Book Soundtracks

     I love music almost as much as I love movies, reading, and writing. I think music is essential to life. Music can bring light to the darkest of days. I honestly can not put into words how much I love music and how I could not live my life without it.
     When it comes to the arts and the way music influences all arts, I believe that music is needed for all of them. I need music just to function in life. Music is essential to a movie. Music helps to convey the right tone of the movie or is used to convey a feeling. Jaws would be nothing without those three little notes. The Lord of the Rings would be nowhere as epic without Richard Howe's score. TV shows need music in the same way. One Tree Hill wouldn't be half the show it is without its musical influences and guests. As an audience member and a fan, I love knowing the songs on a movies sound track. I often buy these soundtracks and listen to them over and over again just to remember how I felt when I watched that certain movie.
     Like movies and TV shows, I believe a book needs a soundtrack. Music does the same for the author writing the book as it does for an audience member at a movie. Without music to guide the story or help the author to know how to play the emotion in a scene or book, the audience may not feel the way they should for a scene or book.
     Now, I believe there are different ways a soundtrack for a book can be used.
     Some authors have one song that lays out the theme and emotion of the whole book. Some have a song for each scene, or each chapter. Some know the song that their character would be listening to or thinking about at certain times. Some authors have the story written but find songs that fit the mood, tone, or feeling of their book. And as always, other authors use songs or music in other ways. Jackson Pearce listened to one certain track, which was ocean waves, when she wrote Fathomless.
     Generally, most authors use music the same way for every story they write. And as per usual with me, I use music in almost every way.
     Most of the time I find songs that fit the book, but in different cases, I use music in different ways. In one of my books, there is a song that fits a scene perfectly for a certain character and a certain scene. It is not an over arching theme song, no, it is for one scene and that scene alone. Other times, I find some songs that fit the over arching  theme of a certain character but not of the whole book. As long as I have music behind my books, I have feeling and drive. Without music, I fear I would be lost.
     A lot of authors like to share their playlists or soundtracks with their readers. I think this is very lovely. Sometimes they just give the playlist. And then sometimes they give the song, which scene it belongs to and why it drives the scene. That is one organized author if you tell me. Or perhaps one with a lot of time. But I find it fascinating to get a glimpse into the authors mind and how they felt writing their story or what inspired them.
     Anyway, I'm sure I got nowhere with this post, but at lease now you know how much I love music.
     Until next time.