The Other Road: Musical Inspiration

The Other Road: A perfect note

Once I had the general plot for "The Other Road" created, I needed to begin the process of building and expounding on the storyline itself. I had the beginning, some middle and the ending roughly settled in my mind, but the details, around showing the reader what was in my head, needed to be captured in words. Like building a house, I knew where I wanted it and what I wanted the finished home to look like, I just needed inspiration to lay out all the intricate details.

I then did something that I hadn't read anywhere, nor had I heard it from any successful author. I decided to look for any music or musician who would inspire this particular story. I started by searching for keywords like love, strangers, road trip and even 'The Other Road'.

What I discovered was an artist whom I wasn't familiar with by name, but his songwriting should have been. His name is David Hodges. He is an American songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. He was a studio contributor to the rock band Evanescence from 2000 to 2002, and has co-written and co-produced for pop, pop rock and country artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Daughtry, Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne, David Archuleta, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Jessie James, 5 Seconds of Summer, Christina Perri, and Tim McGraw. Wow, right?

Mr. Hodges song, 'The Other Road' from his album titled "December Sessions Volume 4" immediately came back on my search and I began to listen to it, along with the rest of his music that is out there. I realized that his music, fueled something inside of me, a creativity specific to this storyline. I am now employing this same strategy to identify and listen to music which fits and inspires me on the specific story I am working on. It is now essential to my writing journey.

I recommend you follow David on Instagram @hodgesmusic or on Twitter/X @hodgesmusic

If you want to get a peek inside what my book, "The Other Road" feels like, then I recommend listening to the following songs by David Hodges:

The Other Road (David Hodges, December Sessions Volume 4)

Come With Me (David Hodges, December Sessions Volume 4)

Lovers In Orbit (David Hodges, December Sessions Volume 4)

Distant Lullaby (David Hodges, December Sessions Volume 4)

A Song for Us (David Hodges, December Sessions Volume 1)

EXTRA INSIGHT:

If you want to listen to few songs that are currently inspiring my ongoing projects, check out these below on YouTube:

Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground (Raul Malo, You're Only Lonely)

At Last (Eta James, At Last!)

The Way You Look Tonight (Tony Bennett with Faith Hill, Duets II)

The Trouble With Wanting (Joy Williams, Front Porch)

Pretty Bird (Crooked Still, Friends of Fall)

Ain't No Grave (Crooked Still, Shaken by A Low Sound)

Wading Deep Waters (Crooked Still, Still Crooked)