My Spotify is out of control. Like, there are so many playlists. It’s endless. Music is my addiction, and it spills over into my writing. Actually, it floods my writing. I have “Writing Mood” playlists, genre playlists, ones named by the decade and most of all, I have book playlists. I set it up so I have a “master” playlist for the series, then a separate playlist for each book, and then one for each main character. Everything has a different vibe. Obsessive? Probably. But it’s fun.
I used to do this when I used Windows Media Player. I’d have separate playlists for everything. Spotify made that a hundred times easier. Everything gets saved online, instead of taking up computer memory. This 90s kid will forever marvel at how far technology has come in such a short time. Seems like only yesterday we were burning CDS, and before that, recording mixed cassette tapes off the radio. How the times have changed!
What hasn’t changed is the importance music has had on my writing process. Specifically, the “Beyond Dark” series. It provides inspiration for characters, scenes, storylines, and even specific serial killers. Such was the case for the Belladonna Killer.
There was the line from the Forensic Files episode I cannot for the life of me recall because I was half asleep, something about “dying for a new scene”, which sparked the idea for the case. But the killer herself? I needed some truly creepy woman vibes. Around the time I was starting this series, a song came out that started it all. Lana Del Ray’s “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but I have it”. I knew the first time I heard it, it belonged on the “Belladonna” playlist. Paired with the “dying for a new scene” theme I wanted, I began building the Belladonna Killer around this tragic actress/model who never got anywhere in her career, desperate to be noticed. It has actually become one of my favourite songs – but I have also loved Lana Del Ray for many years.
From there, many of the songs became a mixture of the killer and Alyssa’s history, merging the tragic pieces of both stories. Christina Aguilara’s “Beautiful” touched on the pitfalls of women burdened with unattainable beauty standards society throws at us. Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You” is also on Alyssa’s playlist, the heartbreaking story of how cycles of abuse or addiction carry on and impact the lives of those who come after and must carry on with the memories.
On of my personal favourites that also came out while working on “Belladonna” is “Dark Ballet” by Madonna. The creepy and dark vibes are abstract and truly remind me of Alyssa, with her history in dance, her bitter, anguished past with her estranged mother, and the confusion of her PTSD and disorder. “Wound Up” by LeAnn Rimes is another one that highlights Alyssa’s playlist, glimpsing the chaotic childhood she survived and how she felt about her mother’s domineering demands of a dance career. It comes from one of my favourite albums of all time, “Twisted Angel” from LeAnn Rimes. It was an album that got me through many rough spots in my life.
“In the End” by Linkin Park is one of my forever favourites. It’s no secret I have loved Linkin Park for years, and that Chester Bennington’s suicide hit me hard, as it did many fans. I listened to it lots towards and during the climactic scene of the book. “One More Light” was also on repeat often while writing.
Brand new off Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” album this year is “Plastic Doll”, another song exploring the ridiculous beauty standards in the entertainment industry. A few other amazing songs came off that album that were fitting to Alyssa’s story, such as “Replay” and “Fun Tonight”.
And with that, this post wraps up my “Belladonna’s Roots” series. Thank you for following along.
Enjoy the music that accompanied me while writing!
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