This is What My Book Sounds Like

Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides

I recently had one of those rare moments when I listen to an album and go, Dude, your sounds just told my story.

It’s a pretty awesome experience.

I don’t listen to music while writing, but I like to have a soundtrack to my story. It sets the mood for what I’ll be writing, even if the lyrics have nothing to do with the story I’m telling.

Well, the other day I was listening to the Black Veil Brides’ Wretched and Divine album and—BOOM. It hit me that the songs perfectly capture the mood of a book I have brewing in my brain. The determination of “Nobody’s Hero.” The aching sadness of “Lost it All.”  The strength and acceptance in “In the End.”

(On a side note, the entire album is really great. You know, even if the music doesn’t tell the story you’re writing.)

And because it’s the only song on the album with a video on YouTube and because copyright laws prevent it from playing on my blog, I’ll send you off to watch “In the End” by Black Veil Brides.

What music is inspiring your writing right now?

This Is What Your Story Sounds Like

It doesn’t happen often (I try to contain my brilliance, as you well know), but sometimes I’ll be listening to a song and think, “This is THE MOST PERFECT MUSIC EVER to go along with such-and-such book.”

Like when I heard this song and couldn’t get Anna and the French Kiss out of my mind. Can you not see Anna and Etienne going around Paris, hand in hand, to this tune? Can you not imagine the montage that would be happening during this song if this were a movie?

Well, I’m not the only one who thinks some songs are just made for certain books or certain passages from books. Maria Popova of the fascinating site Brain Pickings (dare ya to visit without getting sucked in) has created a music-book mash-up site called Literary Jukebox.

Popova picks a book quote, matches it with a song and voila. Check it out here.

Are there any songs you feel represent a book, a scene, or even a quote?

My Story, In Song

Happy Monday, guys.

So, I know I haven’t told you a ton about my WIP, but I thought it would be fun to explain it through a few songs that make me think of the story or a specific scene.

I’m 90 percent sure this will seem totally disjointed to you and you’ll think I’m writing a tragedy-romance-comedy mash up that will be as appealing as a peanut butter, lettuce, Red Bull, and string cheese smoothie. If that’s the case, forgive me and let’s still be friends. ’Kay?

Here we go...

This song makes me think of the book on a whole. If this story were a movie, this song would play during the ending credits:

Though I won’t explain it here, some of the lyrics really fit with something that happens at the end of the book:

Whenever I listen to this song I think of a certain scene where one of the characters is dying and something big happens. (Sheesh, I’m being extremely vague here, but just go with it. Please?)

This song is exactly the mood I envision leading up to and during the climax:

And, finally, this song goes with a scene in the story where the main character is really struggling with a moral dilemma. The words “love is our resistance” really fits here, though in the case of my story it’s not about romantic love:

I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s impossible for me to listen to these songs while writing. (Seriously. I end up writing gibberish that uses a few phrases from whatever song I’m listening to at the time.) But I find it really helpful to put a playlist together, lay down, shut my eyes, and let the scenes play out behind my eyes. Sometimes the music inspires the scene. Sometimes it’s just the mood of the music that helps me better develop a scene. And a lot of times I’ll think up new scenes while listening to the music.

Do you use music in any way to help your writing? And who hear can listen while writing?*

* I bet you can read in the car, too.

I Hear Voices

Not literally, okay? I know, you were probably worrying about me after that title. I swear, I’m totally sane.

I’m talking about music. At my day job as a nonfiction writer, I can’t listen to music. It doesn’t matter if I’m writing an article about diabetes, superfoods or eye shadow trends. I can’t do it. Something about hearing voices while I try to lay down the facts and reference multiple documents of transcribed interviews makes my writing suck. And my head explode. I could deal with the latter, but sucky writing? No way.

Anyway, when I started writing my current WIP I vowed to do so in silence. The Man had other thoughts.

He cranked the game so loud I had to plug my ears with headphones just to drown the announcers out. And then I realized I liked listening to music while writing. It got me in the mood. After a while, I barely noticed it. Now I need it.

The Man likes to say this revelation should be credited to him, like he knew all along how much music would help my writing.

I let him think that. He’ll be cursing his brilliance when I start revising and he becomes a widower.

What about you: Music on or off? Any songs I should add to my playlist?