General: The best writing aid...

Good Evening,

I have found that there is one thing that can direct my stories immesurably: music. I like a lot of different music, and I've only come to realise recently how much of an effect it has had on my writing.

Whist writing Echoes of Absicon, I have listened to a diverse range of music. From the light, chill sounds of Massive Attack and Portishead to the somewhat eccentric rock of Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead to the heavy sounds of Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave and System of a Down, each has influenced my writing in some way.

Individual songs shape the writing as well. Specifically, Adore by the Smashing Pumpkins, Angel by Massive Attack and Forest by System of a Down have influenced very specific parts of EoA (In part II in fact, there is a whole section that is a personal tribute to the song Adore which will be quite blatant when the story is read, if one knows anything about the Smashing Pumpkins).
The heavy System of a Down song, Forest, made writing a fast paced action scene go far smoother than it otherwise would have.

While I write part three, I think I'll be listening to more esscentric stuff, like more Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and maybe a bit of Mr. Bungle. Part four will probably be written with softer songs, like Portishead and Massive Attack, maybe a bit of Coldplay as well as interludes of heavier stuff like System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, Soundgarden etc.

So when you read parts of Echoes of Absicon and it seems incoherent and unusual, it means I was probably listening to Mr. Bungle or something!

Anyway, thats it for the pointless information.


Ja matta ne!
(How'd I do, Chris?)