Action Scenes

Yesterday, I was revising one of my high-paced action scenes and I was having a little bit of trouble with it. What happens next? I kept having to ask myself, but I couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. My characters were reacting to high-stakes happenings by meandering. They dawdled in replying to demanding questions and didn't seem to care that time was of the essence.

Then I realized the problem. I was listening to one my usual soundtrack for editing and revision: barely-there ambient soundscapes. So I switched to another revision soundtrack. This one was a mix of classical tracks. Still, not exactly helping me to get in the right frame of mind. Then I just broke down. Sure, I was in the midst of revising and not technically at the drafting stage, but I needed some drafting music. Specifically, music for drafting action scenes.



For me, nothing quite compares to thumping bass and action movie soundtracks for suggesting movement and urgency. When I played these tracks, a strange thing began to happen. My pen matched the rhythm of the scene. Suddenly, words were flying from it as fast as my imagination came up with them. My characters were running, fleeing, and getting it done. For me, it's the best way to get a scene moving when it's stalled. Plus, it's actually pretty fun. Maybe you'd prefer a different mix of music: metal or drum and bass or what have you -- but still, you should try it.

Motivation in Contemporary Times

When I last maintained the blog "Inspiration Music for Writers", I had one or two posts that had to do with motivational music. And while I fully intend on revamping those entries and reposting them here, the world has moved on since then. And in the meantime a whole new crop of songs have been released and are currently part of the zeitgeist. And so, here it is: my list of songs on modern popular charts that remind me why I am doing what I'm doing, and keep me doing what I'm doing. Especially potent when played first thing in the morning:

1. Britney Spears - Work B**ch: At first, I paid no attention to this song. What little of the lyrics I caught seemed silly and nursery-rhyming. "Tell everybody in your town", or some such nonsense. But then one day I really listened. And suddenly I realized that the message was super simple and powerful: sure, Will.i.am (one of the song writers) refers mainly to material goods, but it can apply to anything: contrary to some belief systems, no matter what your goal is, you're going to have to work your ass off for it. I like to think of this song, when I listen to it, as a little pep talk to myself. Tough self-love, let's say. It also works for workouts. Which is why the video doesn't really mesh for me with the message. Here I am giving myself a pep talk and meanwhile Britney Spears is involved in some kind of weird slavery imagery? Ick. Also, product placement. Ick.

 

2. Katy Perry - Roar: This song, for me, is about finding one's inner strength. Beyond all the Rockyesque references, for me it's about getting it done even when I don't want to. Again, pretty lame video. Spearing a banana it's quite the achievement that comes to mind.

 

3. Sara Bareilles - Brave: Brave, something that a writer or artist of any kind requires every step of the way. Even writing a first draft can be difficult if you have other people's criticizing voices in your head. And every time you submit a piece of writing to literary magazines, to agents, publishers, and eventually to the public, there's always a chance of rejection. Even telling other people that you're a writing, aspiring or published, requires immense amounts of bravery...since most people judge. At those times, it's a good idea to remember the lyrics of this song.

 

4. Hedley - Anything: And then when judgements come, there's always this ditty by Hedley to remember. Its such an awesome stance towards the haters. Also, I really like the idea of momentum. Because again, anything worth doing requires work. And the more I work, it seems, the more work I am motivated to do.

 

5. Down with Webster - One in a Million: I like this song for times when I am filled with self-doubt. There are so many folks self-publishing these days or having their books traditionally published. Sometimes it feels like deciding to be an author is the decision to enter a heavily saturated market. But I have to believe. I have to know that I can do this, and that even though my chances at success are small, there are not non-existent. Don't think you can do it? Belief. There's one thing you need.

 

6. Classified - Inner Ninja: But you also need to know your stuff. To master your craft. And that's the lesson I learned from "Inner Ninja." If you want to be the best at something, especially an art, you have to learn it and you need to practice it. Belief, work, persistence. That's all we need.

 

7. Beyoncé - Grown Woman: Another one for the haters. The message is simple: just leave it alone. It's my decision to write, and that's what I'm going to do.

****Update: Bonus Motivation Track: Rollin' by iSH! So good!****

Futuristic/Robotic Music II

I approve of these songs
(robotic voice)

Hey, kids! I thought I'd start this blog off by doing a comprehensive Part II of the music that inspired my manuscript, RoboNomics. Futuristic, robotic, great stuff like that. Some of it I covered over on my other blog, but I couldn't help but feeling, even as I wrote that post, that it left out some essential tracks.

Here's a run down of the tracks I covered there:

1. ON AND ON - The Hunter: For amazing use of robotic-like vocals

2. Grimes - Genesis: Spooky, otherworldly, ethereal. Love anything weird for the use of inspiration.

3. Massive Attack - Karmacoma: Trip-hop may be a thing of the past, but its association in my mind with movies like The Matrix will forever mean that it is futuristic, for me.

4. Goldfrapp - Human: More trip-hop, but that actually asks, "Are you human?" Spooky.

5. Fever Ray - Concrete Walls: Because if you're writing speculative fiction, you just gotta have some Fever Ray.

6. Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating: Soundtrack for an automated world

7. Kanye West & Bon Iver: Lost in the Woods: Because nothing says robots quite like auto-tune.

Definitely has some holes. So here's some other tracks that are more emblematic of the atmosphere I am trying to capture in my manuscript:



1. Allez Allez - Weird Science: Electronic beats. Enough said. In fact, here's some more:

2. Kate Boy - Northern Lights: Yummy and atmospheric.

3. Imagine Dragons - Radioactive: For some reason, this song has been inspiring me lately. Maybe
it's a mixture of the particular sound with all those lyrics about apocalypse.

4. Portal 2 OST - The Future Starts with You: Definitely have to have some Portal 2 in there. If you want to write about an increasingly electronic world, this is kinda what it would sound like. Am I right?

5. Björk - Army of Me: How could I have even written that first blog post without a little Björk? How is it even possible to write any sci fi without a little bit of her weird playing in the background? Seriously??!

6. Florence + the Machine - Cosmic Love: Maybe I just love the mix of electro beats and the emotional vocals. Similarly,

7. Ellie Goulding - Under Control: Add some bleeps and blorps and we've got a future city.

8. Janelle Monae - Many Moons: No robotic playlist would be complete without a little Janelle Monae and her obsession with androids.

9. Röyksopp feat. Robyn - The Girl and the Robot: A song that's actually about human-robot love. Haha.

10. Tiësto feat. Tegan and Sara - Feel It in My Bones: Quite a lot of umlauts on this playlist. Germanic language speakers and robots = gold? Can this be a coincidence?

So what do you think about my playlist? Did I miss anything (other than sci fi movie soundtracks, which I left out on purpose). What do you listen to while writing sci fi?

Welcome!

I started another blog! This was is a revitalisation of an old blog that I kept a couple years ago. It was a pretty popular one and also it was fun. So here we go again peeps, a blog that hopes to bring to you all things inspirational in the audio department. Listen to the music that I recommend and let new worlds be opened to you!

Hooray! :)