Musical inspiration for your writing
Like many writers, I listen to music for inspiration. Most of the time, I don’t actually listen to music as I write — I’m too ADD to focus on the words at my fingertips and listen to Rimsky-Korsakov.
I do, however, listen to music while I plan my stories. When I’m in the midst of Debussy’s Petite Suite, I’m really in the midst of a bustling 19th century city. When Muse’s Origin of Symmetry is blasting from my speakers, I’m transported to some futuristic dystopia or a far-off galaxy.
I let the music play, and I imagine a novel’s scene playing out like some movie montage.
For example, from my WIP, The Spirit-Hunters, there’s a high-tension scene in which the heroine, Eleanor, is running full-speed for her life. She’s just made a major flub-up, and now a a vat of nitroglycerin is about to overheat and explode — taking a whole dynamite factory with it.
Eleanor has never run before, and her lungs burn as she slams one foot in front of the next. And when I try to imagine the damp grass and mud beneath her feet, the wooden slats on a fence as she whips past, or her desperate gasps for more air, I play this piece (composed by Ilan Eshkeri for the film Stardust):
And of course, each story has it’s own specific playlist.
Now, you tell me: what do you listen to for your artistic inspiration? I definitely rely on movie soundtracks for inspirational musical scores.
-S.
Playlist for The Spirit-Hunters:
- Alice’s Theme by Danny Elfman (Alice in Wonderland soundtrack)
- Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto (Beethoven)
- Petite Suite: 3. Menuet (Debussy)
- Drive Away by Thomas Newman (Lemony Snicket soundtrack)
- Dance of the Young Kurds (Khachaturian’s “Gayne” Ballet)
- The Dragon Book by John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack)
- Earthbenders by James Newton Howard (The Last Airbender soundtrack)
- Selbourne Wood by Adrian Johnston (Becoming Jane soundtrack)
- Dance of the Old Men and Carpet Weavers (Khachaturian’s “Gayne” Ballet)
July 13, 2010 @ 5:53 pm
I’m so not a “normal” writer in this respect. Very rarely can I write to music or even have music inspire words.
If it is one of those rare days, it’s Bach or Chopin that inspire me. I find my inspiration in people — watching them, and listening to snippets of conversation.
July 13, 2010 @ 6:20 pm
Interesting… I don’t know if you’re abnormal, per se, but I must admit I’m not the same! Although I don’t generally listen to music as I type, I definitely rely on it for inspiration! Other than watching people, do you ever take your inspiration from film or other books? I’m just curious… I certainly look to other novels for ideas.
July 14, 2010 @ 12:11 am
Well, I do get ideas for structure and prose from other novels. Emerald was inspired in a round-about way by Harry Potter. Film…sometimes. Avatar inspired the scene of initiation to Emerald. I guess I take inspiration from a mish-mash of places. Real life, movies, and novels. 🙂
It seems like every writer I know has a playlist for their novel, and takes inspiration from music. I’ve tried, it just doesn’t work for me.
July 14, 2010 @ 3:51 am
If I’m listening to music while I’m writing, it has to be something with which I’m deeply familiar, so that it can fade into the background. Otherwise I can’t filter out the words that are bubbling into my ears, and they bounce around inside my brain-pan and interfere with the words trickling out of my fingers.
Like you, I sometimes use music while I write to set a tone or mood for myself. One of my favorite musical discoveries of the past 10 years happened just as I was starting work on Bitter Seeds in late 2006. I stumbled across some music critic’s list of grossly underappreciated albums of that year. The list included “II” by Espers. I listened to a 30-second snippet of “Mansfield and Cyclops”, immediately bought the album on iTunes, and then sat in amazement as I realized, “Holy effing cow, this is my novel.”
Not literally, not in terms of the lyrics, but in terms of emotional tone it was so absolutely perfect. I’ve listened to a LOT of Espers over the past few years. I quickly discovered that in spite of their minuscule output they managed to put out songs with startling relevance to the entire trilogy I had stuck in my head. When I listen to certain Espers songs I hear the voices of certain characters, I hear their joy and sorrow, I hear the trials and tribulations they haven’t even experienced yet. “Rosemary Lane” is Liv’s song. “Children of Stone” is, well… somebody’s song.
Hell, Espers did a cover of a song called “Flaming Telepaths”. The lyrics are eerily perfect.
After a while I did get burned out on Espers (and their latest album doesn’t quite do it for me like the others). Along the way, I picked up a few other songs that relate to the books. Regina Spektor’s “Hero”, Abney Park’s “Downtrodden”, “The Root of All Evil”, and a few others…
Recently, I’ve been turning my thoughts to a brand-new writing project. The concept clicked for me after I decided to envision the novel as a bar, and asked myself, “Who is the house band? Who plays on that stage?” And suddenly I knew the tone of the novel, the look and feel of it.
–Okay, wow. I need to shut up now. Sorry.
July 14, 2010 @ 6:52 am
Espers? I’ve never even heard of ’em, but you can bet your (insert any slang word for “behind”) that I’m gonna go check them out. Now, in fact, since I’m addicted to your series and the final line of BITTER SEEDS is still singing in my brain.
Whose song is “Children of Stone”? No — don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out…or if I can’t, then perhaps I’m not far enough in the series yet…
July 14, 2010 @ 7:13 am
Ok, I’m back and have listened. Espers has a really haunting sound, huh? I love “Flowery Noontide”.
And, with regards to that last comment on imagining your book as a bar, all I can say is “Woah.” That’s the most unusual approach I’ve ever heard. And yet…the more I consider it… Hmmm, it’s actually clicking for me.
I’ve had this space opera bouncing around in my skull the last few days, but I can’t settle on anything. Yet, the more I think on it, the more this sci-fi bar is coming to life in my mind.
Wow. That’s cool.
July 14, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
I struggle to describe Espers to people. My best attempt (at least with regard to “II”) is “medieval psychedelia”.
The bar thing came about because I was trying to devise an effective means of conveying the difference between the new project and Milkweed. I anticipate listening to a lot of Portishead and Pink Martini in the coming year.
I love space opera! May your SFnal bar give rise to something wonderful.