It don't mean a thing if you ain't got that swing · 1:45pm Mar 21st, 2018
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*Insert shoo-wap-doo-wap-doo here*
As I've said in a previous blog, I use music as a driving force in a lot of my writing. If you don't, I recommend giving it a shot at least once; it can really help with productivity. I plan out fight scenes to a lot of EDM, dialogue is normally set to instrumental/classical pieces, while scenes which have some kind of music playing in the background I try to find pieces that would fit well.
It's the latter point that drove me to write this week's blog: what music can be used in the background?
Now, my "flagship" hurse wurds are very different kettles of fish. Gumdrop is all kiddified and fluffy nonsense, and so I've been listening to a lot of the music used in FiM to help with writing. The last thing I want to do is ramp tension up too high or go over board with the events, and so listening to the background music composed is a massive help. Does this scene look right with this music? Is it too much? Do I need to rewrite it to tone it down? Do I need to dial it up?
It helps keep me on track and it hopefully shows in the newer chapters (shout out: I've got three shorts planned, just a case of putting pen to paper now). It also helps me write more consistently: the first short was far more noir themed, with the second lighter in writing style. I figured the noir tone can only run for so long before it gets boring. Keeping it in one chapter and have small drops here and there works far better than constant narration. If it doesn't, then that's my bad and I can rework.
On the other side, I abuse music for WtD. No word of a lie, I use music to no end when I'm writing this. Each character has their own "theme" to help me capture the idea of the character in a song. Most chapters have a song in mind when I write them, and chapter 6 featured some of my favourite tunes to build it all up. I'll have a link to Two Tone's Setlist below, as well as track listings for those who don't have Spotify, but please have a listen to it. Match up what song happens where, build the movie in your head.
But that's the ultimate goal: to have a perfect merger of music and words to make a moment come to life. If I can't see what I'm reading in my head as a play or a movie, I feel that it hasn't grabbed me. Not to say that those kinds of stories aren't fantastic - I adore Dracula, but I can only see certain parts clearly in my mind. The rest kind of floats around. It probably doesn't help that my reading music is very similar to other people's workout music, that's just how I roll. Plus, raving vampires is a baller image.
Two Tone's Set List - Songs to rob a casino to
Playlist:
Man With The Hex by The Atomic Fireballs
Gingerbread Man by Dirty Honkers
Bella Belle by The Electric Swing Circus
Crazy in Love - Radio Edit by Swing Republic
Just Dance as sung by Scot Bradlee's Post-Modern Jukebox
Minnie the Moocher as sung by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Zoot Suit Riot by Cherry Poppin' Daddies
Swing Supreme by Robbie Williams
Dance Me To The End Of Love by Leonard Cohen & Madeleine Peyroux
Gimme That Swing! by Cissie Redgwick
That Man - Caro Emerald
Never Forget You - Noisettes
Fly Like You (Swing) by The Wasteland Wailers
[Interlude]
Brotherswing - Caravan Palace
Mighty Mighty Man - Roy Brown
Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin
It have been scientific proven that music can help you concentrate, especially classical music where over X amount, sorry its long time since I read the article about it, helps stabilize your brainwave pasterns and helps you focus.
For my personal (mis)use of work music have I begun using "viking" inspired music Example, something without words that can distract my thinking, but with an epic feel to it that helps me get motivated.
Since it is clear that you use a lot of music in your writing process, have you ever thought about linking some inspirational music in your authors notes, showing readers what there helped you find the mood and set the atmosphere?
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I have considered it, but I'm looking to write blogs about the writing process at some point instead, with a link added later. I figure that if you find your own music to it, then it might change how you feel about a chapter. After all, everyone interprets a book or scene a different way.
Side note, what song got stuck in your head? You mentioned one did after Chapter 6
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The most dreaded of ear catching songs, if not for those first lines
"Don't dragga dragga (?) on the walka wakla, your mother is a fracking aardvark!"... don't know why I didn't hear what the little man said before re-watch number 742
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Absolute boss of a tune