Writer Wednesday – Story Soundtracks

This may well fly in the face of my posting regarding the idea that writing is not cinematic, but you would do well to consider creating a soundtrack for your writing. You may not be able to convey things the same way as in a movie, but you can take notes from what movies do to affect our moods.

Consider when and where songs tend to pop up in a movie. What are the words? What is the meaning? How does the tone of the song and the nature of the music affect your perception of the scene it appears in? Knowing this, turn the technique on yourself.

Look at each character and find a song that suits their nature. Something that really seems to match who they are and how they behave. Next, look at each scene and see if you can find a song or two that fit those perfectly as well. Whenever you sit down to write, play the songs associated with the scene and characters.

It won’t work for everyone, but many people will find that it helps them get into the head-space of the characters and really dig into the scene happening at that moment. Music is a big part of the human condition. Every culture has music, so why not turn that part of our instinctive nature to your benefit on the next thing you go to write?

This can also work on non-fiction, imparting an overall sense of a given chapter or entire manuscript. While not often as useful as it is in works of fiction, it can still give you a sense of the feel you are trying to impart.

What are your thoughts?
