It's Not Blood, Music Courses Through My Veins (Anathema Spoilers Within)

Melanie Surani wanted to know how music played a part in my writing....so here ya go! :D

Everything in my life is dictated by music. Everything. 99% of my memories revolve around music. I can hear any song on the radio, on any station, and tell you a personal story related to the song's presence in my past.

When I drive, there's music. When I write, there's music. When I read, there's music. If the TV's on I'm thinking about what background music would work if my life was a movie.

If music is on I can't sit still. My foot taps, my head nods, I direct with my fingertips. There's a reason swing dancing is my favorite activity!!!!

I've always said that if I had the choice between being blind or deaf, I would choose blindness. Silence would probably kill my will to live.

Because of this, music is ultra-important when I write. The right music sets the tone of my novels. For example, when I wrote Anathema I listened to the Twilight soundtrack, but only the intense songs (sorry R Patz, your ditty did not make the cut on my playlist). Muse drove Reychel's escape from Kandek. Blue Foundation fed Ivy's jealousy over Mark's growing feelings for Reychel. Paramore gave Reychel the strength to follow her own path.

When I listen to music, any feeling I have amplifies ten-fold. I'm a pantser, so everything I write in a first draft is driven by my emotions and the music behind it. Wait until you read the book I'm writing using Within Temptation's The Heart of Everything album.