Music and lyrics by...

[ChobiChibi]

So I'm currently writing a fanfic, based around a world designed by CrystalTears several years ago. She was gonna make it into a fic, we were going to make it into an RPG, but since it was abandoned and I keep getting ideas in my head about it, I decided I'd have a go at writing it, for funsies.

Anyway, the world's magic system revolves around music. Songs, in particular. Do you think it's important to credit the songs I'm using? I don't mean for copyright reasons, but as a device in the story. Is it important to hear what the characters hear?

For instance, in the first chapter (which totally needs re-writing, wrote it about 3 or more years ago) I use three songs:
Poison by Groove Coverage (Alice Cooper cover?) Also closest version I could find on youtube to the one I've gone on my iTunes lol.
My Immortal by Evanescence
Valentine's Day by Linkin Park
(Yeah, you can now see how long ago it was I wrote this)

And do you think it's important to name songs that perhaps inspired a chapter, or a scene? Even if they lyrics of which aren't featured in it? I guess this could be a more general question too. Does anyone else regularly include the music they're listening to whilst they were writing when they post it? If not, is it because perhaps your song choice is a little embarrassing? (Believe me, I've got a scene going around in my head for this fic with such a cheesey pop song, it'd damage my reputation as a music student graduate).

I'm thinking of actually posting this, once I've done the re-write of the first chapter/prologue, thought more about the overall plot and ask CT if I'm allowed to post it... But yeah, some thoughts?

[Gavin Luper]

I reckon crediting the song that relates to the scene/chapter is fine. I assume you mean by like, putting the song title or lyric as the chapter title or something?

I remember PancaKe used to do this with a lot of chapters from Lapras Valley High, and she would explain the song reference just before the chapter began, I guess so the readers could check it out for themselves. It was used to very good effect, IIRC.

I've done this to a much lesser degree in LTL - once or twice I've used a song title as a chapter title, but without linking it much to the characters or what they're going through.

[mattbcl]

In my opinion, if you're going to credit an inspiring song, you can always do it at the end of the chapter where it's unobtrusive. It's never been my feeling that it's a requirement to give the credit within the meat of the story itself. If you're waffling on whether the reader should hear what the characters hear, insert a line or two that would stand out as recognizable, but you don't necessarily have to say, "The protagonist was listening to the radio when 'My Immortal' struck the airwaves."

As for naming songs that inspired your writing, I also don't think it has to happen if you don't want it to. But on those occasions where I think it'd deserve a mention, I'd probably name the chapter after the song title.

I've written songfics before, but usually I don't include the music I listen to when I'm writing, mostly because it wouldn't fit with what's being written - I use it more to set my mood, less to bring the story to life. I listen to a lot of Linkin Park, Disturbed, Evanescence, Stone Sour, and the like... so you can imagine a lot of my tales are contemplative, moody, and raw.