We’re in the thick of it now, friends.
By “it”, I mean the final stages of writing my next novel, The Ancient.
If you’ve been following the blog recently, you’ve received quite a few previews of this upcoming tale. The last few weeks have introduced you to some of the characters: the Dragon, the Centaur, and the Griffin, so far. I have others for you to meet; but, in this moment, I really need to get back to work on the book itself. We have finally reached that part of the outline to which I have been mentally referring as “the end”, and while there’s still a ways to go – “the end”, in this case, really means the last few bits of rising action, the climax, and the resolution – I can see the light at the end of the authorial “first draft” tunnel, and I want to use every possible moment to keep inching towards it.
Ergo, I thought this would be a good week to share with you some more of the music that has woven itself into this book.
In my recent post “On Giant’s Shoulders: The Power of Music in Writing”, I spoke of one song’s powerful influence on the imagery and theme of The Ancient. The next song on that same album (Future of Forestry’s Awakened to the Sound) is called “Covers You”, and it has also proven itself a valuable soundtrack to my ponderings, particularly regarding the two most important relationships in the book. One is a deep brotherly bond (think Sam & Frodo), and the other is a father/son dynamic.
Take a listen, and see what comes to mind. Leave me a note in the comments!
But wait – THERE’S MORE.
As I mentioned in my vision-casting post, “Easy Rhymes and Trashy Romances”, I have been drawing great nourishment from Madeleine L’Engle’s spiritual/artistic autobiography, The Rock that Is Higher. One of the most practical gems I’ve discovered is this:
“When I write, I realized, I do not think. I write. If I think when I am writing, it doesn’t work. I can think before I write; I can think after I write; but when I am actually writing, what I do is write.”
I have found the same to be true of me. Running is the best time for me to think through what I am going to write later that day – and Future of Forestry is first on my running playlist. Often, I’ll listen to those first two songs over and over, pounding out the miles while sorting through plot points and character developments in my brain.
When it comes to the actual writing, though, I have other music: Sleeping at Last.
The album Atlas is my constant writing music. More specifically, three of the first four songs – “Sun”, “Mercury”, “Earth” (he wrote a song for the solar system, so each planet – even Pluto! – gets its own, along with the sun and moon) – have been on repeat for hours while I’ve typed away or stared into space, trying not to think. Somehow, these particular songs seem to flow from the story itself. Listening to them is my way of soaking my mind in the “mood” of the tale, allowing me to join in its flow and, hopefully, become a vessel of it.
I present the first of these songs for your listening pleasure – the song about which, after listening one day, I told my husband (sitting nearby; he knows all of these songs VERY well by now): “This IS The Ancient.”
If that doesn’t make you think of a race of immortal beings, charged to be guardians of the Light of creation – if it doesn’t stir your heart with wonder at their deeds and compassion for their sufferings – I don’t know what will.
Powerful songs!
Will listen when I can concentrate. Just to hear how the music affects you is moving. Love you!!!
I can not wait to read The Ancient! Such amazing inspiration and ponderings! Keep writing and editing and doing what you do!