The Sounds of Inspiration

Hi, Everyone!

First, I’m so sorry this blog is up late today. I had some technical difficulties and then I’ve been away from a computer all day long. I’m actually taking some time off from work on a medical leave to do some intensive rehab on my back—it needs two surgeries, but that’s a longer story than my books! And today, I had…count ‘em…four medical-type appointments as we get all this craziness kicked off.

But… spending a lot of time in physical therapy actually works with what I had written for today’s blog, so it’s a good tie-in. As part of my rehab, I’m spending a lot of time on a treadmill. And hours on a treadmill are better with some music to make the time fly by (or a good book!) It’s also true for writing a book, which is why a lot of authors create playlists for their books.  SO…without further delay, here’s my blog for today on characters, creativity, and music!

Thanks for being patient, everyone! I appreciate it.  :)

Like a good recipe, there are lots of ingredients to inspiration when writing a book. Sometimes, an author hears about a real-life situation and starts thinking “what if…” Sometimes, authors know a person that inspires a hero or heroine. Sometimes, like in my Holiday Hearts series, it’s a theme. In my case, it’s stories of finding love on those holidays so many of us celebrate and cherish.

But as a writer, once you get a good idea, you’ve got to stay inspired through 30,000…50,000…and sometimes even upwards of 100,000 words! There are days when it’s easy. The words fly from my fingertips on the keyboard to the page. The characters are talking. Things are happening and the plot is moving along.

Then there are days when everything moves more slowly than molasses, as the cliché says. I have more of these days than I’d care to admit—especially when the writing comes at the end of a long day at the day job and after I’ve tucked my kids in at night. It’s harder to get swept away with your characters when you can’t shut out the siren song of chores, kids, and the mental replay of everything that happened during the day.

That’s when I really rely on the words and creativity of others to bring me back to the time and place of my characters. Specifically, I rely on songs and music. I will often hear a song on the radio and feel like the words are speaking about a story or situation I’m writing. I’ve been known to take a picture of the title and artist as it flashes up on my XM so that I can add it to my writing playlist.

I’ve created a master playlist on a private YouTube channel with all my favorite writing songs. And then I break it out according to book. I like to put these up as extras on my blog. For my January release, New Year’s Eve, I shared my playlist and some other extras with my readers. You can check it out here.

What about you? Do you have favorite songs that inspire you or take you back to a certain time and place? What’s one that stands out for you?

Kristen Ethridge (9 Posts)

I'm an author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance stories of love, laughter and happily ever after and the Mama behind the Real Time Mama blog at www.kristenethridge.com, where I talk about food, family, faith, and fiction. My first book, Saving Gracie, came out from Love Inspired in February 2013 and I'm represented by Elaine Spencer at The Knight Agency. A devoted Baylor Bear, I live in North Texas with my husband, two redheads, and a self-important poodle. I love interacting with readers, so join me on my blog, on my Facebook author page, on Pinterest, and on Twitter.