I'm a visual writer. I see scenes then translate them into words. But every now and then I find a song that triggers a mood or an emotion that then triggers scenes for a book.
I'm working on two stories at the same time right now. The first is a straight-up romance with an erotic edge. The other is a werewolf menage.
I've been working on "Pleasure Control" for longer than I'd like to have been. It's been a struggle as I reach for motivations. But then I started to listen to "What a Catch, Donnie" by Fall Out Boy and something about the "troubled thoughts and self-esteem to match" hit a lot of buttons in the story for me. The video is a lot of FOB nonsense but I've had a secret crush on lead singer, Patrick Stump, for years so, yeah, I like it. The song, though, is pure brain candy.
The menage had been working in my head since I finished "Kiss of Moonlight" (working title), the first in my new series from EC (coming soon). I had the characters but the story wasn't coming together. I didn't really know where it was going. I couldn't see it.
And then I heard
And something clicked. I hadn't seen the video until I decided to embed it in this blog so nothing about the video works for me. Only the song itself has helped me to see the opening scene of smoky chaos and rubble, and feel the fear and desperation. I'd heard part of the song in some ad on TV but it didn't really register until I heard the entire song on Alt Nation on SiriusXM. (Have I said lately how much I love my Sirius?) That chorus, "Save me, I'm lost," picked a little corner of my brain and took up residence. And my heroine Tira started to take shape. She's more than a little lost and she needs Duke and Nic to save her. And maybe do a little saving herself.
Where The Killers' Dustland Fairytale fits in, I'm still not sure. I've had that on heavy rotation on iTunes the past couple of days. There's just something about the tone of the song that's calling me. I think it might be the line, "out here, the good girls die." Tira is a good girl who's headed for an early death. And it won't be pretty. And I can see it when I listen to this song.
The brain certainly is an odd little computer.
3 comments:
I can't agree more. I heard a song in the background on CSI:NY and it stuck with me. It's not on iTunes but I found a video for it on YouTube, which led me to a free download. Color me one happy girl! The song is "Beauty's Running Wild" by Scars on 45. I don't know if it's the lyrics, the melody, or the singer's Irish lilt that does it for me, but that song does it for me. I only downloaded it 2 days ago and I've already played it at least 20 times to get me through the next scene in progress.
I *love* running into a song that just grabs you by the throat and says, "This is what your story has been missing." It brings the story to life for me.
Great blog, Steph, and nice new format! Love it!
Thanks Carla. I'll have to check out your song. Sounds up my alley.
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