HOW COULD I POSSIBLY KNOW HIM?
How could I, a happy, blessed, teenage girl, possibly understand this tortured elf prince? Well, for a start, admitting that I couldn't. Realizing that I couldn't comprehend what he went through--didn't even want to comprehend--I decided from the beginning that scenes in his mind would be very, very, very few.
Seeing him through the eyes of my heroine Tellie, even more innocent than I, allowed me to keep his past shrouded as it should be and gave him a compelling aura of mystery.
Nonetheless, I needed to know a bit what was going on inside if I was to portray him well outside. And one thing that really helped was music. We're not just talking epic soundtrack...we're talking rockin' music with electric guitars and such that had absolutely NO place in my story. But that didn't matter. I needed mood, I needed struggle--I needed attitude.
So here are some of the songs that influenced me the most. And yes, some parts might make you laugh. As it turned out, songs from the album Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmeron were very inspiring. Funny, that. ;)
This first song has been Errance's
theme-song since I came up with the story about four years ago. It
perfectly portrays his defiant, never-give-up attitude. The style of
music is decidingly un-elvish, but that works just fine.
Only about the first half of this next song serves as inspiration...I kind of start getting tired of the same lyrics over and over. But once again--attitude! Makes Errance's position towards his captors very clear.
And now we see more of Errance's desperate side...with a song entitled Desperate, appropriately enough. :) Yes, it's sung by a girl, but it really reflects his anger and agony. These lyrics are especially perfect:
"I know there's so much at stake,
But I don't know if I can take,
But I don't know if I can take,
One more pat on the back,
Saying I'll be okay,
Can't you see my whole life is in disarray?"
The rest of the song moves on to more trust and hope in God sort of message, which Errance isn't at yet, so it doesn't fit.
And this song...it pretty much speaks for itself concerning Errance. The whole "Sound the Bugle" part doesn't make much sense in context, but still...this song was huge in inspiring a certain scene.
And yeah...this song would work for the end credits of Moonscript to a dime. So the lyrics may or may not be spoiler for the end of the book. ;)
9 comments:
I do that sometimes too. If I need a mood for something that I have not experienced, I listen to music with that same vibe. It has made for some interesting soundtracks on my computer :)
Yep. It's funny how completely unrelated music can inspire the same story. :D
Music is quite inspiring. :)
Tee hee! I can sympathize with that. I like movie soundtracks for writing, because they're all about conveying mood.
Oh certainly! I have a LOT of movie soundtrack to inspire certain scenes and feeling. But I've noticed that lyrical songs often work best for Character Development.
And yet again my comment does not go through for some mysterious reason. O_o
I do the same thing with using music to learn more about my characters! In fact, one of the first questions I ask when I listen to a song is: does it fit a character/story? I really liked listening to your choices for Errance.
Interestingly, the first two songs remind me a bit about one or two of my own characters at certain points during their stories . . .
As a side note, I got a very amusing image picturing Errance singing these. xD
Yes, it's so much fun! I'm glad you enjoyed my choices!
And yeah...sometimes I can't help but picture him singing these...and I bust out laughing. XP
I loved this post and what great songs! I can't wait to get to know Errance someday. God bless.
Great post! I did a lot of writing with soundtracks like Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Pirates of the Caribbean. But I think its time to find some new ones. :-)
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