A lot of writers create “soundtracks” for their stories, or they at least have specific artists that they feel encourages the creative energy. I’m not any different. I create playlists to listen to while I’m writing, which often help me reestablish the mood of the story. The music not only brings back the emotions I’m attempting to establish, but it helps bring the plot once more to the forefront of my mind.
Once I’m finished with the manuscript, I like to narrow down the songs to the ones I feel were either the most influential or the most indicative of the story, which I then save as soundtracks. It’s a fun little side hobby and a great procrastination tool.
So what kind of music pops up on my soundtracks? A surprisingly wide variety, though many of the same artists pop up over and over again. One song I use a lot is Breaking Benjamin’s “Forget It” from their We are Not Alone album. So far I’ve put it on four or five playlists, which I don’t normally like to do as I try to make each playlist unique.
One of the manuscripts I’m currently working on is the second of a trilogy. The first soundtrack I created had a song called “The Last Song” by Theory of a Deadman. While the majority of the music on that playlist is most definitely not alternative or hard rock, “The Last Song” just fit the story. Since then, I’ve worked on the playlists for the next two manuscripts, and for both I’ve managed to find a Theory of the Deadman song that blends beautifully with not only the story itself, but with the rest of the music on each soundtrack. I’ve done the same thing with songs by Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt, and a few other artists, and by doing this I hope to create a common thread that connects all three books. It doesn’t do most people much good, but at least I’ll get a smile from it.
