m going to rewrite the first book, “Blood Game.” It doesn’t quite have the voice of “Crying Call.” When I look back through both of them, I see a clear difference in quality. I guess it took me a hundred thousand words or so to find my voice, and it’s just not quite ripe yet in the first book. I think it’ll be worth my time to go back do it right this time.

The first step will be to recapture the mindset. I’m one of those writer’s who often writes to music, and sometimes I’ll play specific songs or genres in order to channel one of my characters. Apparently, a lot of writers write like that. One of the agents I researched actually asked for “the soundtrack to the book” along with the usual sample pages and other info.

For me, a key song or two can unlock the mood, or feeling, or attitude I need to express. Certain scenes and chapters have a musical theme, at least in my head. My main characters have operatic motifs — signature tunes.

Maybe I’ll take some time in the next day or so to put together a soundtrack for “Blood Game,” before I begin the rewrite. The motif tunes for the Sondra character definitely include “Fist of Fire” by Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, and Howe, “In Or Out” by Ani DiFranco, and “Horns Beneath Her Halo” by Selwyn Birchwood. But I haven’t thought through an actual soundtrack yet.

I ended up choosing not to query the “soundtrack” agent, but while I was still considering her, I put together a soundtrack to “Crying Call.”

I’ve put YouTube links to all the mentioned songs at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!

“Over the Wall,” Echo and the Bunnymen. I imagine an abridged version as a James-Bond-style opening song between the opening sequence and the beginning of the main story.

“Isolation,” Joy Division

“What Is Jazz?” by Club des Belugas — a motif for Dell Nguyen

“Under the Milky Way,” The Church — a motif for the Redhouse family

“Fade to Black,” Metallica

“I’ve Been Losing You,” a-ha — a love theme for Thom

“Killing in the Name,” Rage Against the Machine

“The Eye Dance,” Comsat Angels

“Symptom of Life,” Willow Smith — a motif for Linsey

“Save a Prayer,” Duran Duran

“There Was a Time,” James Brown — the team’s high-tech plans are coming together

“March of the Pigs,” Nine Inch Nails — the final confrontation

“Run Straight Down,” Warren Zevon — closing credits music