Top 5 Sundays #140
Getting in a Gage Frame of Mind
by Jocelynn Drake
Writing a novel from first person point of view means trying to get into a specific frame of mind so that the narrator’s voice rings true and consistent through the entire story. I’ve found that Gage, my tattoo artist narrator for the Asylum Tales series, I can most quickly return to his mindset through music.
Within the first few chapters of a new book, I usually start compiling a new music playlist. This process has two purposes. One is that the music starts to become associated with the character, past events, and things that will happen in the new book. The other purpose is that it forces me to start contemplating various aspects of the character’s personality.
I think what surprised me was the stark difference between the music I listened to while I was working on the Dark Days series and the music I gravitate to for the Asylum Tales. Both Mira’s voice and the storyline for Dark Days was considerably darker. During the years I worked on those books, I listened to a great deal of Nine Inch Nails (only during plotting), Marilyn Manson, Korn, Linkin Park, and a handful of movie scores such as Underworld, Constantine, Queen of the Damned, Sleepy Hollow, and Dracula.
But when it comes to Gage, none of those bands and scores work. By comparison, Gage is far more laid back and easy going. The quirky tattoo artist also has hope that everything is going to work out in the end. He also has a pretty good sense of humor, which has resulted in some interesting song choices.
When working with Gage, I was mainly drawn to Shaman’s Harvest and their Shine album, as well as a handful of Theory of a Deadman songs. I think Gage would argue that “Sound of Madness” by Shinedown is a particularly poignant song for him. During some of the darker chapters, I found myself drifting to Blue October’s Approaching Normal and Foiled albums. Scenes set in the tattoo parlor were often written to the Violent Femmes.
Some other Gage songs and artists include:
“Real Thang” by Ty Stone
“Psycho” by Puddle of Mudd
“Shadow on the Run” by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
“Got You (Where I Want You)” by The Flys
“Laid” by James
A lot of Foo Fighters and a little Cage the Elephant
Right now, Bronx is trying to get Gage to listen to more Pink Floyd but Gage is fighting it.
For more information, check out Jocelynn’s Website:
Bio for Jocelynn Drake
Love comes in many varied forms. There is the love of family, love of country, and love of chocolate. But for Jocelynn Drake, one truly treasured love is the love of a good story. This Midwestern native spends the majority of her time lost in the strong embrace of a good book, whether she writing it or reading it doesn’t really matter. When she’s not hammering away at her keyboard, frowning at her monitor, or curled up with a book, she can usually be found cuddling with her cats, Harley and Demona, walking her dog Max, or flinging curses at the TV while playing a video game. Outside of books, cats, and video games, she is completely enamored of Bruce Wayne, Ezio Auditore, travel, explosions, fast cars, tattoos, and Anthony Bourdain (but only when he’s feeling really cranky).
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