Part of my studies at the moment are focused on different methods of finding inspiration, so this week I thought I'd share my favourite pieces of music for getting inspired! Today - part one - is my top 5 instrumental tracks... Enjoy!
1. Brothers in Arms - Mad Max: Fury Road OST
This song is one of my favorite pieces of music in recent years. It's so intense - so fair warning if you're going to listen to it, your characters will be REALLY HYPED and SUPER DETERMINED. At 4 minutes and 22 seconds, I feel like this piece draws out the tension in me for just long enough, without being completely draining. So far, I've found it to be most helpful in writing fights and dramatic chase scenes. The music has some really nice shifts in tempo throughout, which is great for the rise and fall of action throughout dynamic scenes!
2. Danse Macabre - Camille Saint-Saens
I first heard this piece of music when I was about 9 years old; it was on a school trip for the music classes - a sort of interactive classical performance where we were encouraged to talk with the musicians about the way it could be interpreted. And I fell madly in love with it. I get skeletons, masquerades for the undead, comedic misunderstandings between the living and the ex-living, sweet and heartfelt love scenes for zombies. It's a little longer, running to 7 minutes and 12 seconds, but I don't mind usually because it's good for such a range of scenes. This piece really sparks with my roots in writing fantasy and it's such a source of inspiration to me that, honestly, a lot of my work probably wouldn't get written without it!
3. Rey's Theme - Star Wars: The Force Awakens OST
Again, this is a very recent score, so it doesn't necessarily have the weight of life-long memories behind it, but I am so enamored with the song. Really, it's kind of ridiculous how much I love it. This song has already become my go-to piece for strong female characters who aren't necessarily strong in a physical way. When I listen to Rey's Theme, I think of girls who are allowed to be girls, without their femininity making them any less wonderful; I think of girls who aren't stereotypically feminine but are no less entitled to take on feminine roles. Just. Girls. You know?
4. Fireworks - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix OST
Surprising no one, I had to slip one of my favourite pieces from the Harry Potter soundtracks in here. This is upbeat, happy music - great for celebration scenes or just for letting your characters enjoy themselves on their rare moments of down-time between harrowing, life-threatening action. We even get this great bit of electric guitar in the middle that really sets in apart from some of the other, more traditional pieces in this soundtrack,
5. River Flows in You - Yiruma
This piece, a bit like Rey's Theme, is a slower one. It has a great romantic feel, but can also come across as a little melancholy if you listen to it in the right state of mind. This is the only piece of music on the list that hasn't been part of my inspiration yet - but it has so much potential! Just because I haven't written much romance yet doesn't mean I never will! Something unrequited, perhaps?
I love all of these pieces - do you guys have a particular playlist for writing? Or does it change with the characters? Let me know in the comments - Happy Writing!
Great choices Lorna!
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