Thursday, May 8, 2008

Music to trespass by


In front of me I have an impossible scene. That is, if I lift my eyes from the screen, and it's so hard not to, I have a scene in front of me that is impossible for writing. Our kitchen windows are huge, and outside it's ridiculously sunny and leafy and warm. My spire is all but obscured by trees now. Quite the metaphor.

This is where I turn to my trusty friend, who has helped me dive into other worlds before, especially when we've arranged to play roleplaying games in the summer. Music.

Film scores are perfect, because they are made to conjure up moods without dominating. For sad romance: Braveheart. For sun drenched happiness: Much ado about nothing. Downright scary: Alien 3. Humid forests: The Mission. Riding, waves or horses: Dances with Wolves. Tinted, but not completely coloured by the stories they belong to.

Today Line is trespassing. Teodor didn't answer the door, and now she has snuck into his library to see if she can find any clues as to why Isvan would be desperate for a certain enchanted axe. So far she has found a tepid cup of tea, a burning candle, some coats in a bundle on the floor. I haven't decided if she will discover the letter from Heidelsneck with the plans for the lobotomy device. But I think she might. And then Balthasars last desperate diary entries. And then darkness will fall from above.

I didn't have any music perfect for that, Alien 3 isn't subtle enough. So I ended up with The Piano. It's haunting and lilting, really better for wandering bleak moors, but it will have to do. Windows? What windows?




(or I could look up instead, also very helpful)

2 comments:

Laini Taylor said...

Movie soundtracks! What a great idea. I love The Mission, especially. I never listen to music when I'm writing, but this could be something to try. If I listen to my treadmill mix while writing, will it make me write faster? It works for running!

tone almhjell said...

Hmm. Maybe!

If you get too caught up in the associations movie scores inevitably give, you could try Icelandic wonderband Sigur Rós. Svefnenglar (angels of sleep) is probably their most famous track. Beautiful, lonely and singular. Most lyrics are in a made up language and therefore don't make your words stray.