Cinematic Music: Are you studying or in an epic movie?

Music is everything. Have you ever tried to go on a drive without music? Have you ever watched a horror movie on mute? Have you ever been to a party with no music? Music creates the mood, the atmosphere for life, really. This is why it’s my strong belief that the kind of music you listen to while studying or writing can greatly impact the results. 

For me, I love to listen to cinematic music while studying. When the pulsing beat pounds on my eardrums, it feels like I'm preparing to go on a mission to save the world instead of trying to figure out the inflation rates in relation to unemployment. Listening to this type of music while writing also helps me to visualize the events more clearly, and I find it easier to put myself in my characters’ perspectives. 

So! I’ve put together a list of my favorite cinematic studying songs and incredible soundtracks from the website http://www.ambient-mixer.com. But before I start my list, let me just enthuse about this website. It’s. Amazing. Let's say you want to pretend you’re studying for your Charms exam in the Ravenclaw common room—there’s a soundtrack for that. Or maybe you want to relax in the gardens on Asgard—there’s a soundtrack for that. Maybe you just want to get away and read by the ocean—you get the point. AND you can even create your own soundtracks! When I studied for my finals last semester, I wasn’t sitting on my bed in my apartment rewriting my notes. I was on a pirate ship, patiently waiting to dock on the secret island before setting off to find the lost treasure. I can’t say enough good things about this website; you HAVE to try it.

But anyway, here’s my list of songs! Click the song titles to hear them for yourself!

1)  Palladio (Rebuilt) [Full Extended Version] by Kerry Muzzey

This song has saved my story too many times to count. When I absolutely    

        can’t think of anything to write, or when I’m suffering from an awful case of 

        writer’s block, I put this song on repeat, and before I know it, my writer’s 

        block is gone. I call it my “Extreme Concentration” song.

2) Starchild by Thomas J Bergersen

This song is beautiful. The light piano at the beginning truly sounds like 

        starlight dripping from the sky, and I absolutely LOVE the storm sounds in 

        the background. Storms make me feel instantly creative and ready to snuggle 

        up in bed with my laptop to write. The middle of the song offers a majestic 

        sounding call-to-action almost. I feel like I’m about to embark on a grand 

        quest to save the princess! (I’ve also listened to this song 56 times, according 

        to iTunes).

3) "Light rain falling on the roof/window" by MattBrown22
       This soundtrack is so relaxing that it almost makes me doze off when I'm 
       supposed to be writing! I love listening to this soundtrack when it's a little 
       gloomy outside. I work best when it's raining or storming, so this soundtrack 
       does the trick!

4) Wolf King by Two Steps from Hell

For some reason, I always imagine some mystical sorceress singing the 

        beginning of this song. This song just feels like something huge is about to 

        happen. The steady beat almost feels like marching, and the chorus in the 

        background makes me think of a long cinematic shot of a mountainous 

        scenery. This song also happens to have my favorite type of chord 

        progressions (don’t know what it’s called, but the almost chromatic drop of 

        the 3rd chord always gets me).

5) Reap What We Sow by Position Music

        THE ENDING. This song has one of the most epic endings I’ve ever heard. It 

        feels like bombs are bursting in my head with each intense tech-sounding 

        explosion. This song is the epitome of building-up as it progresses. It’s as if 

        the longer you listen to the song, the closer you get to some big secret or the 

        ultimate enemy. I love this song so much, I’ve actually started making a short 

        video to it. I JUST LOVE THE END, OKAY?

6)  "Ravenclaw common room" by blaisezabini
       I am a proud Ravenclaw, so I love listening to this soundtrack and pretending 
       I'm in the Ravenclaw common room studying Charms in Hogwarts. This 
       soundtrack does wonders when I'm studying for my business exams. 
       Everything seems a little more fun if you pretend you're studying in Hogwarts, 
       right? At least it is for me!

7)   Ocean Princess by Thomas J Bergersen

The vocals in this song? AHH. The female vocals truly sound like an ocean 

        princess. I always imagine her in a cascading deep-blue dress, the silky fabric 

        whipping around her ankles as she stands on a craggy rock in the middle of 

        the violent ocean during a storm, unforgiving waves crashing down. Look, I 

        don’t know why she’s standing on a rock in the middle of the ocean, but she’s 

        the ocean princess, okay? I love love love her voice at 2:15, so light and…just 

        princess-sounding, I guess.

8) Unstoppable Forces by Epic Score

      This song just starts out epically. There’s no beating around the bush; it just 

      starts. It jumps right in. This song is perfect for writing the build-up to major 

      events like battles, confrontations, OR you can listen to it while getting ready 

      in the morning and feel like a bad-ass. My favorite part of this song starts 

      around the 1:14 mark to the end. The ending is what I like to call a heart-attack       
      ending. The accelerando, or the ‘speeding up’, at the end (starting at around 2:14)        
       mimics a steadily increasing heartbeat and I LOVE it.

9) "Storm on the Hogwarts Express" by pan
       As I said before, I work best when it's storming outside. Something about the 
       electric atmosphere and the menacing booms of thunder just sends my 
       creativity through the roof! So, pretending to be on the Hogwarts Express 
       WHILE it's raining when I'm writing? It's everything I could ever ask for. I 
       love playing this at a slightly lower volume while I put on the Spotify Deep 
       Dark Indie playlist simultaneously. Seriously though, I LOVE this website and 
       this atmosphere specifically. Please use it because it’s seriously a dream. I 
       don’t how I didn’t know about it sooner.

10) Blackheart by Two Steps from Hell

I think this song might actually be in my top favorite songs of all time. If I was          
        ranking these songs, this one would be #1. It’s one of those songs that just 

        makes you want to cry; it’s so beautiful…or maybe that’s just me. This song 

        just sounds like gut-wrenching passion and soul-aching longing. There’s so 

        much raw emotion in this song. Though it’s in a major key, it’s just so sad and        
        IT’S JUST BEAUTIFUL. I don’t know what it is about this song, but it’s a 

        masterpiece. Listen to this one until the end, okay? For me? Thanks. (PS: My 

        iTunes said that I’ve listened to this one A LOT. I won’t disclose the number…

        *nervous laugh*.)

11) Unstoppable by E.S. Posthumus

This song would be #2 on the list I mentioned above. This one builds and 

        builds until the explosive ending; it starts off a bit slow and menacing, but as 

        it goes on, the pounding beat draws you in until the end basically blows up. 

        And THE ENDING. This song’s ending is INTENSE. I actually made a short 

        video to this song and had lots of fun using short bursts of close-up shots to 

        accentuate each blast of notes. Now that I’m thinking of it, this ending might 

        be my favorite. Honestly, when this song ends, I feel out of breath. Is that 

        bad? Nah, I’m probably just out of shape. MOVING ON…

12)  Beneath the Brine by The Family Crest

        Let me just say, this song is everything I love. Dramatic chorus, yearning    
        strings, thundering orchestra. Thank you Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify 
        for introducing me to this amazing band! This song in particular really gets 
        my creative juices flowing. The song just oozes the desperation and 
        willingness to do anything to be with the one you love. I knew within the first 
        few seconds of hearing this for the first time that I'd love it. And now you will, 
        too! (Be sure to check out their other songs, too!)

13) Time by Hans Zimmer

Another song that tangles my soul into knots! This is more well-known since 

        it was written for Inception (AMAZING movie, by the way. If you haven’t seen          
        it, you NEED to). This song is perfect for writing sad, reflective scenes when 

        your character’s life just sucks. Everything is going wrong, and your character         
        just needs some time to reflect on how bad everything is. Not sure if you were 

        even looking for a song for this reason, but here’s one in case you ever need it!         
        I probably wouldn’t advise you to study to this song because it might make 

        you cry. I cried a lot at the ending of Inception, so maybe there’s a correlation 

        there?

14) Th3 Awak3n1ng by Ivan Torrent

Alright. This song feels like you’re in a post-apocalyptic video game trapped 

        in some creepy metal tunnels battling terrifying monsters in the dark. And        
        it’s awesome. When I listen to this, I keep waiting for something to jump out 
        at me… This song has the explosive bursts of sound that I love, and heavy 

        almost exotic-sounding drums. I love the part around 2:29 to the end. When 

        listening to this with headphones, it feels like my eardrums are going to 

        rupture…but in a good way.

That concludes my list! Which one of these was your favorite? What are some of your favorite studying songs? Reply in the comment section, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye

"Tell me about yourself." "Oh no."

Hello, everyone! I want to use this post to give those who don't know me a little background info. Cue the flashbacks!

Once upon a time, on a bright, sunny August day, a wonderful child was born—just kidding (though I was born in August).

I was such a diva!

I could just give you my 30-second elevator pitch, the one that Kelley (my business school) tells us is the most important aspect of life itself, other than networking, of course, but I’ve never really thought of myself as a business-y person. I know, I'm a business major—Management and Health Systems Admin to be exact—but I just don't feel that I'm the most business-y. My whole life, I've always been drawn to the arts: painting, piano, writing, dancing, anything abstract. I never really loved school; the only classes I really enjoyed were 2D Art and Writing. I was (still am) horrible at math; history didn't really interest me, and even English felt forced sometimes. I want to read what I want! Don't tell me what to read!

Anyway, it wasn't until I got into college that I realized just how much of an artistically-minded person I am. Suddenly, everything made sense—my bad grades in calculus, my mediocre grades in science. Concrete topics just don’t click with me. I like the abstract, the impossible, the ‘what if this happened'. This past semester, after taking four straight business classes the previous semester, I finally got to take classes that actually interested me. For the first time in my college career, I took classes that I enjoyed: Supernatural Folklore and Dante's Divine Comedy. These two classes were my absolute favorites. While most of my classmates were learning about sub-prime loans and consumer analytics, I got to learn about aliens, ghosts, and zombies in my Supernatural Folklore class and Dante's true purpose in writing the Divine Comedy. I was in heaven (ahh, pun intended!! I usually hate puns!).

This painting was my final project for my Dante's Divine Comedy class!

I would definitely call myself a dreamer; I find myself staring off into space all the time, making up impossible scenarios in my head, dreaming of being a superhero and saving the world, thinking of how certain conversations would go. One could definitely say that I’m passionate, but I’m passionate about very certain things, like my absolute hatred for carrots or my complete adoration for ampersands. I guess I’m kind of quirky, but I think that everyone thinks they’re quirky. So, is no one really quirky at all? Hmm. So deep.

I am also a proud INFJ; less than 1% of the population are INFJs! I was always very shy in school. I wouldn’t talk to anyone and mostly kept to myself. When I was in middle school, I thought there was something wrong with me. I was extremely shy and reserved, and even became so around my friends. I thought there was a problem with me because all my friends were loud and outgoing, and I felt so boring. Then, I discovered what the word ‘introvert’ means. And now I know there’s nothing wrong with me. 

Well... Harriet Potter and Rhonda Weasley might disagree...

I'm a Leo, dancer, pianist, Ravenclaw, INFJ, big and little sister, and, most importantly, an aspiring author. I think that just about covers me for the most part. Be sure to subscribe by filling in your email below! By the way, I noticed that the email subscription box doesn't show up if you're viewing this on a mobile device, but if you press the button to view the web version, it will be there! Also, be sure, if you haven't already, to like my Facebook page, "Emiliana Maye", and check out my website! I also have an Instagram under the name "emilianamaye" (believe it or not). Thank you for reading! Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye

Hello...it's me.

Hello, everyone! I still can't believe I'm actually going to do this: attempt (key word) to get my novel published. Shout out to my roommate who gave me the final push to pursue my dreams of writing. When I was little, I was always writing. My head was stuffed full of ideas; my imagination was endless. I wrote tons of little stories when I was in elementary school, from "Locker 216" in fourth grade to a mystery book in fifth grade (I lost the notebook right after I wrote it! I'm still sad about losing that one). I remember my elementary school teachers berating my unique interpretations of how I thought my name should look in cursive. They told me, "You can write your name like that when you're an author, but for right now, you have to write it like this."

Ah, the good old days of elementary school!

As the years progressed, I seemed to forget just how much I loved writing as I began to write less and less. Eventually, the only pieces I wrote were grudgingly typed school papers or hurriedly scrawled dreams in my dream journal. I seemed to forget to do what I always loved. I pushed writing aside; it was soon replaced with film, painting, dance, and piano. I thought nothing of it. 

But then one summer, the summer of 2014, I found a website filled with hundreds of writing prompts. But they weren't boring writing prompts, like the ones we were forced to write in school; they were fiction writing prompts. A good number of them involved aliens, secret agents, superheroes, mermaids--everything by which I am fascinated. I started writing them right away, and once again, fell in love with writing. I wrote these prompts for the rest of the summer, even trying my hand at some of my own stories. None of them really took off, so I just stowed them in the abyss of my computer, forgotten. 

But then came the fateful day, December 20, 2015, the birthday of the idea for my novel. I was driving home from college for winter break when I passed an old gas station in the middle of nowhere. Instantly, I was struck with a random scenario: what if I drove up to that gas station right now and, as I was filling my tank, some guy ran out and hijacked my car? It was ridiculous and came out of nowhere, but that's what went through my mind. For the rest of the drive, I played around with the imagined scenario in my head. Before I knew it, I had a fully formed idea for a novel. As soon as I got home, I immediately typed up the synopsis and plunged right into writing. 

Now, in July, I'm still plugging away and am almost to writing the end. Of course, I'll still have to edit the entire thing, come up with a title, and lots more, but I've actually stuck by this story. It hasn't gotten shoved back into the folder of forgotten ideas. I've become engulfed in this new world of mine, and, most of the time, my book is all I can think about. Whenever I have a spare moment, I think about what could happen next or study every single word I've typed to make sure there are no plot holes. I feel as though I've poured my heart into this novel; it not only deals with the exciting topics of corruption and rebellion, but also the difficult, and somewhat personal, topic of grief.  

My family and I lost my grandmother, or Lola, my cousin, Maddy,
 and my Aunt Terry (not pictured) within the past few years.

I am beyond ecstatic to finish my novel and have everyone read it. I've worked relentlessly on it so far, and I know I have a long way to go, but I am so excited to have so many supporters already. Most of you have no idea what my book is really about (I plan to keep it that way for a little while longer too; sorry!), but I can't wait to embark on this journey with all of you! This blog is going to provide updates regarding my progress and other little ramblings (I tend to have a lot sometimes), so keep checking back here! I plan to post every Friday, so be sure to subscribe via email using the box below! Thank you so much for all your support thus far! Feel free to email me at emiliana.maye@gmail.com or message me via my Facebook page “Emiliana Maye”. I can also receive messages through my newly created website (click on the link!)! I’d love to hear from you! Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye