Writing with a baby is interesting. Somewhere between poisoning characters and making villains semi-sorta pay I’m teaching the baby how to take a bottle and washing diapers. (One would think sucking would be a skill one is born with.) Typing is a new experience. If I sit close enough to the desk I can type with both hands while holding a baby. I can manage with one hand while she eats, but I’ve gotta remind someone to “suck.”
Most intriguing is the baby’s reaction to music. Music plays a big part in my characters’ lives. I’ll write a scene knowing there will be music. Whether that music is coming from speakers or being played by a character is usually another question. (I tend to give my main characters musical abilities. I guess that’s what happens when you write music for competitions in elementary school. You think everyone should play/read/write music.) When I’m done with the scene I go back and insert the musical piece. Normally there are a few songs I think will fit. I listen to each song while I read the scene. The song that actually fits gets put into the scene.
Currently, the scenes I’m placing music in are all “classical” scenes. The three scenes are ones where two of my primary characters are playing their instruments. Alexandria Houston, my main character, plays the violin in the stories. That means the speakers of my trusty ol’ laptop are blasting violin pieces. The baby has “voiced” her preference once or twice. She really likes the pop or hip-hop violin pieces. The girl can jam to them while I’m typing away. I think it has something to do with the faster beats. One of my favorite violinists (Josh Vietti) does a great job modernizing classical pieces. The baby is in love with those pieces, like Fur Elise.
Not only does listening to the violin pieces help my writing, they supposedly are good for the baby’s development. I like the two-for-one nature of something helping my writing and helping the baby. Less to feel bad about in the long run. For now, I’ll finish deciding what song fits in the scene somewhere between feeding, changing diapers, and everything else the baby needs.
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