A Song For Your Character

Susan Lanigan · Jan 25, 2008

Well as I said in my other thread I've belatedly decided it's time for an outline before my characters end up in a bickering, formless mess outside some pub somewhere.

So I've started by summing up the characters and I felt it get a bit sluggish - but then with one particular character the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" popped into my head. So I've divided them up as follows:

Main Male Protagonist: Queen - I Want To Break Free, The Show Must Go On
Female Protagonist 1 (appears later in the book): Happiness is a Warm Gun, She's Like A Rainbow

Christ, it's harder to think of songs for villains

Does anyone else do this?

shelboselby · Jan 25, 2008

I'm planning on making an eventual soundtrack based on the feelings of my characters. I'm not forcing any of the songs - just songs I hear and they make me start thinking about my story.

So far I've just got songs for my main male. "Whatever it Takes" by Lifehouse and...this one's a tish embarrassing...Zac Efron's "Bet On It". But whatev it works.

Sage · Jan 25, 2008

I make soundtracks for my novels, so my characters almost always have an image song or two on there. As the character evolves, different songs are needed for them.

Hapax Legomenon · Jan 25, 2008

For my MC, Gene Bartleby, there's "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam. My antagonist, Floyd, gets "This House Is A Circus" by Arctic Monkeys. Although, the actual playlist I have is quite long...

Matera the Mad · Jan 25, 2008

I do it...sort of...but most of the tunes I use would not be familiar to anyone who has not explored The Mod Archive - so no list.

Danger Jane · Jan 25, 2008

For both of my MCs, Angel On My Shoulder by Gretchen Lieberum. They're not the same, but they mirror each other, so this one song encompasses a major part of both.

Stew21 · Jan 25, 2008

My entire book could be scored with Wilco music. There's a song for every mood and every one of my characters by Wilco - on various of their albums.

PinkUnicorn · Jan 26, 2008

OMG! and I was thinking I was weird for giving my characters songs! I had no idea anyone else did this!

It depends on my mood, what I'm listening to at the time, which character I'm working on, and what the "theme" of the story is, but usualy my characters end up with songs by Alice Cooper, Poison, David Bowie, or something similar.

Villain songs hard? Not for me. A few villain songs I've used recently included:

Psycho by Puddle of Mud
I Am by Crush 40
Exterminate by Rotersand
Land of Confusion by Disturbed
Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper
Why Trust You by Alice Cooper
Dirty Diamonds by Alice Cooper
Time Will Crawl by David Bowie
It's My Party by Bret Michaels

Joycecwilliams · Jan 26, 2008

Susan Lanigan said:
Well as I said in my other thread I've belatedly decided it's time for an outline before my characters end up in a bickering, formless mess outside some pub somewhere.

So I've started by summing up the characters and I felt it get a bit sluggish - but then with one particular character the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun" popped into my head. So I've divided them up as follows:

Main Male Protagonist: Queen - I Want To Break Free, The Show Must Go On
Female Protagonist 1 (appears later in the book): Happiness is a Warm Gun, She's Like A Rainbow

Christ, it's harder to think of songs for villains

Does anyone else do this?

Yes I do. I wrote a novel (in the rewrite process right now).

I wrote the chapters first and then found songs to go with them. Each chapter is named after the song, and has the lyrics printed underneath.

I used a lot of Rhythm and Blues/Motown for mine.

My first chapter is Hello Stranger -reunited with an old love
My second is It's a Man's World - controlling husband
Third is Gee Whiz - falling in love again
Fourth Lean on Me- helping a friend out..

Don't want to go into too many details but all chapters have song titles.

Good Luck

Do a search on Google for songs+Villians see what comes up.

What about "Jamie's got a gun" ?

"Evil Woman"

Good Luck

Joycecwilliams · Jan 26, 2008

Matera the Mad said:
I do it...sort of...but most of the tunes I use would not be familiar to anyone who has not explored The Mod Archive - so no list.

Couldn't access the link...

orion_mk3 · Jan 26, 2008

Sage said:
I make soundtracks for my novels, so my characters almost always have an image song or two on there. As the character evolves, different songs are needed for them.

I do the same thing! I've always got a mood CD or iTunes playlist up when I'm writing.

I tend to use music without words--from movies and games, mostly--since it's generally what I have on hand, and I'm free to interpret the context without lyrics. I think it was Stephen King who said that his stories are the movies his mind plays; I raid other movies to get the tunes for mine

Finni · Jan 26, 2008

I have a playlist for my MC and other major characters.

Here are a few lines from a song that really gets me in the frame of mind to write:

The red on the page is my blood, the blue that runs across it is the death of my love, and the white that remains is the battleground yet to be stained by the ink that symbolizes my pain.

I can see my MC in my mind singing those words to me and it gets my fingers writing his story. For me writing and music go hand in hand.

AFGNCAAP · Jan 26, 2008

Haphazard said:
My antagonist, Floyd, gets "This House Is A Circus" by Arctic Monkeys.

That is the most villainous song I know--not because I don't like it, but because it once got stuck in my head for the better part of a week!

The song that plays at the same frequency as my main character is Leva's Polka, by Loituma...yes, the Leekspin song. :tongue

Quiet and sweet, it is the musical version of the side of him that few people get to see.

TPCSWR · Jan 27, 2008

Not so much my characters but the story itself was influenced largely by music. The fight scenes were mostly inspired by various screamo/hardcore songs, which is why the pacing etc. changes so much during them.

bethany · Jan 27, 2008

I just completed the Handcuffs playlist for my website, but for Handcuffs the song is Creep by Radiohead.

Takvah · Jan 27, 2008

Jefferson Starship, Miracles. It plays prominently in a childhood memory of the MC... he's about the same age as me, so it really was a no brainer to use this tune given the circumstances. My mother God love her, wore this track out when I was just going into kindergarten (1975). I remember singing the chorus at the bus stop and it got me some weird looks from my friend's moms. "He knows that song?" My mom smiled and nodded. Didn't everybody know this song in NYC in 1975?!

Still the best song of doomed love, ever written. So it's perfect for my purposes.

Mr Flibble · Jan 27, 2008

I've got whole playlists on Winamp for each of my characters - I feel I don't really know them until I have a song for them. Ranges from Classical through just about anything up to Metallicas, Motorhead etc.

ie:

MC. Metallica, Nothing Else Matters ( kinda matches my theme too

)
Second MC: Chris Isaacs: Wicked Game
Extremely Screwed up Young Man : Anything by Rage Against the Machine. Yes, he's very angry - it really gets me into his head
Bad Guy :Motorhead, Orgasmatron ( Your bones will build my palaces, your eyes will stud my crown)

Fight scenes are usually Rage, Motorhead, Maiden etc - really pumps you up for it.

And I've got character's from songs too.

Pantsonfire · Jan 27, 2008

I have never thought of songs for my characters, though I always wished that my life had a sound track. I would probably choose CAKE Alpha Beta Parking Lot.

mada · Jan 27, 2008

Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall

Every time I sit down to write, that song pops into my head whether I have my playlist loaded or not. My current MC is going through somewhat of an early midlife crisis where she's doubting every decision she's ever made.

~grace~ · Jan 27, 2008

My roommate keeps getting annoyed because I keep playing "Sunglasses at Night" which is pretty much the soundtrack to my first chapter. One of the characters even sings a bit of it. He wants to know why I can't have an Amy Winehouse soundtrack or something. He just doesn't understand...

mscelina · Jan 27, 2008

I do playlists for my books too, but they tend to be classical music. I have fight music, sad music, love music...many many themes that reinforce my writing moods.

But if I had to pick a rock song that described my Asphodel series, I'd have to select "Only the good die young" by Billy Joel.

Zoombie · Jan 27, 2008

Jimmy has Bad Religion's "I love my computer" because his girlfriend is a cyborg.

Devil Ledbetter · Jan 28, 2008

My male MC's song is Of The Girl by Pearl Jam (half his life, a hand-me-down, wasted away / he fills it up with the love of a girl.)

My female MC's song is Soul Love by David Bowie (love is careless in its choosing / reaching over cross a baby/ love descends on those defenseless / idiot love will start the fusion.)

A Song For Your Character

Susan Lanigan

shelboselby

One Girl Mediocrity Machine

Sage

Our Lady of Parentheticals

Hapax Legomenon

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Danger Jane

Stew21

PinkUnicorn

Tossing Elves in bed with Unicorns

Joycecwilliams

Joycecwilliams

orion_mk3

Ne Cede Malis

Finni

discipula vitae

AFGNCAAP

TPCSWR

Unashamed Play School Fan

bethany

:)

Takvah

Not a D list ego massager...

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Pantsonfire

mada

Getting back in the groove

~grace~

the good old days

mscelina

Teh doommobile, drivin' rite by you

Zoombie

Dragon of the Multiverse

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,