Music has always been a vital part of my writing because it speaks directly to the emotional and creative side of my brain. In a very real sense, it puts the logical side to ‘sleep’. For me, that is a necessity because technical writing comes so much easier.
But finding the right music for the right story has never been easy. Until today.
I give you, ‘The Journey of a Scarecrow’, by Indie composer – Jean-Gabriel Raynaud:
The instant the Scarecrow track began to play [on Soundcloud], I knew precisely who it was for. The quirky playfulness screamed ‘Acolyte’!
Who? What?
For those few brave souls who read my scifi/fantasy novel, ‘Vokhtah’, you may remember the small iVokh who worked for the Healers in Needlepoint. The Scarecrow is its signature song.
For everyone else, here’s a short excerpt from the book that introduces the reader to the Acolyte:
The Female was fast asleep when the steady drip, drip of the timepiece was joined by the scrape of wood across sand.
It was a small sound, as was the gap that appeared between the edge of the door and its frame. The gap was just wide enough to admit two twiggy fingers tipped with blunted claws. The fingers strained at the wood to no avail.
A dull thump sounded from the other side of the door as something heavy hit the sand. Two more fingers appeared and four blunted claws dug into the wood as the fingers jerked at the door. Each jerk widened the gap a little further until persistence finally triumphed, and the opening became wide enough for a small black face to appear.
Everything about that face was small, except for the eyes, which glowed huge and golden in the soft, blue light of the chamber’s single glow-worm.
After darting a timid glance from left to right, the face disappeared only to be replaced a moment later by a small black rump. Over-sized, jet black wings swept the sand as the hunched shape of the small iVokh backed into the chamber, dragging a sloshing leather bota. The water sack was almost as tall as the iVokh itself.
Diminutive by any standard, the healers’ acolyte looked more like an iVokhti than a fully-grown iVokh. In fact, the only parts of its anatomy close to normal size were its wings, and they seemed far too large for its small frame.
The Acolyte’s lack of stature was accompanied by a corresponding lack of strength. The Junior mocked its weakness at every opportunity, but the young iVokh prided itself on never failing in its duty. Clever and resourceful, it compensated for the weakness of its body by using the power of its wings. Only rarely did it have to rely on brute strength as it did now.
Bent over the bota, struggling to regain its breath, it stiffened as derisive hoots sounded from the outer cavern.
The Acolyte’s hide took on a hot, yellowish tinge. It did not like being closed in with the female, but it liked listening to the Junior’s oh-so-witty barbs even less. Pulling itself upright with a jerk, it grabbed the leather handle of the door with both hands and pulled. Embarrassment was a powerful motivator, and the door closed quickly.
The Acolyte features in Book 3 of The Suns of Vokhtah. Unfortunately, I’m still on book 2. That means I mustn’t allow myself to listen to this new music until I’m ready to write the Acolyte’s story… -cries quietly-
I hate these games I have to play with my subconscious, but my muse is temperamental at the best of times. At least now, I have a lot to look forward to.
Anyone else play games with their muse?
Meeks
November 6th, 2019 at 8:56 pm
Wow! This article just blew my mind. Such an amazing read.Thank you for the value offered here:-)
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November 7th, 2019 at 7:51 am
Welcome. 🙂
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October 16th, 2019 at 6:05 am
LOVE THAT MUSIC!!! Love the excerpt, too, of course, but I already knew I would. The music was a happy, creepy surprise. Sharing!
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October 16th, 2019 at 11:26 am
-grin- Thanks, Marian! And ‘happy, creepy’ is exactly it.
Isn’t it amazing when a piece of music just happens to match something that exists mostly in your own head?
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October 16th, 2019 at 11:33 pm
For me, it was ROUSTABOUT as done by Beats Antique. Perfect for my SIDESHOW IN THE CENTER RING.
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October 17th, 2019 at 2:48 pm
Hah! I’ll have to look that one up coz Sideshow was the first book of yours I ever read. Still very fond of it. Have you ever considered writing more in that world?
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October 17th, 2019 at 10:48 pm
I have some stories set in that world, but I haven’t organized ’em for publication. Maybe I’ll get off my can and do that. ~grin~
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October 18th, 2019 at 8:24 am
Please do! Seriously. Sideshow is still one of my favourites. You know, me and scifi. 😀
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October 13th, 2019 at 3:36 am
Nice! Time to make a trailer with all this perfect music. 🙂
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October 13th, 2019 at 9:03 am
-giggles- slave driver! 😀
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October 14th, 2019 at 1:03 am
Ha ha ha ha. 🙂
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October 12th, 2019 at 10:02 pm
[…] 4. https://acflory.wordpress.com/2019/10/10/music-for-the-acolyte/ […]
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October 11th, 2019 at 2:50 am
Afraid I don’t read anything of your genre — but your writing excerpt is certainly intriguing! As is the music which is wonderfully cinematic. As for the muse, I’m afraid mine grows silent in the presence of any and all sounds. So no music, and even my dog’s snoring drives me to distraction!
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October 11th, 2019 at 9:03 am
lol – it’s okay, I know scifi isn’t for everyone. I can’t read horror, so I know what it’s like. That said, thanks for the kind words about the excerpt, and for liking the music. 🙂
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October 10th, 2019 at 9:35 pm
Love music without vocals. 🙂
Lately, I have been writing to soundtracks. Weird, maybe, but so many are so good!
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October 10th, 2019 at 10:18 pm
No! Not weird at all. I love soundtracks too. I think it’s because they have to fit in with visuals, they’re very good at painting pictures with sound. 🙂
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October 10th, 2019 at 7:56 pm
I write to music without vocals, always. Either classical or ambient. And this piece is great!
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October 10th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Same! I can’t focus if there are vocals, although at one time I did write to opera…in Italian. Couldn’t understand a word so I was fine. 😀
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October 10th, 2019 at 10:41 pm
I’m impressed you can write in a language you can’t understand (heh-heh). Sometimes I read back my stuff and think I’m doing the same…
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October 11th, 2019 at 9:05 am
LMAO! No…I meant I can write so long as I can’t understand the lyrics. Once I think about the ‘words’ of the song, they completely distract me from my words.
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October 11th, 2019 at 6:25 pm
Yes, exactly. I sometimes listen to Plainsong – the melodies are soothing and I don’t speak Latin!
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October 12th, 2019 at 3:00 pm
-giggles- Carmina Burana 🙂
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October 12th, 2019 at 6:30 pm
That one’s not exactly background music…
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October 12th, 2019 at 11:05 pm
No, but listen to it often enough and it does fade into the background. 🙂
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October 10th, 2019 at 11:50 am
A sensational piece of music, I was almost twirling but I don’t want holes in the floor again.
Huge Hugs
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October 10th, 2019 at 10:21 pm
Ahem, no. Holes in floors are definitely health hazards. 😀
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October 10th, 2019 at 11:05 am
This would make a great opera! Sharing… xo
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October 10th, 2019 at 10:21 pm
So glad you like it, Bette. 🙂
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