Ever put music to you story?

amlptj · Oct 29, 2009

My friend yesterday was making fun of me when i was i said this song would go perfectly to my book.

I seem to really only like most songs when they can fit to my stories. Like some songs just go perfectly with a certian scene. Like the song "Image of the Invisable" by Thrice I made my books theme song.

Does anyone else do that? Or just me?

KarlaErikaCal · Oct 29, 2009

I have a whole playlist of 15 songs on my blog. And I have more playlists for different WIPs/SNIs on my Zune.

I'm pretty much obsessed with doing this actually haha

amlptj · Oct 29, 2009

Yay i was worried i was the only one... i'm listening to my playlist for my WIP right now hehehe

Kelsey · Oct 30, 2009

I sometimes find that a perfect song can evoke the emotion that will make a good scene great. Right now that I am finding songs by Scene of Action to be doing just that for me.

inkspatters · Oct 30, 2009

A lot of my stories are inspired by music (mostly classical pieces) and all of my novels definitely have playlists (mostly rock songs, lol). A lot of songs are just *perfect* for scenes or chapters in my novels. So no, you're not weird.

And my friends have made fun of me for saying songs go with my novel, too

motormind · Oct 30, 2009

I make my own music to my stories.

Zoombie · Oct 30, 2009

RBF, RBF, and more RBF.

Intro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujt-PRWmjnE

Trailer music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfHElSQEvag

Credit Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9R3RCpMBlA

KimJo · Oct 30, 2009

I don't often assign music to stories, but there's one song, a Christian rock song, that so perfectly fits the situation of my main character in my upcoming YA series. The first time I heard the song was while I was working on the first draft of the first or second book in the series (can't recall which), and I immediately thought, "Oh, gosh, that's Shanna!" Now I think of it as "Shanna's song".

If my dream ever came true of having a movie made of the books, I would so ask if this song could be used as the theme.

Sage · Oct 30, 2009

I make a soundtrack to all of my novels.

There's a soundtrack thread around here that lists a lot of people's soundtracks.

Sage · Oct 30, 2009

Here you go. If you would like to share: http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141054

hmg · Oct 30, 2009

I definitely make playlists to go along with my WIPs. They kind of tell the story on a musical level.

Sometimes a particular type of music or band will also be very inspiring to the piece I'm writing so I'll play that a lot. For my current novel I basically have The Replacements "Let It Be" on constant repeat because I find the whole album really encapsulates one of my MC's.

coryleslie · Oct 30, 2009

I have a soundtrack for my book. I love the way lyrics can spark something in your writing. This Grace Potter and the Nocturnals song "Falling or Flying" has these lyrics:

"The air's so heavy
It could drown a butterfly
If it flew too high
And i get the feeling
That the truck driver ain't shy
Cause he's looking at me but nowhere near my eyes"

I couldn't get it out of my head. When I was writing an evil character that picture was in my head.

Tuuli · Oct 31, 2009

I don't do the playlist thing, but I do use lyrics from a song by Aerosmith which trigger a flashback for my mc. Of course if the book is ever published, I'd have to get permission to print them, but I'll worry about that later.

jasonleeward · Nov 1, 2009

Music Playlist on my Website

I created a playlist link on my website that features a soundtrack that flows with the rhythm of my novel. Music by Skillet, Paramore, Superchick, Everyday Sunday (Let's Go Back) and many more. I also created a second list of Character Requested songs. This adds another layer of realism to my characters and explores the kind of music they would either listen to or request for someone else. I even have Taylor Swift songs on this list, that one of the charcters wanted to hear. Check out my playlist and let me know what you think. There are plenty of upbeat and inspirational songs!

cptwentworth · Nov 1, 2009

I need to listen to music while writing. But I can't listen to much anything with vocals. I get very distracted and can't hear the voices in my own head that want to get on paper.

amlptj · Nov 1, 2009

cptwentworth said:
I need to listen to music while writing. But I can't listen to much anything with vocals. I get very distracted and can't hear the voices in my own head that want to get on paper.

wow i'm usually the oppisite. I listen to a lot of rock songs and the words help me in a way... dont know how but they do.

I'm glad i'm not the only one that does this!

MisterChris · Nov 6, 2009

In the last series I wrote, I wrote a song for each book. Unfortunately, that delayed me for a couple days while I wrote the lyrics, set it to music, recorded it, etc.

The first is a lullaby I sang to my littlest.
It fits into the plot when the mom is reunited with the MC, and he wakes up while she's singing it to him, with his head in her lap.

The second book, actually, doesn't have one. My kids have GRIPED me incessantly about that.

The third, is an anthem that is crucial to the plot of the story of book 3. It began as a series of 10 notes.

I couldn't let it stop with that, so I wrote a two-verse & chorus where the chorus is the ten notes.

My kids griped me again, because the recording I did of the Dragon's Anthem is guitar and voice, rather than Trumpets and Roaring.

Go figure. Maybe i should say that a bard present when the Dragons sang the song translated it...

Got the idea to add song lyrics (and create songs to them) from Tolkein, of course. Wish he'd had his 'The Road Goes Ever Onward' and other songs recorded and published. Wonder how many people have made up their own tunes to those songs?

Tuuli · Nov 6, 2009

I hear all the time about writers having a playlist. What exactly is it? Is it a list of music that inspired the story; or something you like to listen to while writing (I can't do that because I get distracted easily); or is it an OGM, that's so my character/story? I'm just curious.

Sage · Nov 6, 2009

Everyone does it differently. I happen to create a soundtrack that follows the novel chronologically, plus an opening and closing song.

amlptj · Nov 6, 2009

I'm kind of a combination of all the types you mentions. I kind of picture my books like movies playing in my head so songs in the playlist kind of go along with a certian scene in my head, and some of my characters just have there own songs because well... the song fits them perfectly. And the music in general helps get me in the mood to write.

BriMaresh · Nov 6, 2009

The different kinds of music I listen to really do change the way I write. I always have to remember to swap from Jurassic Park theme when I'm going into an action sequence, to avoid a mellow battle.

I'm glad I'm not the only writer reliant on music.

amlptj · Nov 6, 2009

Awesome you got the juarassic park theme! I love that theme!!! hehehe i have X-Files, Buffy and Angle theme songs.

Kitty27 · Nov 6, 2009

Yippeee!

I thought I was alone. I have a soundtrack for each WIP.

Ever put music to you story?

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