Lauren Kinney
asked
Isaac Marion:
Any plans to write companion music for your forthcoming books? Also, in your experience what is the difference between writing music and writing novels, when it comes to artistic process, personal satisfaction, etc.?
Isaac Marion
The Dead Children album wasn't really an intentional companion piece, I just wrote it at the same time I was writing Warm Bodies so they share a lot of themes. That will probably be a one-time convergence.
For me, there's a lot of crossover between music and prose. Most of my songs have some kind of narrative to them or at least a lot of clear imagery, and while it's hard to say that prose can have "melody," it can definitely have rhythm. I focus on rhythm a lot in my writing. When I'm editing I read the lines in my head according to some instinctive meter and if a phrase feels a little off-beat, I add or remove syllables until it clicks. I try not to go so far with the lyricism that it actually sounds like a song, but I can't stand prose that ignores rhythm and just piles one word onto another.
I love writing music, but I'd say I find it less satisfying than writing fiction. Music can be pretty excruciating. All the constraints of song structure, length, and my own meager playing ability--not to mention the ordeal of recording--add up to a very sweaty process. Writing a novel, while long and daunting, is a fairly direct brain-to-page process that can feel like a playground of imagination when it's going well.
I used to split my time evenly between writing, music, and painting, and I eventually decided I had to choose a priority. Writing won, music took second...poor painting hasn't been seen since...
For me, there's a lot of crossover between music and prose. Most of my songs have some kind of narrative to them or at least a lot of clear imagery, and while it's hard to say that prose can have "melody," it can definitely have rhythm. I focus on rhythm a lot in my writing. When I'm editing I read the lines in my head according to some instinctive meter and if a phrase feels a little off-beat, I add or remove syllables until it clicks. I try not to go so far with the lyricism that it actually sounds like a song, but I can't stand prose that ignores rhythm and just piles one word onto another.
I love writing music, but I'd say I find it less satisfying than writing fiction. Music can be pretty excruciating. All the constraints of song structure, length, and my own meager playing ability--not to mention the ordeal of recording--add up to a very sweaty process. Writing a novel, while long and daunting, is a fairly direct brain-to-page process that can feel like a playground of imagination when it's going well.
I used to split my time evenly between writing, music, and painting, and I eventually decided I had to choose a priority. Writing won, music took second...poor painting hasn't been seen since...
More Answered Questions
Ma.Nicholai Casey
asked
Isaac Marion:
Sir, #WarmBodies was so cool,far from the reality but it was delivered by your fantastic imagination, surreal.. and turn out fuckingly real.. Sometimes I even imagined myself as Julie & Nicholas Hoult as R...I hope that the part 2, of warm bodies The New Hunger .. sir, would it (the new hunger) be seen in movie too.?! I would like to know!!
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