"The Soundtrack To My Life" - Musical Inspiration (Part I)

I’ve often thought that I would be better suited to writing a screenplay for a television show or film, but I’ve never really been able to make that transition. Reason why I say that I’d be better suited to that line of work is that I’m a very visual guy – since as long as I can remember, my writing has always been influenced by how well I’m able to imagine it playing out in my head, not unlike a movie/TV show. If I can’t picture the events that I’m putting down on paper in that context, then chances are it’ll get deleted soon enough. Of course, there are limitations to this, as a short-story/novel plays out an awful lot different than something on screen, a fact I try to keep in mind whenever inspiration strikes.

Music plays a huge role in my writing. Some people seclude themselves in an office, some people read to get themselves in the mind-set to write, but I listen to music. Not just for preparation either, music helps me a great deal whilst writing my stories also. There’s something about an instrumental piece that helps me visualise what I want to convey on paper, and in turn, it gives me that inspiration to make it a reality.

“There it was, the soundtrack to my life, and, for a few seconds, came harmony, finally.” – Max Payne

The songs that I listen to usually set the tone/mood for a scene I’m writing. It played a huge role in helping me find my feet when writing When Justice Comes Calling - with sorrowful music being played at certain times (“Daily Agony”, the piano piece from Shenmue, was a great source of inspiration) to high octane action pieces being played for other chapters (practically the entire Max Payne 3 soundtrack worked wonders, with the tracks “The Girl”, “Shells”, “Max Finale” and “Tears” being especially helpful). Other independent tracks such as “Hymn” by Nightcall and “Into Darkness” by Thomas Bergersen were pivotal in helping me get into the zone, and often, into the head of characters and the world I was trying to create.

The power of music is something I truly appreciate, and as I get older, something I notice more and more in films/TV to elicit certain emotions from the viewer. If I’m able to tap into that and allow that be expressed in my writing abilities, then there’s real room for improvement and expansion there.

As for my next creative effort “Unsettling Differences”, this narrative style and genre is new to me, so a lot of the stuff I’ve listened to previously likely won’t cut it this time around for the majority of the story. In my next blog entry, I’ll be discussing songs and music pieces that I think will help going forward, as well as personal favourites for my previous works 45 Days and Descent Into Madness, and how they helped me (don’t be surprised to see a few of the above mentioned tracks make another appearance!).

Also, to cap things off, I was sent one of the final drafts for the front cover for my next story “Unsettling Differences” by my terrific graphic designer Chris Seaman – check it out below.

Now the hard work begins. Bit of a shorter entry this time around, but rest assured, I’ll be going into a higher gear next time, as the time is ticking down for work to begin on “Unsettling Differences”.

As always, thanks for reading.

- Will