Mood Music

Ah, music. Whether it's classical, hard rock, 80s synth pop, ragtime...music is fun. But it does a lot more than entertain us. It uplifts, it enlightens, it inspires. And yes, I do listen to music when I'm writing. Sometimes I'll throw on a generic 'music for writing' video on YouTube, but more often than not I'll have something specific in mind, depending on the genre I'm working in.

For fantasy, it's either classical (19th century Romantics) or epic movie soundtracks. I've also used medieval Gregorian chants for some of my Meterran work, especially stuff about the Crusades. And I recall listening to some Japanese music way back in the day when I wrote what is now Crimson Moon. Because music almost always has a cultural association with it. For example, if you hear a koto, your mind will almost instantly associate what you're listening to with Japan. You hear a honkytonk piano, and you're in a Western saloon. Our cultural link with music is that strong.

Science fiction gets classical music; sometimes it's Mozart or even Bach for their technical artistry, sometimes it's early 20th century stuff (everyone knows about Also Spracht Zarathustra, aka the music from 2001: A Space Odyssey). Technopop doesn't do it for me; it's too...sterile, that's the word. It feels empty to listen to, and it's tough to get inspired by that. Now, 80s music in general, that is fun and inspiring, no question. But technopop from the last twenty years? Hard pass when writing.

Another sci-fi option is music from science fiction shows and (sometimes) movies. Not Star Wars or any of the Star Trek themes, though. That music is all iconic, but it's so closely identified with their particular franchises that it's virtually impossible to separate the music from the scenes. And I do not want to be writing a scene where a Jedi is swinging a lightsaber on the bridge of the Enterprise. That would be wrong. In fact, anything by John Williams is out. Raiders, Superman, Star Wars, you name it...he's just too iconic.

Mysteries...when I'm writing Cameron Vail, it's 80s all the way. Why? Because Cameron Vail is the age I was back in the 1980s and early 1990s. That music gets me in the mindset of a younger man, full of life and hope, and much less cynical than I am now. And sure, Cameron's stories are set in modern day, but I'm not a twenty-year old today; I'm fifty-two and climbing. So, I'll go back to when I was that age for inspiration.

For my Gilded Age stories, that's obviously ragtime and early jazz. I mean, it's obvious. And I love ragtime, so that makes it easier to get in the spirit and mood of the time.

Sometimes I don't use music at all. But when the mood strikes, music makes the writing go that much easier.

To see how the music inspired my latest publication, check out Crimson Moon, available now at Amazon in ebook or paperback. Soundtrack not included, unfortunately.