The Children Of Destruction

The Soundtrack of Stories

By Kuber Kaushik

Synesthesia is a condition where one sense is interpreted by the mind as another. To see sound, hear colour, or feel a fragrance. I've always been fascinated by it, because in stories, perspective is everything. The way we interpret the world changes how we understand it, and how we connect to others in it.

And while I cannot taste music or listen to a touch, I do have my imagination, and that has proven to be a sense that I value above all others.

Two of my favourite books are "Soul Music" by Terry Prattchett and "The Silmarillion" by J.R.R. Tolkien. A theme that they both explore is an intermingling of music and creation. From the notes of the Big Bang in the first moments of the universe to the warring harmonies of the Ainur and Melkor that created the world in which Middle-Earth was set... I listen to the music of these stories each time I read and reread them. It is also a lesson I remember whenever I write.

I've written and worked on films as well, which has helped me appreciate the way both sound and silence can bring an image to life. Whether it's "Lux Aeterna" from "Requiem for a Dream" or "Sunflower" from "Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse", the right music can resonate and carry a viewer deep into the heart of a story.

Simple words can do that almost as well. Whether poetry or prose, language has a rhythm to it. Every sentence and description sets the pace and emotion of a scene. Depending on what's about to happen, a different style becomes important. Gentle flowing descriptions when entering a new location or pausing at a vista. An interplay of two competing harmonies in a bit of dialogue. Sentences that get shorter and to the point as our protagonist enters a life or death situation, because they don't have the room to breathe.

Then there's the other ingredient. Music is subjective. The beauty is in the ear of the beholder, evoking different memories and emotions. Just like a specific musical genre, Fantasy has a unique sound to it. Wonder and excitement coloured with magical power with an epic undertone. I like to undercut with a flavor of sarcasm and self-awareness, because there are few things as musical as a good laugh, even when the fate of the world is on the line.

I listen to the scenes as I write. In the chapters of the Children of Destruction, I hear the crash of waves against the side of a broken-down cargo-ship. The howling of wind through weathered rock formations. The rocking of a train, muted gently by the presence of a god of Death. The rumbling of a distant avalanche in the presence of an Ice-Giant and the loud mechanical creaks of magically powered robots in hot pursuit.

As you read or write, listen carefully. There is a world that forms around you with every sentence. Listen for the sounds, for the music, for the rhythm of a heartbeat that pulses in time with your own. And listen to the silence in between every turn of the page. Sometimes, that's the best sound of all.

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Kuber Kaushik is the author of The Children of Destruction. To know more about him and his book, click here!