[TheIELighten]

For my WIP I am choosing songs and assigning them to each of my main characters. Listening to my character's song before writing helps me to get in the right frame of mind to write for them.

Do any other writers use this technique? If not what do you do to help inspire you to write?

[RedMage]

Many of my stories are born out of songs. Not that they are actually taken from what is being sung about, but from the tone and mood of the song. The lyrics play an important role, but it's not plagiarism. It's inspiration, you know?

Anyways, my current WIP (which will consist of at least 4 full novels) is based on a pair of concept albums by one of my favorite bands. The story is set in a kingdom in the far north where there is snow for more months than there is not. The original idea for this came from a bad, month long series of snow storms I experienced a few years ago but the idea grew and solidified as I listened to the music. The tale that is told in the 2 albums (they are a duology) is not the same as what I am writing about. But many of the themes of the music are shared with my main protagonist. Several of the songs (or parts of them, more often than not) relate directly to several key moments in his or other characters' tales.

Sadly, the whole story is shared pretty evenly between this main protag and by my antagonist. The antag doesn't have any music at all :( No, that's not correct, she has a 5 second piece of music in one song that corresponds to one of the very few happy moments in her life. I really wish I could find her some more music, that would be nice to have.

But, as for assigning music to characters, I don't really assign it. I more associate a particular song with one or another of my characters. I mean, I don't go looking for a song for them. They really just find me and lend themselves to a character. This especially happens as I get to know the characters. That said, the songs on the second album of that duology are all pretty much associated with the main protag or one of his friends and companions.

[JimF]

I don't assign songs to any characters, but some times I listen to a few tunes to amp myself up. But for writing time I prefer to silence.

Jim

[JT Billow]

Several characters I have used are based from the personalities of friends...
Josh

[TheIELighten]

Sorry for all the @'s. Too much time on twitter.


@RedMage
Ideas come to me but not until after I go looking for them. I stumble upon things in unexpected places whilst looking for something else. :)

That is very cool to have an two entire albums to use for inspiration. I have more songs for my evil characters than for my good ones, but I finally found a song today for my good character, by a Wiccan band. Never would have thought to look there, but none of the other songs on the album would work. Just that one.

@JImF:
I find the silence too loud. It is distracting. But if we are ever in the same room while you are writing I shall enclose myself in a soundproof bubble so as not to disturb you. (laughs)



@JTBillow:
I use real people for inspiration too sometimes. :)

[EMMAXIS]

For my WIP I am choosing songs and assigning them to each of my main characters. Listening to my character's song before writing helps me to get in the right frame of mind to write for them.

Do any other writers use this technique? If not what do you do to help inspire you to write?


No, but my last book was entitled The Dark Age of Enya. You can pretty much figure out where that name came from. My world was named after a musician! I have since changed that for copyright reasons.

[CrastersBabies]

For my WIP I am choosing songs and assigning them to each of my main characters. Listening to my character's song before writing helps me to get in the right frame of mind to write for them.

Do any other writers use this technique? If not what do you do to help inspire you to write?

TheIELighten,

I use songs to get me inspired (generally speaking) but I have never used a song for a character! Can you give some examples of yours? What kind of characters gets what song?

[TheIELighten]

TheIELighten,

I use songs to get me inspired (generally speaking) but I have never used a song for a character! Can you give some examples of yours? What kind of characters gets what song?



Music can be so inspiring can't it?

As for character/song examples I have many: I have a character who sacrifices her life to save a world that is going to be destroyed over intolerance and fear. I chose "Remember the burning times" by InKubuss Sukkubus, which urges us to not return to the dark ages when Pagans and Witches and Jews were being burned at the stake. The atmosphere fits the atmosphere that this character was living in so perfectly.

I have another character who is deceived and enchanted by a beautiful woman that she thinks is her friend, and then this woman goes on to betray her and her entire world, so I chose "Everybody's Fool" by Evanescence for both of them, but especially for the one who felt betrayed.

For my evil enchantress character I used "Eyes on fire," "Blue Foundation" and "Ice Queen", by Within Temptation.

I have many other examples of course, but basically I just look for songs that I feel best sum up either the character, their situation, or possible their relationship with another character. Some characters have several songs depicting differing time periods of their lives while other only have one.

I find the songs by either looking for youtube vids made for tv/movie characters that I feel are similar to mine and hoping that someone chose an appropriate song, or I will google the type of song I am looking for. And when I get truly desperate I start threads on message boards and ask people for suggestions.

Finding just the right songs can be a time consuming process for me, but it helps complete the character for me, so I feel it is well worth the time and effort that I invest. :)