WRITING INSIGHT: DIGITARUM AND THE UNOFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK OF THE WRITING PROCESS

It will be a little bit before any new reviews go up since I am still wrapping up my current reads. In the meantime, I thought it might be a good time to put up my first "Writing Insight" post. This one is a little silly, but it seems like a fun place to start before diving into sharing some of my more serious writing experiences. 

The songs that follow aren't really a desired soundtrack to the book or anything like that. Rather, they are tracks that I listened to with particular frequency during the writing PROCESS. Music can be really helpful to me when I am trying to envision a particular scene/set of images or am just searching for a mood/feeling. I obviously listened to a lot more than the following fifteen songs, but these are the ones that flooded my eardrums the most and those that I found most helpful whenever I got stuck. They are listed in no particular order.

Am I not Human?  Two Steps From Hell
  • A heart-pumping instrumental piece that I definitely played on repeat a bit while writing some of the more action-oriented sequences.
Fire and Rain  Matt Kearney
  • I've always liked Matt Kearney's music even though he's on the chiller side of things. This one has a lot of variation it its overall beat and just felt really emotional. I listened to this at various points during the process.
What I've Become - Zach Hempsey
  • Another super intense instrumental what definitely gives me chills every time I hear it. This was just one of those songs that I listened to all the time anyway and so it naturally became a big help during my writing.
Breath of Life  Florence and the Machine
  • Florence Welch has an incredible, power-house voice and this song is just so intense and so chilling that I naturally needed it in my life while writing DIGITARUM.
Knocking on Heaven's Door  Raign
  • So I know this is a wicked old song that has been redone like a thousand times, but Raign's voice is so powerful and her version was moving in a way that I never found any of the prior remakes to be. I was obsessed with it ever since the season finale of The 100 and would have been constantly listening to it even if I wasn't in the middle of writing a novel.
Hanging On – Ellie Goulding (no Tinie Tempah)
  • Just a great tune with a lot of emotional breadth. I didn't listen to this one as much as some others, but there were moments where it was of huge assistance. 
An End Once and For All – Mass Effect 3 Soundtrack
  • DIGITARUM is a lot more of a world-building type of story than it is one that focuses deeply on its characters. Even still, there were points that I wanted to convey a certain sense of tragedy even if readers may not feel a sense of loss in the same way they would in a more character-centric tale. This somber melody was perfect for those points in the process.
Immortals – Fallout Boy
  • An obviously fitting subject since this is a story about immortal beings. Other than that, this is just a kick-ass song with a really snappy tone and a great beat.
Hope in Front of Me – Danny Gokey
  • Despite only knowing two of this guy's songs, I am obsessed with his music. His voice, the update tempo of this track, and the overall tone/message was really great for those points where I was trying to strike a balance between tragedy and hope.
Midnight City – M83
  • A song that inspired the initial concept for the latter half of this book. It's creepy and cool and just has this really unique quality that I love. 
Centuries – Fallout Boy
  • I guess I had a bit of a Fallout Boy kick during this process. Believe it or not, there were one or two other songs by them that I also listened to a lot, but I decided to show a little restraint with this list. 
Style – Taylor Swift
  • Soooo...this is a little bit of an awkward one, but let it be known that Miss Swift's music is something of a guilty pleasure of mine. This one in particular was hugely influential to me because it has this eerie chiming noise that resounds throughout the song that creates a really exquisite mood that I thought was perfect for moments where one of the gods is flying across the sky or certain pieces of technology like the Knight Riders are being used. 
Warriors  Imagine Dragons
  • Imagine Dragons is just a bad-ass group and this song is so good! Enough said on this one, really. 
Wings of Icarus – Cadweller
  • An absolutely breathtaking instrumental beat. This one was listened to A LOT when I wrote the last two chapters of the book. 
Waiting for Superman – Daughtry

  • Perhaps another unconventional one, but I've been a huge fan of Daughtry's music for a while now and this song is one of my favorites. It's also really upbeat which made it great for listening during a wide range of points during the writing process. 


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