Writing Soundtrack

Guest Blogger: Eric Dwight

I used to be one of those screenwriters where I had tons of ideas in my head, but nowhere to start. Sound like a familiar situation? I needed something to get me going and once I did that to keep me going. Then I started to think of things that kept me going or prepared me for other situations. I was an athlete, track and field, and to get ready for a race I would listen to music. I would play some rock songs to get me pumped up. I still do this when I workout to not only to keep pushing myself but it makes the workout go faster. Being an actor I also used music to help get myself into character. For example I played a character who thought he was a bad ass and always had an attitude to him. So I loaded up a folder on my iPod with some old school rap music and brought it to the set. (Public Enemy, Run DMC, Ice-T, NWA) It really helped me get into the part.

So I decided to take this same tactic and apply it to writing. I took one of the stories that I wanted to write and started putting together a folder in my iPod that would best describe what I would like to say with this story. That script, “Life Unattended”, dealt with the topics of going back to your past, confronting old relationships, falling in love, and coming to the conclusion that life is there for you to take control of. So I put together music from Ryan Adams, Joshua Radin, Gavin DeGraw, Rhett Miller, Coldplay, and Josh Joplin Group to name a few. (Basically music from Zack Braff's work in “Garden State” (2004), “The Last Kiss” (2006), and the TV show “Scrubs”) I listened to that music while at the same time writing a treatment, an outline, and a first draft. I found myself at times not being able to stop writing. Other scripts I worked on, and the music I included, were my horror script, “Return to Pine Acres”. I chose music from Rob Zombie, Bush, Marilyn Manson, Rage Against the Machine, and Godsmack. My latest script, a 70's period piece that takes place on a ranch in South Dakota, “Punished Woman's Lake” music from Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty, Crystal Gale, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band were some of the artists.

These “writing soundtracks” have really changed the way I write and have gotten those stories with plots and characters, but no starting point, off the ground. Of course I wouldn't suggest this to everyone. All writing styles are different and what works for one person wouldn't work for the next. But, I haven't had writers block for about four years. I've never heard of anyone who has does this technique, so I'm not sure if it would work for someone else. I'd love to hear comments from people who do this or are going to try this idea. I'd also be interested to hear what type of project and what kind of music you've chosen to use as your writing soundtrack.

Eric Dwight
Omaha, Nebraska
My Blog: MySpace.com/EricDwight