There are so many different opinions on practically every facet of writing: write alone holed up in a room or in a crowded place like Starbucks, write in silence or write to music, write longhand or type on computer, planner or pantser, edit as you go or just write like the wind...etc. etc.
I like to write to music, and it doesn't matter whether I am alone, with a small group of fellow writers, or surrounded by strangers. My ability to multi-task comes in handy quite a bit...particularly when I am hosting a write-in for NaNoWriMo, since as the ML I can't just ignore everyone else. Anyway, the music I listen to while writing tends to vary a bit based on the story and on the characters.
I listen to a broad range of music, from classical to metal, pop/rock to country, whatever. What is fairly standard with any soundtrack created for a novel is that it is music I have listened to enough that I no longer find myself focusing on the lyrics. Now, I admit that typically a lot of the same artists and songs crop up over and over again, but that is because I can feel so many emotions and connect to so many different parts of the song that they work for a variety of moods.
Some of my favorite artists/bands to listen to while writing include: Epica, Paramore, Florence + the Machine, Leaves' Eyes, Kamelot, Nightwish, Blake Shelton, The Band Perry, Evanescence, Within Temptation, and Carrie Underwood.
For the Souls Trilogy, I found during the rewriting stage that I wanted to try something I had never done before. Instead of having a mixed soundtrack with a bunch of different artists and genres, what if I tried to focus on one band and use just their songs. With the progress it inspired for Souls Unknowing, I was glad for that idea to use as a focus.
Souls Unknowing finds a soundtrack consisting of nothing but songs by Paramore. I own all of their albums and have seen them in concert twice, with a planned third experience this summer. I love the energy of the songs, the way that a lot of the lyrics seemed to connect with my already planned plot and character re-writing, and...did I mention that Paramore actually has a song called "Misguided Ghosts" and the Souls trilogy is about ghosts? It really just seemed like a match made in heaven.
I have already figured out which band to use for Souls Abandoned and it will be more of a Rock/Metal feel with Within Temptation as my band of choice, so now I just have to decide which direction to go for the final book, Souls Crossing--currently it seems to be leaning towards country, and I may be using The Band Perry.
So, for anyone who might be curious as to which wonderful Paramore songs made the cut for my Souls Unknowing playlist, I shall list them below.
"Let the Flames Begin"
"Still Into You"
"Let This Go"
"Fast in My Car"
"Misguided Ghosts"
"Emergency"
"My Heart"
"The Only Exception"
"Decoy"
"Fences"
"Turn it Off"
"Ignorance"
"Looking Up"
"That's What You Get"
"Pressure"
"Hallelujah"
"Brick by Boring Brick"
"Last Hope"
"Brighter"
"Hate to See Your Heart Break"
"All We Know"
"Future"
It is a great mix of some of their early songs and newer ones and each song has a string of lyrics that fits nicely to plot and character events within the novel (at least in my mind). The music of Paramore so greatly helped to direct the re-write that I've actually even mentioned them in the acknowledgments. The fangirl in me honestly hopes that perhaps someday Hayley Williams (lead singer of Paramore) might read my book. It would basically be the greatest thing in the whole world.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy Souls Unknowing when it is released and that this soundtrack gives you a greater insight into both my writing process in general, and this novel specifically.
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