If You Give a Book a Soundtrack

The range of reader comfort zones spans quite the spectrum. On one end we find people who require absolute silence and zero movement around them whilst they read, and on the opposing end we find those people who can read in any sort of circumstance, no matter how loud or busy the world is around them. As for me, I prefer a bit of light music to accompany me.

Music, when utilized properly, has a powerful way to stimulate every facet of the mind. It increases
activity all around, especially in regards to memory, imagination, emotion and heart rate. (That heart rate one was kind of a joke, but tell me you don't respond physically to music.) I do grant, however, that music will become a distraction if it is too loud, the wrong genre or too wordsy. Why else do you think movie composers spend so much time creating the perfect soundtracks?

As an author and movie score/soundtrack collector, I love to build playlists that focus on certain emotions or characters. I have lists for romance and suspense, villainous tunes, epic travel music, heroic themes and many more. (If you know some good soundtracks for that, comment below or email me. I am always looking to expand.) Then I use those playlists to help me brainstorm ideas for my stories or to beef up my reading experience. I turn words on pages into movies in my mind, and by so doing I remember, decipher, imagine and enjoy the words even better than usual. The careful addition of music makes almost any book, great or not, into a quotable, memorable experience. You should really give it a try. If I get it finished soon enough, maybe I'll share a promo soundtrack for Mimgardr with you.

Have you tried it already? Does it work for you or not? If you're trying it for the first time, what do you think? Comment below. I'd love to hear your opinions!