I
blame it on my mom. Yep, my dear sweet mother turned me into a sap early in my
life.
I
never had a chance.
Once
upon a time, television hosted maybe 5 or 6 channels during viewing hours –
unlike today where we have hundreds of channels to choose from, 24/7, and if
that’s not good enough, there’s a host of online providers to meet whatever
movie desire you might have, not to mention all the complete series of our
favorite programs. . .
You
get the picture : )
Since
my mom worked weekdays, she never had a chance to develop a fondness for soap
operas or game show. Instead, on the weekends, she’d play records of her
favorite singers. Sinatra, Crosby, and so many more. My
didn’t-have-a-romantic-bone-in-her-body mother played records that cranked out
love ballads all weekend long.
I
was doomed from the start. These love songs left some serious grooves in my
gray matter. Fifty years later, I can still belt out lyrics to songs long
forgotten, while modern day tunes gets twisted and blurred together with
multiple artists and songs.
Whew.
My mind can be a scary place!
So
what’s the point of all this, you ask?
Melody
and tunes catch your attention; lyrics capture
your heart.
There
are times when I’ll sit in front of the computer…that’s it, just sit. I can’t for
the life of me figure out the next move for my character. So I’ll get up and
pace around, maybe do some laundry, drive to the store -- and it isn’t until I hear a chord or
measure in an unrelated song, that my mind opens up and begin to hum a tune
from years back. The words come back with a rush and there I am again, sitting
next to my dad on the couch while he tried to watch a hockey game over caterwallin’
of my mom’s record player.
Sometimes
I wonder how we survived those formative years, LOL!
Bear
with me while I stroll down memory lane and offer examples of lyrics in action.
As my Seeker buds can attest, I have very little character-conflict-generation in my soul. In my initial drafts, I
jump over conflict for my characters like a pole-vaulter clearing a winning
height. If left to my own resources, I’d be writing books that introduced my
characters on page one and pronounced them man and wife on page ten, LOL! I desperately
need help in the GMC aspect of plotting and I’ve finally found a way to put all
those hours of humming and singing to good use.
Here
are the partial lyrics to a song I remember hearing when we’d go visit my aunt
and uncle. This song stuck in my mind because the Royal Guardsmen sang some
goofy songs, yet this ballad had heart and soul:
You say, you’ll
always be proud of me
Well, I’m gonna see
that you do, baby.
I’ll be somebody
something,
If you wait, babe I
promise you, yeah.
I’ve got my pride,
Every kid’s gotta
hold his head up high
Nothing like you and
me
Victims of, poverty.
No, baby let’s wait
No, baby let’s wait
We’ve got time.
Baby
Let’s Wait, --The Royal
Guardsmen
If
you want to check out the tune and the rest of the song, I’ve included a link
to the YouTube video.
This
song established the GMC for Zac Davidson, the hero in my current book, SecondChance Ranch. He’s the youngest of the three boys and kind of a wild child. No
one took him seriously, except Jennifer O’Reilly, his best friend and love.
They were inseparable in high school and young love wanted to grow, but Zac
couldn’t afford to stay in Hawk Ridge. He had to go out and prove to his family
that he was worthy of his share of the Circle D. He knew if he stayed in Hawk
Ridge, he wouldn’t amount to anything beyond what his family and the town
thought of him. He loved Jennifer, but had to leave to prove himself.
My
mother ADORED Engelbert Humperdink. OMG!! Had every album the man ever
recorded. He sang a lot of ballads, but this song had kind of a zippy-er beat.
Zippy, yet relevant to the male-female relationship:
If I had a chance to
see
To put myself inside
your shoes
Could I stand by and
watch me crawl
Or would I try to
give my all
If you were me, and I
were you
If
I Were You, --Engelbert
Humperdink
In
Second Chance Ranch, Jennifer O’Reilly had a difficult decision to make when
she found out she was pregnant. Having earned a full-ride scholarship to nursing
school and out on her own for the first time, Jennifer had a lot of
responsibility riding on her shoulders. When she turns to Zac for support and
decides she isn’t going to get any from him, she carries that stake through her
heart for years. It isn’t until Zac moves back to Hawk Ridge that she begins to
realize what he had gone through all those years ago. She begins to put herself inside his shoes and
discover there are always two sides of a story.
For
these lyrics, I really can’t put the blame on my mom. She didn’t like the
Beatles when they burst onto the scene, but she had laid the groundwork for my penchant
for romance and there was nothing more romantic than the early years of the
Beatles:
There
were bells on a hill
But
I never heard them ringing
No
I never heard them at all
Till
there was you.
Till
There Was You, --The Beatles
In
Rough Road Home, the third book in the Circle D series, oldest brother, Nick
Davidson, continues to punish himself over his wife’s accidental death. Woulda,
coulda, shoulda is the theme of his life. He sees nothing of the beauty or love
in the world -- he doesn’t think he deserves it. Instead, he tours the country
on the back of a bull, going from rodeo to rodeo trying to run away from
himself. It isn’t until Rachel Hill pops into his life that he finally learns
to let go and live.
So,
there you have it. The Audra Harders’ method of piecing together GMC. What do
you think? Do song lyrics influence how you see the world? Can you identify
with anything I just babbled about? Share how music and lyrics influence your
work and maybe share a theme song for
your current WIP. Speedbo is only half-way through. There’s still time to get
lost in a song and give your characters a whole new outlook on life.
Leave
a comment and you’ll be entered in a drawing for an MP3 download or audio CD of
your favorite music-to-work-by album by your favorite artist – or collection of
artists – not to exceed $12.00. I hope you find the words to the song just as
inspiring as the music!! Winner will be announced in the WE.
AND NEWS! I’m thrilled to
announce my first independently published book, Second Chance Ranch. Second
Chance Ranch is the second book of the Circle D series set in Hawk
Ridge, Colorado. I consider Gabe and Melanie’s story in Rocky Mountain Hero
(Love Inspired Books) the first book introducing the Davidson family. The
Circle D Ranch lives on in my heart, and I hope yours as well. Enjoy Zac and
Jennifer’s story!
To
celebrate, I’m giving away 5 Kindle copies of Second Chance Ranch. Leave a
comment and have your name tossed in the cowboy hat! Come back this weekend and peek in the WE to see if you've won!!
The Trails’ End Ranch is
For Sale
Pediatric oncology nurse, Jennifer O’Reilly
returns home to Hawk Ridge, Colorado to establish a mountain recreation camp as
a safe adventure for children battling cancer. Her path to ownership depends on
developing a profitable business plan to convince the bank she can manage not
only the camping facility, but the entire Trails’ End Ranch operation.
Generations earlier, one misplayed hand of
poker lost part of the family ranch, and Zac Davidson, youngest son and
financial genius of the Circle D, wants it back. Intrigued since childhood by
the legend of his great grandfather, Zac is the only family member who holds
out hope that one day the ranch would become Davidson property again. When the
ranch goes on the market, money is no object, only Jennifer O’Reilly stands
between him and his dream.
High school sweethearts, Jennifer and Zac have wounded each
other, and the scars run deep. Jennifer is forced to reveal a secret she’s
protected for twelve years. Will past
mistakes jeopardize the future of both of their dreams or give them a second
chance?
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