Do you ever apply a soundtrack to a character you are creating in order to try to get to know them better? I've said before that I've never done any serious writing but I have done a lot of role playing in chat rooms and on forums so that means that I've created a lot of different characters. Even if my character is in some sort of past setting where they are unlikely to have heard any sort of modern music, I try to assign them a playlist. Sometimes I'll try to choose songs that I think best describes them and other times I might try to choose songs that I think they would enjoy listening were they to be sitting next to me while I browse YouTube. For a comic book story that I am currently "writing" (taking notes), I've chosen a list of songs that I think best fit the setting rather than any particular character. What do you guys think? Have you ever done anything like this and if not, do you think you'd like to try it out? You could even take it slow by trying to assign a playlist to one of your favorite characters from a book you're reading. I once tried creating a playlist based off of Lord Soth from the Dragonlance series; come to find out, him and I have vastly different tastes in music and I like to think that I'm pretty varied.
I've tried an over all play list for writing that might or might not reflect on the setting, but while I might have a special song for a certain character, I wouldn't do entire play lists for them, or need it for that matter. My boyfriend is a vivid larper and has play lists for all his characters (probably role plays as well, who knows). While I've only been to one of their larps (profile picture) I've made play lists to a few others which I chickened out with. When playing a character I feel like I might need music to get into character while I usually don't have the same "problem" when I write.
I do a very similar thing, Casca. My book is set in the present day, but my MC is very much stuck in the '80s still. So he has his "theme tune" that I listen to every time I start work. It's this: I want to get a faux '80s vibe in the book, so it's '80s music all the way for me. I've not proven to myself that it changes my writing (but it does make me more focused and productive), but it helps me feel like I'm "living" my book, making the whole process more enjoyable, immersive and fun. And if you find something enjoyable, you will keep doing it and you will be productive. That's what I keep telling myself.
It's not really something I would do for every characters. Only those for whom I feel it would be appropriate. I've done it a lot for role play characters though as much to give other people a feel for them than for myself. I LOVE that song! I can't actually listen to music while I write. It distracts me. When it comes to role play characters, I've actually had songs I've chosen for them become meaningless because I had one idea for the character when I made them but they turned into something different once I actually started writing.
Not personally, but I often have music playing quietly in the background when I'm hacking out garbage, so music and writing still go together to me. Interesting technique. Maybe I'll try it.
I wrote about this on my blog: https://davidwittlingerauthor.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/mood-music/ I don't listen to music while I actually write. I find it too distracting. As I work out scenes in my head I will sometimes come across songs or music that, if my book were a movie, would play in the background of a scene. I do have playlists of songs that 'fit' a particular character or that I feel he/she would listen to or be a fan of. I've developed new/future scenes for books while listening to music as I mow my lawn!
For me it's the other way around: I have my characters, but on and off I come across a song which fits them in a certain mood
Typically, soundtracks go for an entire story, but for individual characters, I'll usually have two or three songs that I feel fits them, and usually, it'll find itself on the soundtrack with all the other songs I feel fit the characters and situations.
Alec Shorman: Dungeons and Dragons nerd who takes great pride in identifying as Lawful Evil Spoiler: 16 songs, 1:09 (in no particular order) Dance with the Devil – Breaking Benjamin Shot in the Dark - Within Temptation Faster - Within Temptation Eve of Destruction - Barry McGuire Mother - Danzig Angel of the Morning - Juice Newton Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones Make Me Wanna Die - Pretty Reckless Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen Early One Morning - Nana Mouskouri Through the Fire and Flames - Dragonforce Joker's Song - Miracle of Sound Citizen Soldier - 3 Doors Down When You're Evil - Aurelio Voltaire Fox on the Run - Sweet Charlie Petersen: Chemistry student who watched Breaking Bad and decided that's what she wanted to do with her life Spoiler: 9 songs, 0:34 (in this order) Woke Up This Morning (as abridged for The Sopranos) – Alabama 3 Ice Queen - Within Temptation Disturbia - Rihanna Ain't No Rest for the Wicked – Cage the Elephant Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics Bitch Better Have My Money – Rihanna Ready Set, Let's Go – Sam Tinnesz Run This Town - Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z and Kanye) Castle - Halsey Amy Carmine: military history nerd and post-traumatic serial killer Spoiler: 25 songs, 1:34 (in no particular order) Everybody Want to Rule the World - Lorde Supernatural Superserious - REM Living Well is the Best Revenge - REM Schizophrenia - Blue October Richmond is a Hard Road to Travel - Bobby Horton Down With The Sickness - Disturbed Carnival - Natalie Merchant Mad World - Gary Jules Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day Kinda Outta Luck - Lana Del Ray Imaginary - Evanescence Paint It Black - Rolling Stones Where Is My Mind - Pixies Titanium - Within Temptation Breakdown - Jack Johnson Human - Christina Perri Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton Johhny Reb - Johhny Horton Sink the Bismarck - Johnny Horton My Life - Billy Joel Unwell - Matchbox 20 It's My Life - Bon Jovi Take Me To Church - Hozier Working Class Hero - John Lennon Welcome to the Jungle - Guns 'n' Roses The three of them together: Spoiler: 16 songs, 1:01 (in no particular order) My Life Would Suck Without You - Kelly Clarkson People Like Us - Kelly Clarkson Wherever You Will Go - The Calling And We Run - Within Temptation (feat. Xzibit) Dearm On - Aerosmith We Will Rock You - Queen You May Be Right - Billy Joel Airship Pirate - Abney Park Tear the World Down - We Are The Fallen Burn it to the Ground - Nickelback Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down I Fought The Law - Dead Kennedys Then I Met You - Proclaimers Angel with a Shotgun (nightcore) - CUTloveRx (youtuber) Umbrella - Rihanna
There are times when the words just for through my head when I'm listening to certain music. I used to keep mood playlists for evoking certain emotions and help me write the scene as well.
Much like some of the other guys, I don't apply a soundtrack to a character, but use music to help me find the mood of a story. So I guess I'm applying a soundtrack to the overall story
I think I spend a lot of time constructing a playlist like a damn TV show. I have music for all the individual scenes that convey the emotion I am trying to portray like a BGM. But then I also have several different tunes and themes for each of my characters depending on a circumstance in the story. I often have a Theme that Conveys them in a general sense I then have a Theme that Conveys their Ideals or what they embody Then I have a Battle theme or Sometimes a "Dark" Theme that embodies their negative flaws For example, I am hooked on the NiER: Automata OST, but one of the songs greatly embodies a flaw of one of my characters. Michel. Who I wrote about earlier. It is that his mind is his worse enemy and this song, every time Michel goes through one of his moments sort of rings in my head
I know double double post, but this is what I mean by having three themes. The next theme I chose for Michel that represents his ideals, is this song. And funny is that it flows into the same musical elements as his dark theme/battle theme I also like the title. Because unlike the other two leaders Michel is uncertain of his reasons and goals. He desires a better future and hopes for it. But it seems so far that he cannot predict when it happens. Thus a vague hope.
So I am totally into this, the songs I chose for my two other MCs. Signore and Ignace are as followed; This is Ignace's sort of traditional theme, its not his battle theme, but I think his normal theme might fit also his ideals as well And Signore's traditional theme it doesn't embody his ideals as much, as more him rising from his despair
No you are not! I have a very indie, cryptic, dark and hippie playlist. I put on my headphones and out come the magic fingers and you've lost me. It helps to keep you focused and on track. I mean all my characters have their song and their playlist. lol
I had this problem, You should listen to more alternative music and indie. If it's darkness you want, I bet you can find some there.
I have soundtracks, long and short, for settings, characters, etc. My current WIP is set in the 80s in rural West Virginia, where I grew up. So the "general" soundtrack is heavily influenced by country and bluegrass from that era.
I don't listen to music while I write, because it distracts me. However, listening to music before I write can get me all pumped up and ready to go. Since most of my stories are set in the past, I haven't really compiled playlists, but one of my MCs is a time traveller from the modern day, and music means a lot to her, so I have compiled a list of all her favourite songs. Spoiler Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (Her favourite song) The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army Blondie - Call Me, Maria, One Way or Another, Atomic The Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby, I Predict a Riot, Every Day I Love You Less and Less, The Angry Mob, Oh My God, What Did I Ever Give You, Time-Honoured Tradition The Arctic Monkeys - I Bet That You'd Look Good On the Dance Floor Meatloaf - Dead Ringer for Love (She can also play the ten-minute version of Bat Out of Hell, but that's more to say that she can than any great fondness for the song) The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger The Killers - Somebody Told Me, Mr. Brightside Blur - Parklife, Song 2 Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love The Kinks - Lola (Her mother's favourite song), All Day and All of the Night And I'm sure I've missed some off.
I have sort of given my characters theme songs, though they don't get soundtracks because it's so hard to find a song that describes them perfectly while being something they'd listen to. But I often think of the story I'm writing while listening to music, and I get some good...or interesting... thoughts about things that could happen within the story. Sometimes these thoughts turn into something that goes into the story, sometimes they don't, but it's still fun either way.
