Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Road-Trip Wednesday: The Music of Your (Character's) Soul...

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.


This week's topic:
If your WIP or favorite book were music, what song(s) would it be?


I am so glad that this is the topic I jump back into Road-Trip Wednesdays with.  *does little happy dance*  As we all know, my writing is heavily influenced by music (isn't that true for us all, though?)...but by one band in particular.

Yep, you guessed it.  SEETHER.  only the best band ever...and nearly every one of my manuscripts have been influenced in some way shape or form by their music.  Don't believe me?  Well, here are some examples of my Seether-esque writing obsession:

BROKEN (about a girl battling her way back from addiction) was inspired by Fine Again off the Disclaimer album.

A SLIVER OF HOPE (the one I affectionately refer to as my suicidal sister novel) emerged from (in addition to a rather freaky weekend marathon of Discovery Health's Mystery Diagnosis) the lyrics of Fake It from the Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces album.

ALWAYS AND FOREVER (i.e. cancer girl who's a real bitch to everyone she loves most...yeah, I need to fix that...make her more likeable and shit) was actually the product of an ee Cummings poem, a Rise Against song (Savior), Seether's Breakdown, again off Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces and Remedy from their Karma and Effect CD.

Which brings me to my current effort(s) SHUT UP and an as-yet untitled WiP.  SHUT UP was inspired by Rise Above This from (you guessed it...my fave of their albums) Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces and the untitled work grew out of my current obsession with Country Song, the first single off their upcoming album Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray.  Hello?  How can I not be obsessed with a band whose album titles alone are sheer poetry?

Oh! and while you're visiting, you should really enter my Friday Five contest. It closes tomorrow.

14 comments:

  1. Music is the one thing I can absolutely not live without. It has the ability to cheer me when I am down. Make me smile when I thought I couldn't. Make me wanna get up and dance.

    All of my favorite memories are tied to music. For some, it may be a smell, or a taste. For me it is song. When I hear Barbara Streisand sing I am transported back to the summer before I left for bootcamp with my Gram.

    And there are specific songs that take me back that even now, when they come on, I crank them up and let myself remember.

    Love, love, love Music. So of course it only goes that music and writing go hand and hand.

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  2. i use music for a lot of things (boosting the mood, creating a mood, running, walking) but the one thing i didn't use it for was writing.

    i'm working on fixing that now.

    the only problem is that i can't have music on when i write. the lyrics interfere with the creation of my own words, so i have to listen to the songs before i start writing to get me in the proper frame of mind. i think it's working though!

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  3. I've never written a story from an idea I got from a song. And, really, I don't listen to songs with words while I'm writing (it distracts me). Instead I listen to movie soundtracks. But at the end of my first draft I'll start gathering songs for a playlist. I always envied writers who could write to songs. I just end up listening and not writing.

    Also, I love that Seether song.

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  4. I'm like Abby -- I can't have any background music when I'm writing. I need it quiet.

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  5. I'd have to agree with you. MY WIP is heavily influenced by two of my favorite bands, A perfect Circle and Killswitch Engage.

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  6. I think it's really, really cool that one bad has provided such a wealth of inspiration for you. That's awesome! Also, loving that song.

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  7. I agree, love that song. Need to learn more about Seether

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  8. I'm learning about so many new bands/songs today, incl. Seether!
    I also love the title "Holding onto Strings Better Left to Fray."

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  9. I find it really interesting how the songs themselves have inspired you. I love the different ways people get their ideas. I use music as a creative catalyst, not as the original source. Fascinating!

    Good music! I saw "Seether" and thought, hang on, that sounds familiar and turns out I have "Broken" in my iTunes! hah!

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  10. I love the song titles! This week's writing prompt is awesome! It's been a blast seeing what everyone's song choices are.

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  11. Hee hee...it sounds like you are influenced by Seether the way I am influenced by Brand New! :-)

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  12. Don't hate me, but I've never heard of Seether! I like the music you posted though... perhaps I need to branch out of my country comfort zone a bit. :)

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  13. I love music, but it actually rarely affects my writing. I only listen to music while writing when I need to feel a very specific, powerful emotion. I'm one of the few who don't have wIP playlists! Apparently, I'm weird.... lol.

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