A little night music

I like music when I write. I put on earphones, plug them into the computer and listen to any number of things as I write.

Although I pick things I enjoy, whatever is playing is generally little more than background noise. At this moment, I am listening to "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clayton), the electric guitar version from the early 1970s. It makes my impatient and write faster, like I am trying to keep up with the music. The same effect occurs when I play "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne.

But those generally get my attention. So I generally play something mellower, like some Dave Grusin. I particularly like "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." (It is from the 1967 movie of the same name, which, in turn, is based on the book of the same name. I reread the book just last year.) It can make me happy or sad. It is good at both.

I like music playing in the background but sometimes I am concentrating so hard it takes a while before I notice the music has changed or stopped playing.

But background music is often good and I suggest playing something that matches your mood or matches the mood of whatever you are writing. In that way, it can speed you along.

One final thought, as Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “10,000 miles” plays in my ears. (I really love this song because it reminds me of how much I love my daughters. I used to get all teary-eyed when I heard it.) I finished John Grisham’s new book “The Appeal” today. It was well done, as I’d come to expect, but I still much prefer “The Broker”. It was a much better story and wasn’t such a downer in the end. This book left me unsettled, unsatisfied in the end.

Oh well, perhaps he will redeem himself to me with next year’s book.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and remember, keep writing.