Goodreads asked John Crye:

How do you get inspired to write?

John Crye Music has always inspired me. The right song can open a channel from my heart to my typing hands more readily than anything else in the world. I typically listen to music without lyrics when I write because - being a lover of language - the words will immediately distract me. Soundtracks are preferred, with the orchestral scores for "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" and "The Mission" being favorites, as well as David Byrne's album, "The Forest."

Music inspires me even when I am not actively writing, and certain songs become a kind of "imaginary soundtrack" that plays under my thoughts as I daydream story elements. When a story is complete, I often compile that list of songs to listen to as an album. Here, for instance, is the imaginary soundtrack for "The Elect Stories":

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...

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