Sunday 16 November 2008

Musical Inspiration

Hi readers, I thought I'd spend a few minutes talking about musical inspiration when it comes to writing. As I write this, I'm listening to 'One' by Metallica (which ironically was inspired by a movie). When I'm writing essays for uni, I have to have some music on. It's impossible to work in silence. The same applies to my writing. My routine is - get laptop out, stick some music on, write.

Generally, I listen to soundtracks, namely the Firefly - Greg Edmonson, Buffy - Christophe Beck or Angel - Robert Kral. I also like to listen to Immediate Music - they do loads of stuff for film trailers etc (I was introduced to them by my friend James - thanks!). I think soundtracks are a great source of inspiration when writing because they fit perfectly the scene they were written for. I sometimes even stick a track on repeat for the scene I'm writing. For example, If I'm writing a piece of action or epic battle, you can't go wrong with 'Epicon' by Immediate Music, or 'Final Fight' by Christophe Beck.
Similarly, for a soppy, sad scene, I'll put on 'Hero' (Kral), 'Slayer's Elegy' or 'Remembering Jenny' (Beck). And not forgetting 'The Funeral' (Edmonson).

If I'm writing no particular scene in general, I might put a few tracks on that fit the theme of my work. If my screenplay is about a poor old, unloved soul, then what better musical inspiration that any of the 'Unforgiven' songs by Metallica'?
So, what does everyone think? Am I the only person who listens to music while I write? What does everyone else listen to?
Shiny times,
Neil.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love listening to music when I write. You can never go wrong with Explosions in the Sky (aka Friday Night Lights music). Also, depending on what I'm writing, I've made various playlists of songs I think go with the mood/tone.

Neil said...

Right there with you! Explosions in the Sky eh? have to put looking that up on the to-do list! I'm currently compiling a playlist myself - one of my most valuable tools!