Tough request. I'm not sure I can accurately describe how music influences my writing, but I'll give it a shot.
I mentioned in a previous post how the second half of BLOOD SECRETS was fueled by Marilyn Manson. Let's use this as an example. Listen to his song "Putting Holes in Happiness" (the music more than the actual lyrics) and then I'll explain why I played this song a lot while writing BLOOD SECRETS...
The tone for the song matches the mood for most of the second half of BLOOD SECRETS. Even the lyrics (which I'll include at the end of this post) reflect some of the attitudes, thoughts, and actions of characters--especially the Dollmaker.
I may not always key into the lyrics of a song while I'm writing. I often seek out certain artists to help set the mood for scenes or even an entire book. BLOOD LAW was largely written to artists such as Godsmack, Seether, and Drowning Pool...specifically their song "Bodies." After all, the opening lyrics are "Let the bodies hit the floor..." and that's exactly what happens for most of BLOOD LAW -- bodies drop at a regular pace.
With BLOOD SECRETS, I wanted something that was both creepy and charged with a lot of tension, both emotional and physical. Much of Marilyn Manson's music fits that description. It's dark. It's disturbing. It's macabre. It's full of angst as well as expressed
and repressed desires. I wanted to capture that mood for the triangle that forms between Alex, Varik, and the Dollmaker.
As for why I chose "Putting Holes in Happiness" for one of the main staples of my playlist... I think that's fairly obvious. Alex and Varik start off in much better place in BLOOD SECRETS. They're actually happy in the first few chapters, even though there is still a good bit of tension between them. It was my job as an author to spend the rest of the book punching holes in that happiness.
I've said before that scenes play out in my head like a film. I visualize everything I write as though I'm watching a movie and am providing a blow-by-blow transcript for the reader. And, just like in a film, the choice of soundtrack music can make or break a scene. I suppose the best way I can sum all this up is to ask the following question:
Would the romance between Rose and Jack in Titanic have been as effective if Celine Dion's rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" was replace with "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" by Meatloaf?
I think not.
"Putting Holes In Happiness" - Marilyn Manson
The sky was blonde like her
It was a day to take the child
Out back and shoot it.
I could have buried all my dead
Up in her cemetery head
She had dirty word witchcraft
I was in the deep end of her skin.
Then, it seemed like a one car car wreck
But I knew it was a horrid tragedy.
Ways to make the tiny satisfaction disappear.
Blow out the candles
On all my frankensteins.
At least my death wish will come true.
You taste like Valentine's and
We cry,
You're like a birthday.
I should have picked the photograph
It lasted longer than you.
Putting holes in happiness.
We'll paint the future black
If it needs any color.
My death sentence is a story
Who'll be digging when you finally let me die?
The romance of our assassination
If you're Bonnie, I'll be your Clyde.
But the grass is greener here and
I can see all of your snakes.
You wear your ruins well
Please run away with me to hell.
Blow out the candles
On all my frankensteins.
At least my death wish will come true.
You taste like Valentine's and
We cry,
You're like a birthday.
I should have picked the photograph
It lasted longer than you.
