The Secret to Writer’s Block: Misfit Inspiration - Post Four

Singin’ in the Feeling: 

 

Using Musical Genres to Elicit the Emotions of Your Characters to Break Through Writer’s Block

Music has the power to evoke emotions and images.  It can remind people of a special moment in their lives or bring them to tears.  Music, like food, attaches in our minds to events and memories throughout our lives.  It’s why you remember your wedding every time you hear the song you first danced to with your love.  Or that you think of the passing of a loved one when you hear bagpipes or amazing grace.  A friend of mine was recently telling me a story about a crush that she had in high school.  She recalled the boys’ name, what sport he played, and even the awkwardness between them.  What made her think of that memory?  A song.  She heard a song that reminded her of that high school crush, and the memories came flooding back to her.  Music did that.

Music can also put you in a certain frame of mind.  Every year, my husband and I attend the Trans-Siberian Orchestra when they come to Jacksonville in December.  The fire and light show is something to see, but the music is why we go.  It’s energetic and seasonal and puts me in the mood for Christmas.  It kind of kicks off the holiday season for me.  Music can do that too.  (BTW, since we can’t go in person this year, we are going to stream the show - absolutely recommend!)

Here’s another example of music eliciting an emotional response for me.  My husband and I were watching the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” recently.  If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a really cute and lighthearted romantic comedy about a young couple from two different backgrounds and a judgmental, overbearing soon-to-be mother-in-law.  Anyways, there’s a wedding scene in the movie that is amazingly creative and unlike anything that I had ever seen before.  But, it was the song that especially registered with me.  The song, “Can’t help falling in love” was a cover by Kina Grannis.  It is haunting and beautiful and I couldn’t stop thinking about it after I finished the movie.  I sometimes listen to that song when I need to write about love, heartache, or longing.  Here’s that version of the lovely song.

Now, when I originally heard that song in the movie, I thought it was a cover of a reggae song from when I was a kid.  So, I looked it up.  The version that I thought was the original was actually another cover by UB40 that was put out in 1993.  It’s upbeat, rhythmic, and it made me happy to listen to it again.  It’s a completely different feel than the Kina Grannis version, but it’s still great.  It just elicits a totally different mood and emotion.  Here’s that version too:

The fact that it was also a cover led me to the original artist to perform that song.  Elvis Presley was the first to release the single in 1961 and it is also really beautiful in itself.  I ended up finding over ten different covers including a recent one by 21 pilots.  Different versions or genres can elicit different emotions and feelings.  There’s a reason that my husband listens to classical music when he programs and then hard rock when he works out. 

So not only can music elicit an emotional response, changing the genre or mood of the music can also have a completely different effect on you and your writing. So how can you use music to break out of your writer’s block?  Here are some ideas.

• Check out Spotify.  You will find mixes and categories of grouped music that are highlighted by themes.  I’ve found recommended categories such as “throwback workout”, “confidence boost”, and “all the feels”.  Depending on my mood, activity, and need different categories lend to different inspiration and help me to write through a scene.  

• You can use these same types of categories to help write emotions or reactions in your characters as well.  Let’s say you’re writing a romantic scene, why not try listening to classical or a little R&B?  Did you character just go through a break-up?  Nothing like a pop song to put you there.  Try matching your character’s emotional need to your musical inspiration’s genre.

• Music can deliver great inspiration, but it can also provide a much needed distraction.  If you need something to take your mind off of writing try picking up an instrument, singing, or dancing.  It doesn’t have to be any good, it just has to be something to take your mind off of the writing for a moment.

Just like movies have soundtracks, books can too. Think about what your stories’ soundtrack should sound like as a stepping stone for you writing your character or scene.

The next time that you feel like writer’s block is keeping you from writing how your character would react to a situation, try some musical inspiration instead. 

I hope that these ideas help you to break through! 

Found a great source of inspiration that worked for you?  Let me know!

Still getting writer’s block?  Tell me how I can help!