I've been working like a mad thing on revisions for the first Southern Nights book, Teach Me. Sometimes, when a book has been a part of you for as long as this one has me, you lose the inspiration that originally had you revved about the project. Since I wrote the original manuscript in 2010...yeah, it's been a while, and making sure the story felt as fresh and alive as it did the first time I opened a Word file and began to type was very important to me.
And then came Christmas, and the gift that keeps on giving: music. Every book I write has a playlist; it's part of my writing process, and also a quick way for me to dive back into a book when I've had to put it on the backburner to meet deadlines on other projects (you can see a couple of my playlists for books here and here). Teach Me, being the first book I ever wrote, didn't have a playlist -- I was too new to know what my process was then -- so keeping it fresh has been a struggle. For Christmas, though, I received OneRepublic's new album, Native, and found the inspiration for Jess's story.
"If I Lose Myself" is a song about looking out a window. Sounds simple, right? (Don't most songs? :) ) But it's not. It's also about life and deciding who and what is important, about risking and refusing to give up. Have a listen:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGx0rApSk6w?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
See what I mean? In case you didn't catch them, have a look at the lyrics:
I stared up at the sun,
Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved.
I stared up just to see
With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.
You can feel the light start to tremble, Washing what you know out to sea. You can see your life out of the window tonight.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be by your side. I lose myself tonight... (oh) yeah, yeah, yeah.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be you and I. Lose myself tonight...
I woke up with the sun, Thought of all of the people, places and things I’ve loved. I woke up just to see With all of the faces, you were the one next to me.
You can feel the light start to tremble, Washing what you know out to sea. You can see your life out of the window tonight.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be by your side. I lose myself tonight... (oh) yeah, yeah, yeah.
If I lose myself tonight, It’ll be you and I. Lose myself tonight... Whoooooooooo
Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying. Take us down and we keep trying, Forty thousand feet, keep flying.
(Lose myself) If I lose myself tonight...
There are a lot of other great songs on the album, but this one in particular spoke to me. (And yes, for those of you who are familiar with my books, this will be the theme song for Teach Me, just like Dirty Little Secret and Naughty Little Christmas have their theme songs. :) ) Do you have a song that inspires you, a "theme song," so to speak? What is it, and what does it make you think about?
