Mental Energy Powered by Music
Forged Series: World-Building & Setting the Mood for Good Writing Juju
To learn more about the FORGED series, visit the Table of Contents.
Mental Energy Powered by Music
Setting the mood for good writing juju
Inspired by Kristi Keller’s post about music and dogs, I started to think about the music I listen to throughout my day. (And thus, what my dog gets to hear, too.)
For example, right now, my hubby is having band practice on the other side of the house from me.1 My dog has selected to hang out in the backyard, and I have to admit, it is much quieter outside than inside right now. Maybe I should join her.
It’s not that I don’t like the music. (I do, in fact, like band #2’s music selection better than band #1’s musical repertoire!) The tunes are jamming2—the kind that will get people up and dancing or at least tapping their feet and bopping their heads and singing along at the top of their lungs.
What songs? Um, well, I’m horrible with names. (People. Books. Movies. Songs. Though I usually remember a dog’s name. What’s that say about me?) The songs are all covers—Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, and The Velvet Underground—to name a few.3 Anyway, the point is that the songs are motivating me to type.
Music as a motivator
When it came to writing the FORGED series, a YA Dystopian novel series, I would often put on a playlist to get in the “right” mood for the scene I was crafting.
Much of the book one was written to either an instrumental sad or love songs playlist on Spotify. Another favorite was an Instrumental Guitar Focus (Peaceful, Relaxing & Meditative). In fact, this one is a favorite when I’m editing or typing up Substack posts.4
But when it came to really getting into the mindset of my main character, Tessa, I created a couple of playlists to support the mood of the words flowing out. Because the main characters are teens, I selected songs to create a "soundtrack" to evoke moments of both teen drama and the hope (and fear) of the future.
Persistent images swirled in my mind. Swelling like a flash flood, inching higher and higher. And like the threat of water about to cascade over the river’s banks in a deluge, the images threatened to engulf me. Inundate and drown me with their intensity.
Excerpt from Shattered, book on eof the FORGED Series from Provender Press.
Tessa’s feelings of teenage angst run deeper than those of most teens. She has experienced major life changes—the death of her family, moving from her rural home to an urban center, and attending a public school for the first time. While she processes the loss of her family and her way of life, she is learning to navigate the new social expectations of public high school.
Remember that one person (or group) who hated you for no reason (or teased you or otherwise made your life miserable)? Offset that with someone who thinks you can walk on water (who believes in you, who champions your existence). That’s the mood of Tessa—that push and pull of trying to figure out what the heck is worth her time and energy. And discovering (or uncovering) who she is and who she wants to be.
“Running up that Hill” is NOT the best Kate Bush song
One song that puts me in her mindset within the first four notes is “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush. Maybe because this song was the musical score of the tear-jerking scene in the movie “She’s Having a Baby” (1988), a movie that formed all expectations of what married life should be. (Sorry, hubby, I’m comparing you to Kevin Bacon all. the. time.)5
Just have a listen and you’ll see. Angst. With a capital A. Okay, so the words are written as a husband/father who is fearing for the life of his wife & child during childbirth. But the push and pull of wanting to be hopeful and yet so fearful.
“All the things we should've said that are never said
All the things we should've done that we never did”
Tessa feels these words in her very soul. They speak to her survivor’s guilt.
Because we are onions (figuratively)
As the story progresses, Tessa finds her voice, her inner strength. The Power Mix playlist I created embodies Tessa’s moments of confidence, anger, and determination. When frustration with teen drama at school takes over, Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u” becomes her anthem. The chesting-pounding drum beats, power cords, and passionate vocals of “The Hardest Button to Button” by The White Stripes and “Woman” by Kesha feat. The Dap-Kings Horns scream her emotional state.
So, yeah, music powered my mental energy. Set the mood and freed my fingers to fly across the keyboard.
Shattered
In the remnants of the Pacific Northwest, 110 years in the future, fourteen-year-old Tessa Wright's idyllic life in the Wilds is disrupted by the death of her family, forcing her to move to the capital city of Bannock. Struggling with grief and adjusting to public school for the first time, she becomes haunted by fragmented memories about her past, revealing clues that suggest her family’s death was no accident.
As she grapples with these revelations, she’s drawn into a much larger conflict—one that threatens to change the course of her life and the future of her world. Amid rising tensions between the urban centers and the Wilds, the growing Underground movement threatens to expose dangerous secrets that could challenge the oppressive Ryker administration, changing everything.
As she unravels the truth, Tessa must confront her identity, decide whom to trust, and weigh the risks of fighting for justice. In a fractured and unstable society, time is running out for Tessa to reclaim her true self. In a world where nothing is as it seems, discovering the truth could cost her everything.
When the music is over
In Tessa’s Creative Writing class, her teacher assigns them to write their thoughts while a selection of songs plays: everything from a lone violin resonating with sharp, disconcerting cords to the quick rift of a fiddle, happy and carefree. The shifting of the songs triggers emotional responses, and words flow out of Tessa and her fellow students. At the end of the lesson, the violin ended, and the silence was deafening.
When Tessa struggled to express her emotional state during the silence, her teacher spoke these words to her.
“Close your eyes and take a deep breath in. And out. Listen to the sounds around you. Filter each out, one by one, until you only hear your breath. Then listen to the sound between your breaths.”
The silence lulled me.
“Focus on what you hear. For even in silence, we are not alone.”
Excerpt from Shattered, book on eof the FORGED Series from Provender Press.
The band has left the building
As I wrap up my writing, I revel in the silence of my house. The whir of my laptop fan and the clicking of my fingers on the keyboard are the only noises. Yet the ghost of the songs being practiced still sings in my head. An inner concert of “Sweet Jane” encourages me to finish my thoughts.
To learn more about the FORGED series, visit the Table of Contents.
Good Stuff
Interesting reads on Substack you should check out!
I found $20. Things got weird - Michael Estrin discusses the moral dilemma of finding money and the importance of saving ice cream flavor from extinction. Quality investigative reporting here.
How to Prevent Your Dog From Joining Street Gangs - Music (and even ambient noise) can affect a person’s disposition, so why wouldn’t it also affect a dog’s? Kristi Keller gives some good insight. (Glad she spends so “much mental energy wondering the strangest things about dogs” so we can read about her thoughts.)
Resistance is a powerful teacher - Robin Cangie (she/her) points out the important questions to ask yourself when you come up against “resistance” in your life.
counting alpacas - Clancy Steadwell’s essay chronicles the “overactive night brain” cycle—I think more than a few of us can relate to the mental stream of thoughts with deep familiarity. A fun read!
The Seven Stages of Guilt - I attempt to write from personal experience as much as possible in my writing. Sometimes, finding the words to help others “see” an emotion is difficult. Remy Bazerque does a remarkable job of defining several emotional stages in ways everyone can relate.
Before you go
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Questions
What are your go-to playlists when you create?
Do you ever sit in silence? What do you notice?
What was the last live music you enjoyed? Favorite concert? Bucket-list concert?
Point of reference—my hubby is in two bands. I briefly mentioned this last week. I think this is great. I mean, I did “make” him buy a drum set 15 (or maybe 20) years ago, so I should only expect him to be in a band, right? The second band started because the bass player in the first band broke his wrist, so my hubby had to find someone else to play music with until the bass player healed up… hence the side project was born. And once a new band is formed, you can hardly break it up just because the other band is getting back together. Right?
Does that description make me sound like an old fuddy-duddy? Please don’t tell me the truth if it does…
For full transparency, I went into the jam room after practice and looked at the board that lists their song for this Friday’s gig to figure out the band names. Yes, I cheated.
This newsletter was edited while listening to this playlist (after band practice because during band practice, I’d never be able to hear the music from my little Bluetooth speaker).
Just kidding about comparing my hubby to Kevin Bacon. I’m sure Kevin Bacon is a nice enough guy, but he doesn’t hold a flame to my hubby! What is a true statement is that I am only two degrees separated from Kevin Bacon. Maybe I will tell you how that is true. Remind me later, ‘kay?
What are your go-to playlists when you create? -- Neoclassical. As you alluded to, I enjoy trying to pair my characters with music, and for me instrumental music is the best for doing so.
Do you ever sit in silence? What do you notice? -- All the time. For me, it's all about less distraction. I have attention problems, so I notice it's generally easier for me to pay attention!
What was the last live music you enjoyed? Favorite concert? Bucket-list concert? -- Last live music was Khraungbin. So great. Best I've ever seen was Future Islands. Bucket list concert is probably Paul McCartney.
And thanks for the kind words on counting alpacas!!