I recently had the great opportunity to be a part of the 5th annual Wordbrew, an event where local Twin Cities authors read short sections of their fiction onstage. In case you’ve ever been interested in hearing parts of Bright City out loud, here’s an opportunity!
Sometimes, I get questions about all kinds of aspects related to my writing process: Where do I do the bulk of my writing? Do I write everyday? Where do my ideas come from? What music do I listen to while writing?
I wrote the bulk of Bright City in a booth in a local Panera Bread. And while I don’t write everyday, I wrote Bright City consistently and most substantively over a series of weekends (I had to make weekends work for me because I was working and going to school full-time.)
I listened almost exclusively to jazz while writing; the two Miles Davis albums (Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew) and Street Lady by Donald Byrd let me immerse myself in the world I was creating without getting too distracted by vocals. The only exception was D’Angelo’s Voodoo album. I don’t think I really think I got that album when it first came out 17 (!!!) years ago, but I really connected with it while writing Bright City.
As I prepare to dive into my second book, I wonder what my new writing soundtrack will be. Will I keep some of the same albums, or go in a completely different direction?
dc edwards 