Hello Everyone!
Sometimes, it’s a little hard to get inspired and making playlists for a fantasy novel seems almost impossible! Do you use modern music with lyrics? Do you do classical and powerful? The answer is honestly up to you, but there are a few places you can look when you are feeling stuck.
Video Game Soundtracks: This is an often under represented area to look for inspiration. Depending on the type of novel you are writing, you can find what sort of game fits your novel. Skyrim, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy, and Guild Wars 2 are a few of my favorites
Movie Soundtracks: This is the typical go-to for music, but definitely should not be ignored. I find that going to Pandora and listening to Epic Soundtracks usually gets the gears turning. It has a lot of variety and if you find a particular soundtrack that really hits you, it is possible to make a station dedicated to it. Some of my favorites are The Last of the Mohicans, Lord of the Rings, Gladiator, and The Dark Knight.
Modern Music: The discovery of modern music for a fantasy novel is often hard. If you find a piece that really sings to you, try to remember it and put it into your playlist. Another fun way to discover more about your character while also finding music that fits your novel is to think about what your character would listen to if they were in the ‘real’ world. Some of my favorites are Panic! At the Disco, One Republic, and My Chemical Romance.
What gets you in the writing mood? Do you have set playlists or just go where the music takes you?
Happy Writing!
Jess
There And Draft Again 
Jess, I was inspired to list all my ‘inspirational’ music on one of my blog pages, complete with links so that anyone who’s interested can sample the tunes on Amazon.
Much of the music on my page
http://andrewtoynbee.wordpress.com/music-that-inspires-me-to-write-betterer/ has inspired stories, scenes and dialogue, or simply gets me through the day.
Hope you find something you like – a lot of it is soundtrack or incidental music.
I have a playlist for each character. I listen to a lot of musicals and movie soundtracks.
I go to soundtracks for my epic fantasy novels, however, I’ve turned to early jazz and that seems to really get my ideas turning for anything else. It’s really great since I’ve slipped into dieselpunk and arcanepunk from that period.
I always listen to Lord of the Rings music when I’m writing fantasy, or writing at all for that matter. It’s just so moving!
I use a hodgepodge of music to get me in the mood. 🙂 All of the types listed above, and even some Trance or New Age for more emotive scenes.
Alex Hurst, fantasy author in Japan, participating in Blogging A-Z April Challenge.
Myst soundtrack, Harry Potter soundtracks, etc.