Cue the Noveling Music!

October 11, 2011

As National Novel Writing Month approaches, now is the time to select the soundtrack for your novel. By now, you might be zeroing in on what type of story you want to write—a romance, an adventure, an adventurous romance—and you’ll want to find some music to listen to while you write. 

My own leaning is toward movie soundtracks. For jungle scenes, I listen to Indiana Jones music from John Williams. For high-ocean chase scenes, I go to the Pirates of the Caribbean. You get the idea. Just think of some movies that bear a similarity to your story or even just a part of your story, and try to listen to some of the music to help channel that flavor into your novel.

Don’t limit yourself just to movies, however. I read a recent interview with Richard Castle who said that "For procedural scenes, I like the mathematical precision of Bach." 

Of course, CDs and tapes aren’t the only way to listen. Many writers use free online sites such as Pandora to select a randomly rotating crop of music within a certain range. Still, the library has lots of music for free. Place some holds today so that on November 1st, you’re ready to charge into your next new novel.

Brian M.
Boardwalk Branch