My Dad always used to say, “Always remember that there is a song for every moment in your life. It both inspires and takes you away, if only just for a little while.”

My Dad was a wise man.

My Dad passed away almost 6 years ago on May 11th at the young age of 47. The statement that he made time and time again that I shared with you all in the above paragraph is one of many memories of him that I will hold near and dear to my heart. His passion for losing himself in the music he loved so much has been passed on to me, my brother, and now to my own children; albeit in different ways. I took on writing to great music, my brother draws to it, and my kiddos have been known to belt out a tune or two while mommy or daddy are in the middle of important phone conversations or even friendly Skype chats 😉

Dad was right, music is inspiring. As a writer, I find that I gravitate toward certain music as I write certain scenes; it just seems to get me in the right mindset. All I have to do is close my eyes and get lost in the beat. Then … BAM! An idea hits me like a ton of bricks.

Like many writers, I have my ‘go to’  bands if I am trying to give my muse a swift kick in the ass. I won’t list them all below, because then I’d have a never ending blog post. But know that I have really diverse tastes in my music. I can listen to any genre really with exception to twangy country … It’s just not my thing.

Number one on my list: Evanescence. Who can’t write to ‘Going Under’ or ‘Bring me to life’? Amy Lee’s voice is haunting, melodic and just … beautiful. That voice and those beats can easily get me in the right mindset to write horror or anything else for that matter. All I really have to do is slip in any Evanescence CD and I’m there. Every single CD is worth a listen or two or three or four …  At least in my opinion 😀 .

When I want to write a steaming hot, hardcore, sex scene, or a fight scene, I throw in some techno, dance, or trance music. Mainstays for me are Lady Gaga’s ‘Government Hooker’  and Linkin Park‘s ‘When They Come for Me’. Anything with an amazing beat that makes you wanna move your entire body can definitely translate into something pretty goddamn mind blowing. I just close my eyes, let my fingers flow across the keyboard, and go with it. I let what’s been pent up inside release on the screen. I highly recommend trying it; I can pretty much guarantee you’ll be satisfied with the outcome  as well 😉

Here’s a really HOT video I just found recently …

What do I listen to to conjure that creep factor? Have you ever heard of Nox Arcana? Now that’s some creepy music … inspiring really. I particularly like ‘Night of the Wolf’. Give it a watch below. I think you’ll see what I am talking about 😉

As a young child, I never really understood what my Dad meant. Nor did I understand why he would come home from work, rush down to the living room, place his HUGE headphones on his head, sit down directly in front of the stereo, messing around with the dials, and settle in with his eyes closed.

Now that I’m older, I totally get it. Music was to him, what writing is to me; a daily download. He was right; music, reading, and writing all inspire and take me away, if only just for a little while. I miss you Dad … Wish you were here …

 I will leave you all with a couple questions …

Is there a particular song or band that you absolutely adore? Is there a song or band that brings up great memories? A song or band that inspires you?

Leave me a comment if there is. I’d love to hear your answers!

Until next time …

~J. Marie