For me, music goes hand in hand with my writing, and is an essential component during each stage of my writing process. From the get go, even before I start plotting my novel, I firstly have to arrange a ‘playlist’ of songs that will inspire me when plotting and then writing my book. I generally have one or two ‘theme’ songs (with vocals) that resonate with me as a representation of the book’s overall theme – most of the time these come from various movie soundtracks. Then once I’ve worked out which ‘theme’ song/s are the perfect fit for my story, I can then work out some other accompanying instrumental songs for my playlist.
Armed with my playlist I then set to work in plotting out the story (yep, I’m definitely a plotter), while constantly listening to my playlist over and over again. Most of the songs will spark ideas for scenes in my novel, which is so much fun. Then, when it comes time to actually writing my story, as soon as I listen to my playlist, I immediately get into what I call, my story zone. So in a way, by firstly creating my music playlist and then playing it while I plot out my book, I ’m essentially training my brain that it’s story creation time whenever I hear the playlist.
With my latest novel, The Fiancé Fiasco, I chose two ‘theme’ songs that I felt best represented some of the themes and characters in my story. The first song was ‘Feel the light’ by Jennifer Lopez from the soundtrack of the movie Home. The second song was ‘How far I’ll go’ sung by Auli’I Cravalho, which was also the theme song from the movie Moana. Both songs really resonated with my heroine Bree and hero Daniel, and the adventure they were about embarking on together. In particular, though, the main song from Moana, really represented with Bree’s journey, and how she’d always felt slightly out of place and that there was something out there for her, greater than what she could imagine… just perfect for her story! Even now, every time I hear that song, I’m transported straight back to Bree and Daniel’s adventure, and I happily remember how much fun I had writing it.
Here are some of the words of the song:
I’ve been staring at the edge of the water
‘Long as I can remember, never really knowing why
I wish I could be the perfect daughter
But I come back to the water, no matter how hard I try
Every turn I take, every trail I track
Every path I make, every road leads back
To the place I know, where I can not go, where I long to be
And here’s a pic of just the start of my music playlist (I think there’s over 50 songs on it, so way to long to screenshot, lol):
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Devlin Markham, the notorious “Devil Duke” of Huntington, needs a woman. And not just any woman. If he can’t woo one of the most eccentric bluestockings of the Ton within the month, he can kiss his hard-earned fortune goodbye. But he’s always thought love a wasted emotion and marriage an inconvenience at best. And oddly enough, Lady Sophie Wolcott seems unmoved by his charm…
When Sophie learns her beloved orphanage is in imminent danger, she will do anything to save it. Even marry a ruthless rake who takes what he wants in business and pleasure. A man who’s everything she’s always feared most—but whom she reluctantly begins yearning for.
Then Sophie becomes the target of a killer lurking from the dark shadows of Devlin’s past. And they find not only their lives in jeopardy but their very hearts.
Indoctrinated into a world of dashing rogues and feisty heroines when she was fourteen years old, Maddison Michaels is a prolific reader and writer of romantic suspense and historical fiction. She gets her daily dose of suspense from working as a police officer, prosecuting real-life villains in the Courts of Australia. A member of the RWA and RWA Australia, Maddison is as passionate about her writing as she is about her other two loves: her family and her cups of tea. Luckily, she gets a healthy dash of romance married to her wonderful husband, and her exercise regime is kept on track by her six-year-old daughter, who ensures Maddison is kept very busy chasing her around. Maddison’s debut novel The Devilish Duke is her way of time traveling back to Victorian London to experience a cornucopia of intrigue, romance, and debauchery all from the comfort of her living room!
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