If Music Be the Food for Thought

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The short story 'Bring the Night' in

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How did authors ever get on without the internet? It makes instant experts of us all. Virtually everything is described and presented in images and diagrams for swift elucidation. This is an incredible boon to an author, who has all the libraries he or she is ever likely to consult at their fingertips. Images and art inspire authors in their depictions and are particularly useful in helping authors visualise people, places, objects and a million other things besides.

I like lots of stimulus when I writing. I'm not one of those go lock yourself in a silent room or spent the Summer in a remote cabin kinds of authors. I'm happy to have people around me while I'm writing. I write with my wife and children around me. I write in crowded cafes. I have even snatched an hour or two between seminars and signings at events, surrounded by authors and editors.

The one concession I make to isolating my thoughts is headphones. Music is a polite, little shower curtain I draw about myself when writing. I'm listening to music right now as I type this. I'm not saying I can't write without music but I certainly find it helps - and for more than just providing a barrier. I often try to match the feel of the music to what I am writing - in tone at least and not just content. This works particularly well with film, television, trailer and game soundtracks where an emotional architecture has already been built into the tracks. I find that great music can really help to lift the composition of a scene, description or interchange.

I recently asked around on social media for suggestions and am compiling a list of great tracks and soundtrack albums. I know that there are fantastic tracks out there that I haven't heard or perhaps just forgotten. I would welcome any further suggestions on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments section of the blog. As a reminder, you can join me on any or all of these by Liking, Following or Joining using the buttons on the side bars. The more the merrier. In return I thought I might share a few favourites of mine here. Tracks that I think are amazing for setting a certain tone of mood. Rather than go Space Marine-bombastic I thought I might present some more thoughtful tracks that build and gain a momentum in their different ways. Tracks that really carry you alone as you are writing.

So, my Top 20 thoughtful tracks, in no particular order. The trick is to ignore the context. Some are from fantastic films and some from poor ones. Try to divorce the music from its source and enjoy it as is. No analysis or information. I'll let the music speak for itself. Further great suggestions might change this selection, of course!



1. 'Song for Bob' by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis from 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'.




2. 'Journey to the Line' by Hans Zimmer from 'The Thin Red Line'.




3. 'Promontory' by Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman from 'The Last of the Mohicans'.




4. 'Comptine d'un Autre Été: L'Après Midi' by Yann Tiersen from 'Amelie'.




5. 'Elegy' by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy from the 'Man of Steel' trailer.




6. 'Wilson, I'm Sorry' by Alan Silvestri for 'Cast Away'.




7. 'Krypton's Theme' by John Williams for 'Superman: The Movie'.




8. 'Any Other Name' by Thomas Newman from 'American Beauty'.




9. 'The Departure' by Michael Nyman from 'Gattaca'.




10. 'Crossing the Atlantic' by John Williams from 'Amistad'.




Click HERE for Tracks 11-20.

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'We deal in dread...'
from Bring the Night in Renegades of the Dark Millennium.

If Music Be the Food For Thought 2

OUT NOW

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11. 'Drive Away' by Thomas Newman from 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'.




12. 'The Last Message / A particularly Beautiful Day' by John Murphy from 'Sunshine'.




13. 'London' by James Newton Howard from 'Blood Diamond'.




14. 'First Sleep' by Cliff Martinez from 'Solaris'.




15. 'Godspeed' by Klaus Badelt from 'The Time Machine'.




16. 'Good to Go' by Alan Silvestri from 'Contact'.




17. 'Chevalier de Sangreal' by Hans Zimmer from 'The Da Vinci Code'.




18. 'Trailer song' by Giles Lamb from the trailer for 'Dead Island'.




19. 'Finale' by Trevor Morris from 'The Tudors'.




20. 'Time' by Hans Zimmer from 'Inception'.




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'What must I do beyond the ease of killing, to get the attention of these daemon deities? These dogs of damnation?'
Archaon: Everchosen

Soundtracks To Write By #7

It’s been a little while since I returned to this feature – so I thought it was deserving of some attention. I’m not a very musical person. I can’t sing (although I occasionally embarrass myself on Xbox ‘Lips’) and I can’t play an instrument. These abilities require a combination of skilled coordination and memory that I simply don’t have. It’s a fantastic gift, however, and I am in awe of people who do have it. While I can sit in silence with a pen, paper or laptop I find that listening to music adds a depth and a dynamic to the writing experience. Music helps to remove you from the ‘what is’ and immerse you in the ‘what might be’. It can lead to fresh ideas and directions or can simply help a scene rattle nicely off on the keyboard. I find that it is useful for putting me in a more creative frame of mind. I believe this has to do with the parts of the brain that the experience of music activates. I suspect that on some kind of scan the brain lights up like a Christmas tree when listening to music - and that some types produce very specific kinds of stimuli. Another part of this process probably has something to do with conditioning. Through repetitive action I’ve inadvertently trained my brain to quickly adapt to the needs of a creative session. Upon hearing certain kinds of music, I swiftly get into the mood to write something. This can be useful. You can’t always wait until the planets are in alignment and the wind is blowing the right direction to begin a new project, new paragraph or new sentence.

Today we’re back to the musical genius that is Hans Zimmer. He’s highly sought after in Hollywood and with good reason. His scores can really lift a piece of cinema. Even in relatively disappointing films, his tracks often help produce memorable scenes and sequences. I’ve chosen a couple of pieces that are not only helpful in creating a more investigative, rather than action-oriented, atmosphere – but also make me feel like I’m unlocking the secrets of some kind of puzzle as actually writing. Some tracks make any activity feel epic. Try listening to these while doing a rubik’s cube or doing your tax returns: you’ll think you’ve discovered the resting place of the Holy Grail or something! They are both variations on the same tune and come from the Da Vinci Code series of films. I can take or leave these films (although there are far worse ways of spending a couple of hours) but find that the soundtracks and main theme stay with you.

Soundtracks to Write By 6#

I really enjoy listening to film soundtracks while I’m writing. There’s a lot of fantastic stuff out there. The trick is finding it or remembering it from a great film you have enjoyed. Films don’t always have to great in order to produce really stirring soundtracks. The Time Machine (2002) starring Guy Pearce is an enjoyable film that in fairness could have been a lot better. It does have some nice touches. Serious brownie points go to the film being helmed by director Simon Wells, who just happens to be the great-grandson of the writer of the original (and genre-defining) novella HG Wells. The film does, however, benefit from a seriously uplifting and epic soundtrack. A particular favourite of mine are several tracks that chart the time traveller’s genius and construction of his time machine. I also like tracks that celebrate the Eloi. Both are included in the suite below. The soundtrack was composed by Klaus Badelt, who was also responsible for some fine work on the soundtrack for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with Hans Zimmer. Enjoy.

Soundtracks To Write By 5#

Today we go for something with a little more soul. Some soundtracks roll with the bombast and excitement of adventure and peril. Others chart darker and more meaningful territory. This track, ‘Crossing the Atlantic’ from the soundtrack to the movie Amistad, charts to capture of African villagers, their brutal enslavement and transportation in horrific conditions across to Atlantic to slave plantations waiting for them in the Caribbean. This track has it all: the fear and confusion of the Africans, the senseless barbarity of which human beings are capable and the rising, indomitable endurance of the human spirit. The music feels almost heavy with the weight of emotion and historical significance – yet inspires with a momentum that amounts to a dramatic irony. We know the ultimate fate of the people on the ship.

Soundtracks To Write By #4

Sometimes underrated films produce some excellent soundtracks. Sunshine falls very much into that category. We have an Academy Award winning director, a Saturn Award winning writer and an excellent cast with a really juicy science fiction concept to play with. The film works on so many levels and I enjoy it a great deal, but for the last minute desire to please the mad axeman / horror crowd. Fortunately, the soundtrack - by John Murphy – spends more of its time exploring the desperation and intensity of human emotion aboard the Icarus II, against the backdrop of interstellar emptiness and the life and death contradiction that is our nearest star. This is a track demonstrating all of the above called The Surface of the Sun, but in reality the soundtrack is worthy in its entirety. If you haven't, you should also check out the film.

Soundtracks To Write By #3

Some tracks can’t wait to get to their bombastic fanfares. Some are playful and full of character. There are some pieces that hold their cards to their chest, building slowly and ascending with emotional range. The two tracks that follow fall into that final category. They are brave in their early restraint and their movements subtly affecting. Both pieces have vertiginous climaxes that are well worth the wait. Each puts the listener at the centre of this intensity and significance: certainly a fertile and inspirational place for a writer to be.

Both tracks are by the excellent Hans Zimmer. The first is called Journey To The Line from the soundtrack to the equally excellent film, The Thin Red Line. The second is simply called Time from the climax to the brilliant Inception. Enjoy.

Soundtracks To Write By #2

Does art imitate life or does life imitate art? I don’t know. I know Oscar Wilde had a fairly definite position on the issue. No sooner have I initiated the ‘Soundtracks to Write By’ blog entries than Heresy Online joins the movement. I’m going to have to agree with Bane of Kings at Heresy that the Eleventh Doctor’s tune is pretty damn special. Here it is. Life reflecting art reflecting life back at itself. What do you think of that, Oscar? Talking of life and art, Oscar Wilde would have made an excellent Doctor.

Soundtracks To Write By #1

I lead a busy life in a busy house. I don’t have the luxury of a writer’s retreat – a cabin in the woods or a cottage on an isolated island. I do have a shed, like Roald Dahl, but it’s full of junk. In such circumstances a pair of headphones can help to create an enclosed space. Any music can provide a barrier. When I’m writing I tend to favour choices that stir the emotions. Some are bombastic pieces, some delicate and atmospheric, some quirky and exciting. They provide a creative ambiance – a wall of sound against which the mind’s eye can be projected.

I listen to a range of pieces at any one time – the vast majority coming from cinematic soundtracks. The great thing about soundtracks is that they already have drama and emotion written into their movements. I’d like to share some of my favourites - not in any particular order - from time to time and encourage others to indulge in the magic of individual tracks. Also, good films can have lousy tracks and awful films can be blessed with some excellent music. For me the tracks exist in isolation: I like the films to which some tracks belong and dislike others. The first is the soundtrack suite from the film Apollo 13 by James Horner.