What I'm Listening to as I Write My New Novel

One of the strangest things I've heard of late is that fans of writers like to know what the author was listening to as he or she wrote particular books. Some authors, I hear, even produce lists of musical pieces that should accompany their novels - the sound track of the book, no less!

Anyhoo, I think I have the whole thing automated now and would like to pass on this info to any author planning their own sound track.

As a secret songwriter (secret as in nobody knows I exist) I belong to a number of 'band sites' where I can post my music and listen to other people's postings. These sites have many interesting features - they manage track sales, they provide social networking facilities, they run charts by genre, etc., etc.. One of them, Last.fm, provides a piece of software that will monitor what a subscriber is playing at home on their computer and compile their own personal chart by day, week, or overall. I have this software installed (it's called Scrobbler for some reason) and you can all go to my Last.fm member page to see what I typically listen to.

Since this data can be put into a widget and embedded in my blog page, I could easily let you know what I'm listening to right now (it's Blondie's '11:59' -- I love Parallel Lines.) Of course, I won't because this whole blogging thing is narcissistic enough already. Believing anyone wants to know what music you listen to in the privacy of your own office takes vanity to whole new heights. But, for those whose fans are clamouring for it, I suggest you do it the easy way and get Scrobbler.