Summer is getting really quiet around here!
With a lot of projects wrapping up and everyone else choosing to slow down, I’ve been working more on my work in progress (WIP) Good In Theory.
One of my favorite chapters that I was able to write recently took me back to my roots as a band geek. In high school, I was in the marching band as a baton twirler, but I played trumpet in our concert and jazz bands. I went on to play in the college marching band for five years while I worked on my bachelor’s degrees, and I also helped charter our chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, the women’s music fraternity.
Being around musicians so much gave me insight into how others play, especially those with a gift. I was good, but I had to work at it, so it wasn’t my gift, lol.
In high school jazz band, a friend of mine played guitar. He actually went on to major in music performance after high school and was always so amazing to listen to. I remember watching him play some of the solos in jazz band, and I especially loved seeing him play accoustic guitar. You could tell that there was a magical bond between him and the instrument as he ad libbed on his solos, taking us on some fantasy path through the music playing in his heart. It was always intriguing to me, and I kept those moments watching my friend play carefully wrapped up in a little box in my head.
When I was writing my character Colin in Good In Theory, I opened that box again. I gave him all of my friend’s gift for music, as well as his showmanship. My friend was a total ham when we performed anywhere, and he didn’t need a solo to make himself the star of the show. You could feel what he felt when he played. I wanted Colin to have that same level of charisma, so I picked a song for him to play and really make a big show of it!
This scene was so fun to write because it let me explore being a musician again, as well as the feelings that music allows us to feel when we hear it, especially in a live setting. In the book, Colin is performing at a piano bar along with two other musicians, and they make a hell of a show. For my main character, Lacey, the show touches her deep in her soul, encouraging her to explore her own life, which is really a beautiful thing about seeing someone live. How does that impact you? For Lacey, it opens her eyes to ideas about her own career that she hadn’t explored before.
I’m so glad that I was able to bring this character to life in this chapter, and I’m excited to keep exploring who Colin is and how he impacts the story!