Been going through a difficult time, but there is a news post on the way and it’s all good. In the meantime, enjoy a music video that I’m digging right now, from one of my favorite electronic artists. A lot of BT’s instrumental stuff makes me think of stars/space, so it’s often very good music to science-fiction-and-fantasy along to.
This features some beautiful weather and Milky Way timelapse film.
From Snowmageddon 2010, by the husband.
We’re getting the first heavy snowfall of the winter here in the DC area, so I went out for a walk in it with some musical accompaniment (and I got kinda lost and I saw a bunny!). A few songs struck me as particularly perfect for a walk in the snow, and I thought I’d share them, starting with one I almost always use for such perambulations.
(Mark Isham’s “Many Chinas” should be in here but I couldn’t find a clip on YouTube that was embeddable. But it’s great.)
Okay, so while I procrastinate re: the Line and Orbit sequel (I should just really start calling it Fall and Rising, except I feel like L&O has more name recognition right now) I thought I’d post a couple songs that have been serving as mood-setters for a while now.
One of the dorky (see above) things I do when I’m writing something huge that I love is to find songs that could sort of serve as the “end titles” if what I were working on was a movie. I’ve had one for Line and Orbit for a while that I’ve been referring back to, and now I have one for Fall and Rising as well.
So, Line and Orbit:
M83 ft. Susanne Sundfor – Oblivion
This song is effing perfect, at least in my mind. I didn’t see the film and after reading the general review consensus I don’t much want to, but this song has it all: epic scope, soaring chorus, lyrics about night and stars, and this heartbreakingly lovely little solo piano coda. I can’t imagine any other piece of music serving as well.
Fall and Rising:
Young Beautiful in a Hurry and Bear McCreary – I Forever
Whereas Oblivion is sweeping and epic, this song is smaller and more intimate, which I feel like actually fits the book better. In many ways it’s a smaller, more intensely intimate book, though epic aspects are certainly still there. And I think those aspects are wonderfully captured by the elegant piano and strings, while the vocal pulls you in much closer. It’s also a love song that isn’t necessarily about romantic love, which I think serves to accommodate the range of different relationships I’m working with here.
So that’s it. I’m sure by the time the third as-yet-untitled book rolls around I’ll have something ready for it as well, and I’m sure I’ll be dorky when that happens too.
image by Bethan Phillips
I’ve been kicking some short story-writing into high gear again as I shelve a couple of longer projects for the time being, and that means that the amount of time I spend writing every day has increased a bit. One of the things I’ve found most helpful in pushing me through longer working stretches – keeping me inspired, keeping me motivated – is music. So here are some of my favorites and reliable go-tos, especially for anyone who might be looking for the same.
Posted in Process
Tagged instrumental music, music, music recommendations, writing, writing process
A Trick of Light 