The Power of The Playlist
How Music Can Influence The Writing Process
Power of the Playlist
How Music Can Influence The Writing Process
HAPPY NEW MONTH, my Acolytes! I am the mighty Master Voluminous. Teacher, commentator and most importantly⎯⎯to you⎯⎯storyteller, and I cannot function without headphones.
A bit of hyperbole on my part, but I need you to understand how serious I am. To be able to go about my day, I must indulge in my daily dose of harmonic noise. It invigorates me, calms me, aids in my focus and more than that, it inspires me.
Motivation
Would you believe me if I told you that the very existence of Mortiferous Arcadia and many of the stories and characters that reside in this universe (existing and upcoming 👀) all stemmed from a song by American indie rock band, American Authors?
That's right, I'm talking about their debut single from 2013, Believer:
If you've read either of the Vatour books, Itara, Phinki or Hunting the Virago, you might find it hard to believe that such an upbeat, optimistic song could greatly influence me, but it's true. At 14, I heard this song on the radio and it stuck with me. That was the same year that I was struck with the overwhelming urge to create character after character and this song helped visualise these characters living, moving and interacting with the underdeveloped world at the time. Basically, it's an AMV, that I hope to one day bring to life.
Inspiration
Action
Building on the previous section, when you finally get to the imagination stage of the writing process, music can aid in the development of scenes. I'm sure you've seen the meme, the popular paraphrasing of Kung Fu Panda villain, Tai Lung's iconic, "Finally a worthy opponent..." declaration 👇
This is me on a daily basis, I consider myself a generalist when it comes to my taste in music, but I tend to lean more towards rock and metal, which often Disturbed my contemporaries. See what I did there?
The heavy metal band was introduced to me when I got a PSP in 2013, with Need for Speed: Most Wanted being one of the first games I played. Their song Decadence was. They have a lot of bangers, but one of my favourites is Fear for its intensity and pace (also because it was on the soundtrack of a Dragon Ball Z movie):
Heavy metal, especially the fast-paced variety is great for allowing you to truly feel the necessary intensity when imagining a battle between two (or more) opposing forces, especially if you favour close-quarter/hand-to-hand combat in your stories like I do.
If you are into large-scale warfare, I’d recommend something more orchestral to get you into the mindset that the stakes are higher than they have ever been.
VICTORY OR DEATH!
*Clears throat* For the neophytes, I would recommend the works of Thomas Bergersen and Nick Phoenix of Two Steps From Hell:
Emotion
Sometimes you want to get into the mood for an emotional scene of the less violent variety. I’ve already given you the upbeat and motivational example from American Authors, that being Believer, but here’s another example that’s great for montages of fun and camaraderie (ChatGPT almost ruined this word for me).
That being arguably their most well-known song, Best Day of My Life:
But what about something a bit more downtempo? Perhaps even sad or sombre? Well, why not have a listen to a song that speaks to the strength of love and romance in dark times (i.e. Depression)?
I am referring to the 1998 hit by British singer and songwriter, Dido. The one that was sampled by the Rap God himself, Eminem himself in his song, Stan:
Thank You, in particular, is a song I owe for many elements that will eventually find themselves in my Virago series and the upcoming release, Sanguijuela. (Stay tuned for more 😉) It was introduced to me in 2014 by my parents among 50 Great Songs and overwhelmed my imagination.
Understand, however, that these are all examples from my own personal collection. There’s no correct way to be inspired, but there are many gateways and I have the keys to a mere handful of that I am more than happy to share with you.
Tell me, which songs have inspired your writing? How far have they taken you?
How far will they take you?
Good luck on your writing journey.
Until next time, my Acolytes.