Q: Do you use music for inspiration? If so what do you listen to?
A: Yes. Sometimes this is straightforward. If I’m trying to write something sad, I don’t choose upbeat music. If it’s difficult to write, then I avoid distractingly catchy lyrics. But I also find that if I’ve written productively while listening to something before, especially if more than once, that piece of music gets imbued with the moment, becomes a kind of talisman. So that if I want to write that way again, with that kind of focus, I have but to listen to it. As for what kind? You name it: opera, bluegrass, rock, gamelan, all kinds.
Katherine Perdue’s story “The Seer at Sunset Hills Shopping Plaza” was
published on Friday, 5 January 2018.
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