I’ve heard the term “facing the music” for years and never gave it much thought. My research revealed that it means “To accept the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions.” The phrase has been used by writers to the point where it’s become a cliché. Irving Berlin even wrote a popular song called “Let’s Face the Music and Dance.” Why he thought dancing was the best way to atone for your sins is a mystery to me, but Fred Astaire choreographed it beautifully in a movie.

It is thought to have originated in mid-19th century America, and came from the tradition of a soldier being “drummed out” of their regiment. Another popular theory refers to actors taking the stage facing the orchestra pit (i.e. facing the music). Still another theory claims roots in British culture, where common peasants had to sit in the west end of a church, facing the higher status folks in the east wing when singing hymns.

I have long been influenced by music in all phases of life. I studied it in college, taught it for a few years, and even had a brief professional fling as a jazz trumpet player and singer. When I hear a particular song, it often brings back a memory. Some are good, some not so pleasant, but they comprise the soundtrack to my life.

When I hear Sinatra lament “I’m a Fool to Want You,” I find myself remembering someone from the past. Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” will forever be associated with a sensuous turn on the dance floor many years ago. I’ve never been one who laid claim to a melody and claimed it as “our song,” but I used to joke that Marvin Hamlisch had me in mind when he wrote the James Bond tune “Nobody Does it Better.”

I’ve brought this love of music into my writing by working it into a scene to enhance the atmosphere. You will often read references to some of the piano jazz masters in the Nick Seven series, and the reason is simple. I like that kind of music, therefore my leading character does, too. I’ve dropped in little bits like “Nick scrolled through pages on the computer while the soothing sounds of Oscar Peterson’s piano jazz played in the background.” In my mystery “The Other Woman,” the action takes place around Christmas, so naturally I had to include holiday music to set the mood.

I actually did use the song-as-a-memory thing in one of the Nick Seven spy thrillers. He requests a certain song to be played by the jazz trio at his club, and when Felicia asks him why he chose it, he reminds her that it was being played the first time they went on a date several years earlier. It forged a prominent place in his memory, and was forever associated with that special night. Yes, I know that’s straight out of “Casablanca,” but at least he didn’t request “As Time Goes By.”

I’ve also used my knowledge of the music business as fictional fodder. One of my recent thrillers, “The Neon Jungle,” tackles the dark underside of the entertainment industry in Miami. The person Nick Seven is helping is a popular local musician trying to get out from under the control of a supposedly legit music mogul who is using his business as a cover for criminal activity. Do these things actually happen? Maybe, maybe not. Is any of it based on my personal observations and experiences? I’ll rely on the disclaimer at the front of the book.

This story gave me the chance to include song references within the plot, and some of them were used to enhance the action. A character longing for the gal that got away? I trotted out the ballad “Here’s That Rainy Day” to emphasize what he was feeling. When it was time for the happy-for-now ending, “Never Gonna Let You Go” is featured. When I was writing the action sequences, I loaded the stereo with CDs by Buddy Rich and Henry Mancini to help me set the mood and pace. If only I could transfer those tracks to the book.

Times and tastes change with each generation. There’s a scene in the comedy “10,” where Dudley Moore played a successful middle-aged songwriter lusting after a much younger Bo Derek. At one point, he’s lamenting to a bartender about changing musical tastes. He says “One day, a couple will be listening to a band and the woman will say ‘Honey, they’re playing our song!’ And the band will be playing ‘Why Don’t We Do It in the Road’.”

We’ll always have Bogart, Bergman and Paris.

 By Ashley Lister

 They say that those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Although this is one of those trite truisms that are usually thrown at us by a disgruntled boss after we’ve committed a major workplace SNAFU, I have to agree that there is some weight to this claim.

I’m a great advocate of planning. I spend an hour at the gym each morning, listening to an audiobook that I’d selected the previous evening. Once I’m back at home I grab a shower, feed the dogs, and then try to get a thousand words down on the latest WIP.

I came across a great planning tip the other week from an author who types notes into a blank Word document and uses those notes as chapter outlines to guide where his novel is going to go. I’ve been writing for decades and never come across such a good idea before. Usually I have notepads on my desk and sticky-notes covering every surface. This method means I simply sit in front of the PC, open the WIP document, and I can tell what needs to be written.

A couple of hours of writing usually allows me to hit my target and maybe get a little ahead of myself.

That means I can then take the dogs for a walk (ideally on the cliffs by the seaside) before returning to the office to work on other things. If I’m not working on the 9-5, I’ll spend some time looking at my social media presence. I try to maintain a presence on FaceBook and Twitter, dipping my toes occasionally into the waters of Instagram when I’m feeling young and trendy. The young and trendy feelings aren’t as predominant as they once were. I made the mistake of visiting TikTok recently and that made me realise I’m a veritable dinosaur.

The social media planning all ties in with product branding and is scheduled to reach my audience at optimum times throughout the week. This isn’t about selling my books to an audience. This is all about engaging with readers on a social level.

I’ve got index cards on my desk that remind me what sort of social media engagement I’m using on different days of the week. At the moment I try to keep closed questions to Monday and Thursday (Tea or Coffee? Beer or Wine?) Tuesdays and Fridays are there for open questions (Best novel ever? Favourite James Bond?). Note that these questions don’t particularly relate to my genre. And not all of the questions will relate to every reader. But the social media engagement is allowing me an opportunity to chat with people who read my books and develop a strong relationship with my readers as we discuss things other than the fiction I’ve created.

Later in the afternoon I’ll find time to organise blog content which, again, is to be scheduled for consumption throughout the week. As before, the important thing here is to keep the image branded so that everything conveys a uniform feel of cohesion. At the moment, because I’m writing in a horror genre that deals with blood and ghosts, I’m trying to keep images colour-coded to a gradient between blue and red.

On an evening I might look at promotional materials or marketing strategies. Building media kits is never an easy task. Recording audiobooks can take time. And reaching out to reviewers and different markets involves research and specialist knowledge that costs a substantial investment of time and effort. However, it’s all allowing me to create the stories I want to write, for an audience who appreciate what I’m creating.

Does this mean I’m living the authorly life of my dreams? Of course not. Does this mean I’m trying to humble brag about all the great things I’m doing and achieving. Not really: we all use different scales to measure success. I’m just trying to point out that a handful of organisational strategies have helped me to forge some semblance of order from the chaos that is a writer’s life. If there’s anything you use to help focus your creativity, I’d love to hear about it in the comments box below.