Music plays an important role in my writing by giving me ideas and setting a tone, so in recent years I create a playlist for each new project.

My current NaNoWriMo project, Of Teeth and Dreams, now also has a working playlist. Currently sitting at just over an hour, the occassional jarring combination of indie and synthetic rock songs unite to play notes of melancholy, haunting chords, and the feeling of being swept away.

I Will Follow You Into the Dark by Death Cab for Cutie

To start it off: a lulluby. My story is inspired by Monster’s Inc and the idea of a faery having to take care of a human child makes me wonder what kind of song it would sing to put the babe to sleep.

This song is described as expressing the transcendental power of love, and I can’t stop imagining singing it to my own child someday. The chorus goes:

If Heaven and Hell decide that they both are satisfied
Illuminate the “no”s on their vacancy signs
If there’s no one beside you when your soul embarks
Then I’ll follow you into the dark

As the story unfolds with themes connecting both to the celestial and the demonic realms, the protagonist realizes he would do anything and go anywhere for this child. And I think that’s beautiful.

Monster by Undream

Sleeping and dreaming are also strong themes in my novel. The protagonist is a faery who collects dreams. And as a horror story, I am hopeful that the story eventually keeps a few people awake thinking about it, which is why this song is so fitting.

Let me sleep you monster
If only I could speak, I’d scream
Let me sleep you monster
Eyes shut, count 1, 2, 3

The chorus demands sleep and counts sheep in vain. My characters wish that their troubles were just dreams and that the nightmare chasing them would leave them alone long enough to let them sleep.

Something about the tick-tocking and sythesized vocals also makes me think about Halloween, which is the real vibe I was aiming for when I put the playlist together. Its bass line is quite different from the previous song, but the darkness evident in both songs echoe each other in my head.

Glitter and Gloss by Skott

Another very different song, and unlike the previous two, this one doesn’t sing of darkness to me. It actually radiates the opposite: fae glitter, rainbow gold, and dreaming of something more.

The outro is my favorite part of the song because it hints at how even sunlight turns things to dust eventually. There is something compelling about a song that asks you to enjoy the now, to revel in the party, and to savor the dreams because tomorrow it will be gone.

Getting lost in the light
Now there’s a shadow of us
Playing games in the dust
Dreams of glitter and gloss

I think I like the song most because the upbeat makes it sound happy even though the theme seems to be simultaneously about loss and living your best life. In the story, the protagonist asks himself: Is he satisfied with his life? Or is there a better version of himself out there? If it is going to be gone tomorrow either way, shouldn’t you find out what you’re missing?

…

Now that I am nearing the 30% completion mark of the book, I am quite pleased with the progress. I already have a running list of things I want to fix for the next draft, but the story is telling itself rather well, and I am still excited to see it to its end.

What music do you listen to while you create art?