Movies have soundtracks, so why shouldn't books have them too? To celebrate the one-year anniversary of my blog here at Katelyn Buxton Books, I thought we'd do something fun—and no party is ever complete without music, so that's what we're going to talk about today!

First of all, imagine with me for a moment. You're driving, and the radio is turned on to your favorite station. Amidst the crackly jumble of familiar tunes, DJs, and ad interruptions comes a song that makes you grip the steering wheel a little tighter, because suddenly you're thinking about your favorite character. It describes their situation perfectly—it just breathes the essence of them.

I think every writer is guilty of this phenomenon, just like dreaming about the day our stories are committed to movie form (much as you might dislike it when that fate befalls your favorite book). If that ever happens, then your book will have a soundtrack. But is there really any reason to wait?

I'll start with an example. Anyone that has read my book Finding Hope knows that it's largely about a tortured teenage boy named Allister that comes to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, just when he felt like he was drowning in the overwhelming difficulties of life. The heavy, marching beat of Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains) by Crowder perfectly embodies Allister's dramatic journey to the foot of the cross, as do the powerful lyrics. I have long thought of it as his song, and my sister will be the first to tell you I've often worn a goofy, authorly grin while listening to it.

"All right, one song down, but aren't we missing a few?" you're saying. And in thinking that, you'd be correct. We need more songs for sure. But you have to start somewhere, right? Even though Lift Your Head Weary Sinner doesn't come chronologically 'till later on in the book (Allister's moment of salvation), it gets the wheels turning, and helps me think of similar songs, or other songs that I haven't yet connected with the story.

There's really no step-by-step formula for this, just get creative. You're the one that knows your story best. A fun thing to do with the completed soundtrack would be assemble it into a playlist or burn it to a CD for listening. Then press play, sit back, and enjoy. (More like fangirl/boy over your own masterpiece).

The point of this post, as well as its similar predecessor, When Writers Minecraft, is just to provide you with ways to add another dimension to your story, even if it isn't yet published. Writing it is just the tip of the iceberg. Minecraft lets you see it—music lets you hear it. Maybe this fun little excercise will help you reignite the passion you had for that project in the first place. It's a refreshing change of pace. Movies are no longer the only art form that have soundtracks—after all, books are the original movie.