Putting the "muse" in "music" - What's your writing jam?

The more I talk to other writers, the more I realize how great a source of inspiration music provides for all of us. Every year during A to Z, many people use their daily posts to share some of their favorite, most nostalgic, most deserving pieces of music, and it is always a treat to browse through those posts. In my own research, I have conversations with people who reveal the many uses music can have in the creative writing process.

Do you do any of these?

Have a playlist for a specific writing project
Do you meticulously assemble a list of songs that are somehow associated with your WIP? Do you often wish that you could publish a soundtrack CD along with your book? Do you have your go-to station on Pandora while you are busy typing away?
(Some writes are better at this last one than others. Some of us require silence when we write - but we still need out music when we are planning!)

Have a playlist for a specific character
Do you have characters in your writing who come with their own mix tape? Do you make lists thinking about what songs your heroes listen to (or would listen to, if they had the time and the means)? Do you come across songs and thing "this is totally Her/Him/Them"! Do your love stories have Their Songs?

Have characters or stories inspired by music
Have you ever listened to a song, staring out the window of a train or jogging away on a treadmill, and though "ooh, this would make a great story!" Have you ever watched a music video, saw a character, and thought to your self "I want to know about that one!" Have you ever been so taken with the mood of a piece of music that you had to put it into words?

Share your music with other writers
Have you ever said the words "YOU GOTTA LISTEN TO THIS!"?

We'll listen! Tell us what your favorite writing music is. Tell us if (and how) music inspires your writing. Tell us about that one nostalgic song that always makes you want to write.
Give us all something to listen to!

T is for TIME!

Time. I don't know anyone who has as much as they want, do you?

I think as bloggers, we as a subculture have an especially short amount of time. Most bloggers, or at least those I'm familiar with, have a day job, a family, all while we are trying to work on our novels, or our music, our pieces of art, our humor, our crafts, or whatever our passion is, yet still attempting to maintain sanity. It ain't easy.

Then, to all of the above, let's add changing our blogging frequency (for most) add more visiting, more return/recognition of comments, and you've got a person stretched pretty thin.

Yet, most of us are loving it! Why? I think what we all have in common, regardless of what type of blog we have (and sorry if I didn't mention your flavor...but these daily posts are supposed to be short...) is DETERMINATION. Hmm, someone wrote about that at D...

TIME (whatever we may have) + Determination = Success

If you've made it this far, you're going to make it all the way! Six posts left. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

What I'd really like to know though is what have you learned? How did it go? Now that it's all over, what advice would you give others? (Yes, I know it's not over...I'm advertising...we take liberties...) How has participating changed your blog? You'll get a chance to tell us during our traditional Reflections Posts. Don't worry right now about when or where or how...just finish The Challenge. We'll let you know later what the rest of the scoop is.

Announcing The Nineties Blogfest with David Black

Please join me in welcoming Ninja Captain Alex's friend, David Black. Alex participated in David's  previous blogfest celebrating the years 2000 to 2009 (The Noughties...tee hee) and recommends that we join David's next party. I for sure am in! Sounds like lots of fun, and remember, you always meet new people when you join a party!  

Nostalgia is a funny thing. We look back and time concertinas so that objects in your rear view mirror appear closer than they are. We are all a product of our past and sometimes popular culture is the only tie that bind. Last year I ran The Noughties Blogfest. I had written Review-Of-The-Year type posts of my favourite Films/TV/Music/Books/Comics etc from the years 2009 to 2000 and invited people to suggest their own favourite things from each year of the decade.

Now I've almost finished writing about the Nineties as well. So I would like to take this opportunity to invite you all to join in with The Nineties Blogfest on the 15th of October.

Choose one thing from each year from 1990 to 1999, be it a film, a TV show, a radio show, a particular episode of a TV or radio show, a piece of theatre, a book, a comic, a song, an album, a gig, a piece of artwork, something online or something else entirely, and then tell us what you love about it.

Now head on over to his house and sign up!  Tell 'em Tina and Alex sent you.