Sci-Fi Inspirations

COMMENTS REQUESTED

I’m one of those people whose writing is occasionally enhanced by the use of good mood music while writing. When I worked at the Court, my Judge could never figure out why I listened to the Braveheart soundtrack. For whatever reason, that album helped me with my legal research and writing. I find certain operatic and classical works help when I’m doing my letter writing, unless it’s an angry letter, and then I go to something like Evanescence for inspiration. Hymns or gospel music work well when the work is spiritually-centered. Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings works, or even Midnight Syndicate or Nox Arcana help in my fantasy- and RPG-writing work.

I find myself at a loss, however, in at least one area. Science Fiction. I tried my hand at some sci-fi writing a couple weeks ago and found myself needing the aural stimulation. There’s the obvious: John Williams’ Star Wars soundtracks. Unfortunately, I find the music from the latter three films to be distracting and the kids have done something with a stack of my CDs, which happen to include the soundtracks from the first three films (commonly known in the Stronghold as the “REAL Star Wars movies”). But this one is almost too obvious.

What I need is some suggestions for some sci-fi inspiring music out there; I need something that’s fairly readily available, i.e., not an obscure single-run album that was pressed in the late 1970s by an unpronounceable Eastern European techno-pop group, which album has never been re-released in any format and is available nowhere, including on the World Wide Web.

There simply must be something out there.

Browsing through pulp magazine covers and old novel covers helps a bit, but musical inspiration is exponentially more helpful in my writing process. Until I get some valid suggestions, or find some good musical cues somewhere, I fear I’m at an impasse with the current story. If the block lasts too long, I’ll have to close the file and throw it in a drawer for a while. I really don’t want to have to do that. So, please: comment away and gimme some suggestions. Oh, and thanks in advance.