Aug 04 2008
The Power of Music
Although you know my attachment to writing, I find myself drawn to music to facilitate nearly everything I do. I simply cannot wash dishes without singing songs from musicals (just ask my husband). I turn Irish dance music on loud when I clean house, sing my kids lullabies, play piano to relieve stress, and drive to classical music (believe it or not, it’s the only thing that keeps me awake).
I’ve considered writing a novel whose short chapters coincide with particular pieces of music, so that the entire book has a musical score (which could be on disk, sold with the novel itself, or could be uploaded onto an MP3). The words, the events, would all coincide with dramatic movements in the music, or the music itself would create part of the setting (loud rap at a club, rain pouring down, etc.). It would rather be like reading 1001 Arabian Nights while listening to the ballet Scheherezade or reading Christy while listening to folk music from the Smoky Mountains.
Then again, no one reads at the same rate. A slower reader would hear the dramatic upswing of some music, and not yet know why it was happening.
Besides, people have a hard time imagining situations from books as it is, so caught up are they by television (and it’s complete lack of dependence on one’s imagination). I don’t want to make them any lazier. Better if they have to imagine the music themselves. They might actually find a musical score that works better with the novel…and then, when it’s made into a movie, someone would write a brand new score for it, and it wouldn’t have to depend on existing music at all.
Enough musing for today. I need to put on the soundtrack of Edward Scissorhands and get to work on my ghost novel.
People do read at different paces, but you could read the story aloud to the sound track and include the CD with the book. It would add a new element to the story and make your work cutting edge. I love to listen to you read your work aloud and it incorporates your acting background. It would truly use many of your talents all in one creation. Go for it!
You are so right! I could do that…and then the book on tape would be what people really wanted to buy…
I would actually LOVE to be a reader for books on tape…I’ve always thought that would be so much FUN.
that’s a great idea, though it is true that everyone reads at a different speed. I still think you should do something like that, totally an awesome idea.
Perhaps I should work on that, then, Dayna…AFTER finishing this ghost book. I do have a deadline for the ghost novel, though. I and three friends have made a pact to each write a novel with a ghost in it, and the deadline is January 1!