Sound tracks for your book?

catherineshanahan

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So sometimes I like to pretend my book is a movie and when I hear a song imagine a scene from it set to it. I am a nerd like that.

But serious question. Do you find yourself listening to different music as you write? Like music that inspires that particular work or that seems more like your characters would like it then you actually like it yourself?

Just so I feel less odd has anyone else picked out a sound track to their non-existent movie based on their book? lol
 

Corussa

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I'm the same, absolutely.

I've relied heavily on a couple of Two Steps from Hell albums to inspire/focus me when writing. I have a favourite track that is the 'trailer music' to one of my WIPs; every time I play it I imagine the trailer. It's always great. :D Just a shame I can't translate it on to the page in the way that I want! (Yet.)

So I think it's a good thing and not at all nerdy to do. :)
 

catherineshanahan

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I'm the same, absolutely.

I've relied heavily on a couple of Two Steps from Hell albums to inspire/focus me when writing. I have a favourite track that is the 'trailer music' to one of my WIPs; every time I play it I imagine the trailer. It's always great. :D Just a shame I can't translate it on to the page in the way that I want! (Yet.)

So I think it's a good thing and not at all nerdy to do. :)

Good to know it isn't just me! I also have an imaginary trailer!
 

Ellaroni

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I also belong in this club! I added a number of songs to my playlist for this year's NaNo novel and they keep buzzing in my head whenever I think about scenes for that book (I'm almost at the end now). When I sit down to write, I play that list over and over, and occasionally I add some songs. There are 31 on the playlist right now.
I really need music to write - and I always prefer with lyrics too, I never think it interferes with my own words.
 

nightowling

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Haven't picked out a pretend movie soundtrack (that's a fun idea though), but I definitely have a playlist for each WIP. When the ideas start brewing for a particular story, I listen to the playlist and the songs inspire me or help me feel the tone of a certain scene. I also recently created a playlist for a character, like one that he'd be listening to on his headphones while doing his job.
 

KSavoie

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A big portion of my novel I have been listening to the song Radioative by Imagine Dragons. It just seems to fit what is going on in my story, or at least I imagine it fits well haha.
 

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I make a soundtrack for almost every book I write. The ones I don't, don't usually get to the editing stage.

There's a huge thread of playlists somewhere in here if you want to share :D
 

Animad345

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If I'm honest, whenever I'm listening to my iPod, I think of my characters. Different songs remind me of the different stories I have written and plan to right. In my current manuscript, which I'm revising at the moment, the two main characters are piano players, so I'll often listen to a song and imagine that it's one of them playing the music and singing. And I imagine trailers for my books all the time! :)
 

LadyA

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Yes, definitely - I reckon it adds to a scene (reading it AND writing it) if there's an appropriate song playing, and if, say, you're writing a scene full of angst and listening to Carly Ray Jepsen, it's going to put you off your stride ;)

THE BR1GHTEST FELL, which is a pretty dark contemp, involved a lot of angsty emo stuff - Evanescence, You Me At Six, Natalia Kills, etc.
Plus some Brit chart-folk music - Mumford and Son, Seth Lakeman, Kate Rusby and so on.

YOU, ME AND EIGHT CRAZY GOODBYES is a bittersweet, grief-and-romance beach-y book, so there was happy pop like One Direction, Conor Maynard, Rihanna, and sad songs by people like Cat Stevens, Seth Lakeman again, Emeli Sande, Lady Antebellum and others.
 

Kitty27

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The YA novel in my siggy has a lot of Aaliyah(I don't think I could have written half of this novel w/o her music. RIP.), SWV, Drake, Beyonce, Lloyd, Brandy,basically Hip-Hop&RnB.

The second novel's soundtrack is dark and dense music. Soper Aeternus, Puscifer,Tool, My Dying Bride,Draconian, and more Gothic/symphonic metal.

Two Steps From Hell is awesome! I use them for my epic fantasy soundtrack. I LOVE ES Posthumus and when I write to them,I get quite full of myself and entertain Tolkien-esque delusions of grandeur.
 
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Amynta

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I'm actually listening to my WIP's soundtrack right now. The one downside of it is that there are Christmas carols in it. Thematically perfect... it's just awkward listening to them right now. XD
 

LJ Hall

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Music is a huge factor when I'm writing. It helps settle the ADHD, ya know?

I like to choose songs that fit a mood, the tone of the book, not songs that would necessarily appear in some soundtrack or on my MC's iPod.

Like right now I'm editing a pretty dark-toned urban fantasy that deals with class issues (using werewolves and vampires) and focuses on the broke and miserable on the scummy side of town. I listen to a LOT of Tom Waits. :)
 

Cyia

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I can't write while writing, either. I usually listen to a certain song a few times in a row to get the rhythm in my head, then try and match the words to the beat.

Another one that's really good for this is the soundtrack to the movie The Village.
 

SAppleyard

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Most definitely! Usually I end up hearing a song that just fits the story or characters so well so then I try to incorporate it somehow lol. Usually I have a song for the main character that is the song that describes them best. Sometimes I don't find it until halfway through writing, but when I do it helps me make my character stronger sometimes because I think about the words and what they mean to him or her.
 

DrunkenLilacs

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I don't know if it's just me, but when I'm super invested in a particular WIP, it seems like every song I listen to fits perfectly with the characters' situations. The lyrics, the atmosphere. The only time I can really write while listening to music is when I'm writing action-y scenes or emotional scenes. Other than that, nahhh. I start typing the lyrics down by accident.
 

Nicole River

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Harsh industrial. I can't listen to anything else lately. And for once I'm working on a WIP where harsh industrial FITS the WIP... :D
 

frankiebrown

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I've found a lot of inspiration in Lana Del Rey's album Born to Die, but I wouldn't say it's a soundtrack.

Edit: Also, Florence and the Machine. Always.
 
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