Things That Can't Be Broken: Where did this novel idea come from?
Part 2 of 2: The music
Behind-the-Scenes Extras: where you’ll find notes on my process, the occasional character interview, hows and whys, and other geeky writer fun
Into the woods we go
To lose our minds and find our souls . . . Or another Behind-the-Scenes Extra newsletter post, anyway.
On the writing process front
I was in Northern Idaho with my husband this past weekend for a family reunion at my aunt and uncle’s place near Sandpoint. While we were there, I was able to unplug and fully absorb all of the stories and catch up with my cousins. In the past, I may have used the entire travel time as an excuse not to write or think about writing, but now I’ve got you readers to consider.
Since I’ve started preparing to share Things That Can’t Be Broken Chapter by Chapter, I’ve found that every quiet moment is an opportunity to write, edit, or plan. On the flight up to Spokane we had a two and a half hour stop in Sacramento. Instead of mindlessly scrolling away the time, I was writing this. Yay!
It’s an effort, but it’s also a lot of fun. And ironically, it’s freeing to have the deadline to focus my thoughts. I’ve been making notes in my current manuscript for small edits I can make before I share the chapters I’ve already written. I can no longer entertain the thought that I should do a major revision. There isn’t time for that. So I’m tightening where I can as I continue to move forward.
Down with perfectionism and onward with thoughtful progress!
This is a two part article. Here’s the link if you missed Where did this novel idea come from? Part 1 of 2: The scenery
Where did this novel idea come from?
Part 2 of 2: The music
One of my earliest vivid memories is of pulling shorts out of my dresser before dawn and skipping out the front door in happy anticipation of a long drive somewhere, probably to Sequoia or Yosemite. I think I’ve always enjoyed road trips. We were those Gen X kids who grew up in the Wild West before the seatbelt laws. We rolled around giggling through the curves in the back of the station wagon or flying over highways on our bellies like camper-loft-superheroes.
Mind you, I’m not condoning life without seatbelts. I also remember being flung from the back seat to the front when my great-grandmother backed into a tree, and a Cub Scout’s head putting a crack in the window of that camper loft during a fender bender. Luckily, no one was seriously injured in either of those incidents.
My parents listened to a wide variety of music both at home and on the road, everything from Mannheim Steamroller’s Fresh Aire to Thelma Houston to Pavarotti. When we rode in the camper, I had a cassette tape player and a few tapes of mostly musicals to sing along with in the loft. I learned to regard freeways and mountain passes as tickets to daydreams propelled by music. From the window, I could set my imagination loose to roam for hours over hillsides, across deserts, and through forests.
Music is a powerful thing. My brother and I had a record player and a set of our own records at home, which included a series of wonderfully rendered fairy tales called Let’s Pretend and a narrated recording of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.
If you’ve heard a version of Peter and the Wolf, you may remember the wolf’s riff — even now I get a chill just thinking about it, the stalking and snapping when he tries to catch the bird! It’s all in the music. You’ve noticed it while watching movies or TV, when a riff is played to set a vibe for a character entering a scene. Darth Vader for example? It makes all the difference.
When I’m lucky I come across a song that fits a character or scene I have in mind, or more often, a scene or character may be directly inspired by a song. I’ve collected 13 songs so far for the Things That Can’t Be Broken playlist. Twelve of them represent characters and their relationships, and part of a thirteenth song serves as an underpainting to guide the overall theme.
I don’t usually listen to any music while I’m writing, especially if it has lyrics. I’m easily distracted. However, when I have a song that really feels like a character, I’ll often listen to that song right before I start to write from that character’s perspective. It helps me to better see the world through their eyes.
I’m excited to share most of the playlist with you along with short descriptions of the characters or relationships they represent. You may have heard many of these before. Most are pretty mainstream and far from new.
If you have Spotify, you can listen to the entire songs there. If you don’t have Spotify, the quick preview for each should help you decide if you’re interested enough to play the rest of the song on whatever music service you normally use.
I hope you enjoy them!
Angel: Lisa Marie (Arai) Cartwright
Lisa is a survivor, a broken link who must find her way forward between the mystery of her mother’s disappearance and the murder of her daughter.
Run Between the Raindrops: Dani Marie Cartwright
This is Dani’s favorite song in 1988.
Amsterdam: Tim Cartwright
Dani’s father, Lisa’s handsome dog-loving high school sweetheart, travels the world on his talent and charm — until he finds his Amsterdam.
You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go: Maeve (Dalton) Allen
Maeve is a scholarly no-nonsense horse-woman who rarely gets rattled by emotion. The love of her life, Todd Allen, is much her opposite.
Kiko and the Lavender Moon: Kiko Gonzalez
Los Lobos may have had another Kiko in mind, but our Kiko is a haunted war veteran who wanders the hills near Allen Haven Ranch and sees what others don’t see.
Can’t Let Go: Barb (Barbara Jane) Ames
Too often scorned and left behind, Barb develops a salty exterior, but she also has a warm gooey center that just won’t quit.
Harvest Moon, live by The Mavericks: Todd Allen
Todd’s song for Maeve. Todd is a vivacious soul with a big heart and an easy smile who would do anything for Maeve and for his family.
Hey Coyote: Caleb Allen
Maeve and Todd’s son is a talented guitarist and songwriter who develops a decent following in small venues in the southwestern U.S.
You and I: Haseya Tsosie
Haseya is the daughter of a new age hippie who raises Arabian horses in Sedona, Arizona. She is a practical, yet adventurous spirit.
Co Ni Mire Rium?: Rebecca Smith
Rebecca is a visionary we will meet as a child late in the story. “Co Ni Mire Rium?” means roughly, “Who will play with me?”.
My writers’ group leader has noted more than once that I really do love my characters. It’s true. I’m in love with every one of them. I hope that comes through for you when you start reading. I can’t wait for you to meet them.
Just six more weeks to go!
The next Behind-the-Scenes Extra newsletter released August 3, What’s in my Toolbox?
Great add! Love the extra touches!