Want You Bad

I’m rocking out to the Offspring this morning. My theme song for two current projects is “Want You Bad”. “Behind the Wall of Sleep” by the Smithereens is the musical trigger for another. I could only find the unplugged version on mp3, which is unfortunate, but I hear the electric version in my head just fine when it plays. (Side note: I love that companies are finally getting smart and selling mp3s for individual download. Why make people buy the whole CD if they only want to buy 1 or 2 songs?)

I don’t know why, but I don’t think I’ve ever written anything that didn’t have a theme song I listen to to get into writing mode. I can’t listen while I write, it’s too distracting, but the right song sets the stage every time. I’m not the only writer who does this, but I wonder how common it is. The creative process fascinates me, I’m always wondering how productive creative people do what they do.

A lot of it is simply the right frame of mind, bravery with no holds barred. Rollo May wrote a good book about this called “The Courage to Create”. I call it driving with no brakes.

I wasn’t feeling very brave yesterday, but I found the Offspring, I lowered my sights, I remembered it was only a book, and suddenly the missing pieces snapped into place and just like that, the thing is alive. I love that moment when lightning strikes and the creature stands up and walks. Good stories write themselves, I just get out of the way.

*sings along* “Your one vice is you’re too nice…I want you to be bad, bad, bad, bad, bad…”