The Words and the Beat

"It took so long to get me back on my feet/ It takes so long to find the words and the beat." - "Stay Lucky" by The Gaslight Anthem

Brian Fallon and the guys of The Gaslight Anthem are musical geniuses. They have a way of putting poetry to music that stops me cold, makes me think, and impresses me so much, which is not an easy thing to do. With their songs like "Here's Looking at You Kid", "I Could'a Been a Contender", "Film Noir", "Stay Lucky", and so many more, they join the untouchable ranks of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty in music and storytelling, at least in my opinion.

The song I am using today has been my own personal anthem while writing the last half of my latest Willow Ryan novel, so it makes sense to use it as my song of the day since I am now on the final chapter. Yes, I am finishing the book! After six long months, about twice as long as it typically takes me to complete the first draft of a novel, I will type the final words this week. I haven't had as much time as I would have liked to write this year, so it took me a while to find the words and the beat at times. The important thing is that I kept going though.

When the words didn't read right, when the beat and the tone seemed a little off, I didn't give up or get discouraged, I just hit delete and tried again. I think that may be the key to succeeding in this business. For every rejection letter I get, for every negative thought I have about the odds stacked against me, I have to hit backspace and try again until I get it right. And I will. Maybe someday everybody will call me lucky, just like in the song, my anthem until further notice.