It begins simply, with the beat of the drum, over and over. A chorus of violins are plucked and steel drums ring meticulously in time with the rise and fall.

The tempo picks up. The strings get quicker, now at the forefront of the track, and the drums beat quietly in the background like a heartbeat. The music builds with the violins quicker than ever, which creates a rhythm that is almost hypnotic.

Stop.

It all changes. Only the drums remain to thump louder than ever in a new sequence. A beat that wouldn’t be a stranger in battle.

Then, it comes to me, just like that. I have my scene.

The song: Bear McCreary’s Prelude to War from the outstanding Battlestar Galactica Season 2 soundtrack. Previous to playing it, I had been struggling for hours on a short story I was writing. The scene called for a confrontation. The tension had been building up, mounting for this scene. I was lagging, I knew playing this song would provide me with the necessary drive I needed.

This happens to me a lot when writing, and more times than I can count, film or television soundtracks come to the rescue. Normal songs, especially ones from my favourite bands, I find too distracting. Often they’ll make me lose focus and eventually I’ll stop writing just so I can listen to the chorus coming up. Not very helpful when I have a deadline to reach.

Film scores, on the other hand, are composed to work like a narrative. It accompanies the film alongside all its important moments. If the film builds up in intensity, so will the music. If there is a sequence of heartbreak or tragedy, the music will come crashing down in melancholy. Or it may become overbearing if the scene requires any fast paced action.

Scores follow the same journey as the protagonist. Through all their ups and downs, they can directly influence the tone or mood much more effectively than some lines of dialogue or camera tricks. If you don’t believe me, watch this powerfully emotional scene from the climax of E.T. minus the iconic score from John Williams.

Yeah, it just looks terrible, doesn’t it? When I first watched the film this scene almost made me cry. Without the score, it made me laugh. Twice.

I’ve read that films are sixty percent reliant on music and only forty percent on visuals. I’d argue that it might be even higher. Film scores are so responsible for our overall understanding and enjoyment of a film. That’s why I find them perfect for creating worlds and dreaming up storylines.

If you’ve never listened to a film soundtrack before, or if you don’t have music playing when writing then I implore you to try it out. You never know, you might just find a song that inspires you to write the best scene in your story. Although, as a rule of thumb, I’d avoid anything too iconic or well-known. Try as hard as you want, but I can’t imagine anyone listening to the Imperial March and being able to think of anything except Darth Vader alongside a legion of Stormtroopers.

Here’s a selection of my favourite soundtracks to write to:

The Fountain – Clint Mansell

Clint Mansell Moon – Clint Mansell

– Clint Mansell The Thin Red Line – Hans Zimmer

– Hans Zimmer Pearl Harbor – Hans Zimmer (yes, I am aware that the film is shit, but it produced good music)

– Hans Zimmer (yes, I am aware that the film is shit, but it produced good music) There Will Be Blood – Jonny Greenwood

– Jonny Greenwood Last of the Mohicans – Trevor Jones