It is my practice to draw writing inspiration from music. In that spirit, I thought would share with all of you wonderful readers a few songs from my personal writing playlist.
Some of these songs were directly referenced in the book and others inspired plot lines, while still others simply encompass the theme of my novel.
Here goes!
This is one of my all-time favorite songs: Get Higher by The Paper Tongues! It was integral in putting my plot into motion. I could not write this book without mentioning this song.
Another one by The Paper Tongues that inspired a plot line is entitled, “What If” but apparently, no one has ever loaded a decent video of it on YouTube, so you’ll have to check that one out on iTunes. I totally recommend it.
Another song mentioned in the book is Love Song. Instead of giving you the original, I’m loading the cover by Adele. Her entire album, 21, was inspiring, but this song…. Love it!
Here is a song probably none of you have heard of: Love Letters by Paper Route
Anyone who knows me, knows I am a HUGE New Kids On The Block Fan (don’t judge me). So, this short list would not be complete without this song: Back To Life, from their most recent album, 10. Yeah, I know there’s a video link already in the sidebar. That should tell you just how much I love this song!
What about you? What songs do you find inspirational when you’re writing? I’m always on the look-out for new music and I’d love to hear about them.
engaging. stories 
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Freud and Jung, huh? Good advice. And you sound very normal to me, FYI.
You know, I don’t know that I ever used the term ‘character mapping’ before then. Hmm… I think I like it.
Sounds like you do the same thing I do; create a moment in the characters life that spawns a mental breakdown. I’ve also been reading up on traits of serial killers. Do you think Homeland Security or NSA are onto me yet?
I’m always in the market for betas. You want it, you got it! Now, I’ve just got to write it!
No problem, right?
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Thanks for posting this great playlist! I never heard the Paper Tongues, but the vocalist is amazing.
Like you, I get my writing inspiration from music. In fact, I use one theme song to dream up the whole premise of a new project. I will listen to the theme song every time I sit down to write. It keeps me focused on the tone of the book.
Then I have an extended playlist to keep me going. I pick a song for each character and a song to capture the mood of certain important scenes.
It’s weird! It just sort of happened, and now I make it part of my regular writing process. I guess because I’m a fan of opera and movies. A good soundtrack can make a movie so much more powerful. I feel like asking readers to listen to the playlists as they are reading my book to get the full dramatic effect, haha!
Lucky for my husband, I use headphones, or else he’d go crazy hearing me play the same songs over and over.
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Hey, if it works, why change it?
And the invention of headphones has to be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
I keep a play list in iTunes and each character has a theme song.
Lately though I hit a bit of a snag. My manuscript is about a troubled girl who stalks and inadvertently destroys her favorite Indie rock band and the playlist is too huge. Songs for scenes, songs for characters, songs for concerts…it’s so much!
Btw, would you happen to know of a resource where I might find answers for character mapping questions? The girl has major psychological issues and I’d like her head shrinker to sound authentic.
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I’m so relieved to join the online community and find out that my weird creative habits are the norm amongst my fellows!
My book just so happens to be about three severely disturbed people. I have a psychologist who babysits them and tries to keep them from destroying themselves. At the risk of sounding like a dunce, I have never heard of the term ‘character mapping.’ I made outlines on each character. I guess that’s kind of the same thing.
For the psychological issues, I studied various mental disorders, how they develop, and their treatments. Then I link each character’s mental issue to a defining moment earlier in their lives. Mr. Head Shrinker comes out of me naturally after that. I recommend reading up on Freud and Jung. It really helps to understand the subconscious motivations behind people’s behaviors.
I don’t know if that helps.
Your manuscript sounds like my kind of story! I love psychos and indie rock. Let me know if you need an extra beta-reader 🙂
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I’m very much a music person too. So I completely understand your getting your inspiration from music. Thanks for sharing your soundtrack!
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Thank you for reading!
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