by Jim
Hi Jim,
If you posted about this before, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find it. Every now and then you post about music that helps you write. I’ve tried listening to some of the songs and then listen to stuff on my own playlists and I just can’t do it. I was wondering if you could elaborate on how you use your music to create scenes in your books.
Thanks,
DaRange223
Hi there,
I’d be happy to. So under each song, I place a ‘when to listen’ category. That should be taken with a grain of sand because honestly, what works for me in certain places, may not work for everyone and that’s fine.
Here’s what I want you to do, watch a Disney movie or something with a lot of music. Pick a scene or two that speaks to you. One that’s memorable and engrained in your memory. Watch it once or twice and reflect on it. Why is that scene powerful? Why did you choose that scene over the next one or the one prior?
Once you have your reasoning figured out, watch it again, this time completely muted. No music, nothing. Does that change how you view the scene? Is it as powerful without the soundtrack? Finally, I want you to go through the music you listen to and find a song that you think would fit that scene, played in the background. Find something that, in your mind, would make that scene even more epic. Now ask yourself ‘why’. What about that song makes that scene more powerful? Why does that song fit? What about that song tells the story of that scene?
Once you have an answer, I want you to take other music that speaks to you and in your mind, place it in the scene of a movie you really like. Does it fit? If not, try again. Once you find a scene and a song that fit, you should be ready.
Finally, I want you to sit down and listen to one of your songs. Place your hands on the keyboard, close your eyes, and listen to that song. Now… picture a scene in your mind, be it a memory or a scene you’ve written before. Find one specifically that fits… and begin typing. Write your description of the scene, it’s mood, and what you’re seeing as the melody of the music guides you. Let the music tell the story while your mind turns it into words. Don’t worry about it fitting in with anything you’re currently writing, you can fix that later.
Now that you have your scene written out, listen to the song again as you read it. Why does that song fit? Try to explain it to yourself.
You’ll want to do each step a few times, but eventually, this should help you train your brain to convert melodies into words. You won’t have to do this every time you write. As time goes on, you should be good to listen to a song once or twice and just be able to write to it.
If it still doesn’t work, then you may have to embrace the fact that you may not be able to write that way, and that’s fine. Everyone processes information differently. You have some people who are visual/written learners. They can read something and become inspired by it. If they see a picture, they’ll write a full novel about what they just saw. Maybe that’s you?
Then you have the audio/visual learners who are able to take audio input and turn it into writing or artwork. For me, I think I’m somewhere in the middle. There is some imagery that has inspired me to write, but then I really struggle to do it without music on.
So in closing, if this doesn’t work for you, DO NOT get discouraged. It simply means that you don’t learn or process information the same way I do, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The key for you will then to be to figure out what does work.
Readers- How do you use music or other stimuli to help you with your writing?
Thanks!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU
Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!
Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!
-Jim
James Harringtons Creative Work 
I agree, music can be a great aid for writers – I use it to keep myself in a specific state of mind when I’m writing scenes that need strong emotion. I just put the song on repeat until I’ve finished writing. Slipknot’s Gently is my go-to song for coming up with new story ideas.
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