There was an interesting request from Melissa Marr over at Fangs, Fur & Fey that I answered. I liked the post so much that I've decided to place it over here as well.
Prompt: Name of your book and 3-5 songs that match the tone of your book.
Book: Nightwalker: The First Dark Days Novel
Publisher: Eos/HarperCollins
Release: August 2008
1. Rev 22:20 by Puscifer -- This will always be Mira’s song (one of my main characters). The song’s sound is rough yet seductive, alluring with just enough of a hint of fang and claw to send a shiver down your spine. And lyrics… ahh… sometimes they match Mira so well.
2. The Fragile by Nine Inch Nails – The lyrics match the story in a lot of ways that won’t be immediately obvious. However, it is a reoccurring theme that will stretch over several books in the series.
3. Bleed It Out by Linkin Park – The song's fast, relentless beat matches some of the fast-paced action and frequent violence. And, well, I write about vampires…
4. Only by Nine Inch Nails – This is one of Danaus’s songs (my other main character). It applies to him in many ways because he begins to question who he is and why he has made the choices he has. His solid world of “truth” is crumbling around him.
5. The Pretender by the Foo Fighters – The pulsing beat, Grohl’s voice, and the lyrics fit. This is sort of the “last stand” song. The odds are stacked against you but you dig in, clench your fists, and running screaming at them with all you’ve got.
In general, when I am working, I plot mostly to anything Nine Inch Nails. However, I can't write to those songs because I find the lyrics too distracting. I find myself listening to the songs more than typing. When I am actually writing the book, I work to a lot of Korn and Marrilyn Manson. Unless it's a particularly slow scene, then Tori Amos's Boys for Pele or Little Earthquakes is helpful for keeping me in the proper mood.
Be sure to stop by Fangs, Fur & Fey to see some of the songs other writers are partial to.
3 comments:
Oh, I love your taste for music. I am not so well acquainted with Nine Inch Nails apart from their "Bite the hand that feeds you" (I might have messed up the title), but Korn and Mason are great and Tori Amos is the best one to call for inspiration. The things she does with the piano makes me shiver.
I'm not too familiar with NIN or Foo Fighters, but I've definitely heard of them. I've never heard of Puscifer, but that song is amazing! It's exactly how you described it: rough, alluring, and sends a shiver down your spine. Linkin Park I do know, and I am a fan of their work. Bleed It Out is a great song with a great beat. "Numb" is one of my favorite by them. I have a playlist on my itunes that I listen to when I write, and it's made up of upbeat songs from various artists. I used to listen to anything while I wrote (provided that it was something I liked) and then I created that playlist, and now I write best when I'm listening to those upbeat tunes.
I haven't tried coming up with a playlist/soundtrack for anything I've written, but it sounds like fun. Anything I come up with will probably be a weird mix of country, pop, and Linkin Park.
Okay, I should probably be paying attention to this lecture instead of surfing blogs...
I've been listening to Tori since she released Little Earthquakes and is a constant companion when I am writing. Nine Inch Nails has always been a great source of dark inspiration for my work. Pretty Hate Machine is still an amazing album. I think Trent Reznor is a musical genius and I pray he is making music for many more years.
When I am working on a book, I usually create a specific playlist for the main character. The songs encompass the character's future, past, outlook on life, and the general tone of the book.
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