I’m racing towards the end of Camp NaNoWriMo at the moment, and while I’ve been slogging my way through an almost complete rewrite of my superhero/fairytale novel, Snow, I’ve been listening to a lot of music to help motivate and inspire me, especially on those late nights when the daily word goal hasn’t been met yet. Which means that I’ve also been trying a whole bunch of new music in an attempt to keep my playlist fresh and my writing sessions fun. One musician I’ve been especially taken with is Thomas Bergerson from Two Steps from Hell. A lot of writers have recommended his music to me in the past, and for a very good reason. Bergerson’s music is very much like a movie soundtrack, with sweeping themes, tangible emotions, and a good beat that makes your fingers want to fly across the keys. (Tell me again why it took me so long to try his music?)

One piece I’ve particularly enjoyed listening to recently is his song, Cannon in D Minor. If you’re looking for a piece to inspire epic battle scenes, look no further than this. Cannon in D Minor begins with a strong theme, with a feel of tension about it like something is about to go down, before quickly building to an epic climax, complete with pounding beat and dramatic choral backing. It inspires images of a climactic battle finale between the forces of good and evil. To me, it also has shades of Pirates of the Caribbean in its tune, which in turn makes me think that this would be a good piece to listen to while writing a sea battle.

What music is fuelling your writing sessions at the moment? Are you a fan of Two Steps from Hell?What is the best piece of battle music you’ve found? What music should I try next? Suggest some new musicians and songs to me!