Greetings, Citizens!From very early on in my writing process, I connected images in my writing to music. This isn’t a new concept; many writers rely on music as inspiration. As a teacher, I believe audio and visual are both very important when it comes to the world of English/Language Arts. If I become particularly attached to a book, I tend to create a soundtrack to go along with it. Diving into a book with an appropriate soundtrack makes the fictional world come alive and allows for a fuller experience. It also allows me to make my own connections to the text through lyrical and instrumental thought. This leads to a deepened personal understanding and relationship with the text.I thought it would be fun to share several playlists that I made while working on Before a Million Universes.The first is Gabriel’s Lament. Without going into too much detail and spoiling everything, it tracks Gabriel’s journey from the moment his story begins and follows him until the very end.Fun fact #1: “Aubrey” by Bread is where Aubrey got her name.Fun fact #2: “The Angel” by Alexandre Desplat was the inspiration for Gabriel’s very first scene in the book.The second is Aubrey’s Playlist for Gabriel. Aubrey was an incredibly fun character to write. She’s young and free-spirited and it shows in this playlist. Her obsession with music through time means she has a wide variety of tastes. The songs in this playlist are examples she would have shown Gabriel during their time together.Fun fact #3: “The Times They are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan is the song Aubrey sang and later cried to in one of the book’s middle scenes.The third is Maxwell’s Survival Playlist. This is basically a conglomeration of every dystopic/apocalyptic song that I listened to as I wrote. It’s got a few surprises sprinkled in.Fun fact #4: I listened to “Graveyard” by Heist on repeat while writing Part V.Fun fact #5: When I initially woke from the nightmare that started it all, Lorde’s cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was playing in my headphones and probably had a lot to do with setting the overall tone of the novel.That’s all for now!All the best,TeganMaxwell's Survival Playlist: http://8tracks.com/twrshelton91/maxwe... Lament: http://8tracks.com/twrshelton91/gabri... Playlist for Gabriel: http://8tracks.com/twrshelton91/aubre...