"...you must write it."

Traveling across Alligator Alley, listening to Sirius Radio's 60's on 6, we were happy when a special show came on playing the top 30 songs from September 8, 1963.  I thought, wow, this should be good.  Let's listen.

I was soon disappointed.

The first song they played was called "Martian Hop" by the Ran-Dells. Yes, I'm sure you've heard of them (ha ha.)  Jim and I were cracking up, but at the same time we recalled when space travel was all that and more. To place the time, this falls in between the March on Washington and the assassination of Kennedy. An important and weird time, as evidenced by the music.

One after another the songs came on, each one worse than the one before.  "Honolulu Hula" by Jan and Dean? Yes, as bad as it sounds.  After a while, we just kept switching it off and finding something more to our liking on another channel.

My main thought while listening to this so-called music: We really needed the Beatles when they showed up five months later. Man, how we needed them!

Sidebar: There actually were some better songs farther up the list -- we just never got to them since we arrived at our destination.  Some of the better known hits that week were by girl groups ("Be My Baby" and "Heat Wave") as well as folk artists ("If I Had a Hammer.")  And from what I learned a couple of years ago during my visit to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, Bob Dylan was writing "The Times They Are A-Changing" during this time period. My point is that no all the songs were as bad as "Martian Hop." Even as good as the Ronettes were, they weren't going to sustain the culture.

That evening we saw Paul Simon perform, and he told a little story about how disappointed he was in the late 1950's when the music turned terrible. He said that the mid-50's had such great music, and suddenly it all went away. This motivated him to take up guitar and start writing his own music. He also moved to England to further his musical exposure.

Jim and I were smiling, since we had a similar conversation just that afternoon. I thought of Don McLean singing about when the music died in the late 50's when Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Richie Valens went down in a plane. Did it motivate him to write and sing as well? Did several years of drought produce some of our greatest songs?  That is my conclusion to all of this information and reflection. The roots were already there, and many were able to tap into that depth and get a new direction going.

All of this brought to mind the Toni Morrison quote:

“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” 

As a writer, I am fortunate to find a lot of great things being written; people of all ages and races and nationalities are producing excellent works. Lately I have become more involved again in books produced for middle grades and young adult, and am finding not all of them are dystopian or fantastical -- there are a lot of great little stories about real people that are delightful and well-written. I feel like new channels are opening.

 I am also aware that I have had several starts on novels of my own, both adult and young adult, and every time I feel like I'm just rehashing that which has come before.  In fact, one idea I had that I could not get to work, has shown up in my book collection as a novel called "From You to Me" by  K.A. Holt.  Even though I am happy with what I'm reading, I'm still asking the question:

What hasn't been written yet that I must write?

It's a question to live with. I believe the roots are already present. I will continue to experiment and take notes. 

One thing I know for sure: what is to be, will be. When and if I'm meant to write it, the right idea will be there. I will produce something timely and relevant.

But, caution is needed. After all, at one time someone thought this was a good idea: