Another instalment of the sources of inspiration series is here. Today we’re talking about using music to inspire your writing. Many of my subplots and scenes have been inspired by certain songs and music I've encountered.
Personally, I studied music all throughout high school and am barely seen without headphone cords attaching me to my phone. Music is a very large part of my life. It brings me closer to my family, connects me with an uncle I haven’t seen in years and grounds me constantly.
You know when you hear a song, and can imagine it being the soundtrack to certain events, people or times in your life? That's the kind of music we’re talking about today. The kind of music that tells a story. That expresses a certain emotion, situation or experience.
If you’re looking for inspiration for a current work, I suggest seeking out some of this music. Just listen, and eventually you’ll find something that makes you think of a scene or a character. After that, all you have to do is use it! I must admit, I sometimes question the ideas I get from something so vague or ambiguous as music. The thing to remember is that it’s a starting point, use it, expand on it, but always remember the emotion or scene you felt/envisioned when you first heard the song, THAT’S what you want to capture when you use it in your writing.
If you’re looking for inspiration for a new work, I still (obviously) suggest seeking out some of this music. Listen, and wait for songs that spark something in you – emotion, curiosity or familiarity. This is when I would start to question the song. Who is singing it? Could it be a character for me to use? What are they showing us? Is it emotion? A setting? Can I use this as conflict or world? And I would continue to question it until I'd fleshed out a character, a plot point or a setting, and build a story idea from there.
I know, given my relationship to music, that I'm a bit biased when it comes to this topic. My love for music rivals my passion for writing. What can I say? I’m a creative heart and soul. A little off topic, but an artist I can recommend for storytelling music is some of Ed Sheeran’s earliest works. His first album is full of songs driven by character and emotion.
Also I'd like to share my recent experiences with Ed. I’ve loved his music since his first album in 2010. I was just 12 years old, in high school. My friends and I used to jam to his songs, one of us on guitar and the rest on vocals. His music has been with me as I've grown up, now a 25 year old university graduate with a full time job and adult responsibilities.
In February, as a birthday present to myself, I purchased tickets to his mathematics world tour. I can’t even begin to explain, even as a writer, the intense emotion is felt as the importance of that concert dawned on me, sitting in that crowd with 50’000 other fans.
Sometimes it takes a big moment like being in the same building with your influential person to realise how their music was such a powerful and constant companion in your life. I still haven’t quite wrapped my mind around the significance of that night for me, but I know it was possibly one of the best nights of my life.
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