The Novel Project Playlist
Prepping the subconscious for a long creative project
A little shop talk for writers this time. Subscribe to take part in the conversation:
If you’re old enough (and cool enough), you probably made a “mixtape” for someone you had a passion for. This post is about making a mixtape for your own creative process. If you haven’t got a passion for that, you should.
I've always been fascinated by the routines and creative processes of artists. How people who make things go about making them captivates me like few other subjects.
Incidentally, I would love to start interviewing more creatives for the “5 Questions” interview series on this Substack. Please reach out if you want to talk shop.
It occurred to me that perhaps I might share some of my own practices now and then.
I've written about how finishing my first attempt at a novel changed me and left me feeling a bit out of sorts -- kind of between two eras of my life. If you look at the publication dates on this newsletter, you'll see that I've gone a bit silent as of late. I spent some time withdrawing, trying to re-center myself, and perhaps adjust my writing goals and ambitions.
That said, I have begun the process of writing a "next" novel (even as I try to find a home for the debut -- to be honest, I should be putting more effort into that. I do think that the subject matter is timely and, doggone it, somebody might like it).
Writing the new novel has been like landing in a strange new town and exploring it with both excitement and frustration. I recently took a three day getaway (to an undisclosed location) to work on the book and was delighted and relieved that it snapped into shape pretty well for me. I could finally see what it was I wanted to spend the next x months tinkering with.
I don't think it was any coincidence that I'd spent some time the previous weeks cobbling together a soundtrack for the book (or at least my writing of the book). It's a growing playlist that lives on my Apple Music account, comprised of old favorites and new discoveries. Mostly it's whole albums I'm tossing in, though there are quite a few individual songs that fill it out as well.
Brief note: I want to emphasize that this not music that I listen to while writing. The soundtrack of that physical work is mostly ambient or instrumental. The music in this playlist is a pool I dive into away from the typewriter.
The music that gets certified as Novel Project Playlist material finds its way there for a variety of reasons and that process is a little murky. Sometimes an album or song will wander in on the basis of the lyrics. Sometimes the sound. There are thematic connections that make something sound right and sometimes there's just a mood or a vibe.
The process is mysterious (which is good), but however the music has ended up in the playlist, I can tell you that it has sharpened and focused the book. Characters and themes and settings and images have emerged from my clacking fingertips, under the influence of a brain that's been immersed in this playlist. The musical gumbo is an environment that's somehow helping the book take shape in my subconscious.
Occasionally, I'd like to share some of the works on this playlist here and discuss the music for its own sake. I don't want to get into details about the book I'm working on, but I do want to share the music that's inspiring it with other people, hoping that they find their own benefit from it. You might pick up some the "vibes" that the novel floats on, but it's not important that know anything about the plot or characters or themes (ok you might make some educated guesses about some of the themes).
A quick preview of some of the artists so far:
Paul Weller (in his many guises), Justin Townes Earle, This Moral Coil, Beck, The Fall, Television Personalities, Edwyn Collins, Wesley Stace (AKA John Wesley Harding), Nick Cave, Regina Spector, Rodney Crowell, Tom Waits, Vampire Weekend, Miles Davis, Roseanne Cash, Chris Wall, Bob Dylan, Joe Pug, The Hillbilly Moon Explosion, The Tallest Man on Earth.
What artist would you like to read about sooner rather than later?
As I jot down some ideas about this series, I'd love to hear from you. What role does music play in your creative process? What are some things that you listen to?
The "George Lucas" approach? Lore tells us that George wrote Star Wars with specific music in the background (or specified Classics after-the-fact) as being right for specific settings in S.W., and then asked John Williams to replicate the affect and aura in the new soundtrack...
Will your new novel have a "recommended soundtrack"?! Maybe a link to a playlist?! Maybe you're building the future of multi-sensory reading!
I usually need absolute silence to read and write. However, making playlists has always been a big part of my creative process. I love using music, and the placement of songs, to communicate with others. My wife and I created a game we call Songversation. We alternate playing songs in response to each other, trying to communicate a mood or theme. Many times, these turn into incredible call-and-response playlists that help me sort out my thinking before I go to write it down.
I hope your novel-writing goes well! I look forward to reading the finished product.