soundtracks – Almost An Author

How to Use Music as a Writing Inspiration

As a writer, one thing that almost everyone will agree and accept is the fact that without inspiration, it is very difficult to go ahead with your work. You need to have a push and shove, especially when you feel your artistic part of the mind has abandoned you. Many people look for inspiration through different avenues. Some people take time off from writing and engage in other hobbies. Some go for a trip while some simply read other books.

Another potent method many writers engage in to find inspiration in writing is music. Music is the elixir of life for many. It can provide the necessary jog down the memory lane and get you on the right gear soon. If you are stuck in a rut as a writer and are looking at music for help to get out of it, this article might do the job for you.

What can music do for your writing?

There are different types of music which are extremely soothing to the mind. They can light up the creative hemisphere of the brain, which is incidentally also the hemisphere responsible for writing ability. Thus, there is a sort of synergistic connection between both. It also releases the feel-good hormone, serotonin, which can spark your writing skills again.

Music is also associated with certain moments and memories and can act as a recollection aid which will provide you the spark required. Last but not least, there is a certain groove or beat associated with different types of music which is also beneficial for inspiring you to write better. You can also take music lessons from an expert to create your music and make the creative experience more enriching.

Music helps you reach your writing goals

When you are starting or stuck in between, making a plan to move forward and setting writing goals becomes very important. These goals are mainly time-centric, and music can act as a good yardstick to measure time. For example, you can tell yourself that you will finish a certain portion until a playlist finishes, and then go about your writing accordingly.

Strategies for choosing your music

Music that relates to what you are writing

It is always better to choose music which is relatable to your writing for best results. If you are writing about love, grief, any emotion under the sun, corresponding music with the same emotion can do wonders.

Songs you can sing along

Some songs get stuck to your head, and the lyrics come out from your subconscious. These types of music—where you can sing along without much effort—can also be helpful.

Songs that remind you of a special day or someone

If you are looking for inspiration from a day or a person, the best way to remind yourself of them is to play the music that connects and associates with them. It will take you to a trip down memory lane and might be enough to give you the much-needed inspiration.

Music that gives you peace of mind

If your mind is disturbed, it will hamper your writing skills automatically. Therefore, always choose music that can provide you with the necessary peace of mind.

Inspirational tunes

Everyone has certain tunes that inspire them. Look for yours and utilize them to your advantage.

Types of music will help you focus while you write

Soundtrack for your novel

When you are writing a novel, certain soundtracks that go with the writing can help your writing.

Instrumentals like jazz or classical

This is for the people who are a purist in their writing. Their music choice also portrays that, and it is mainly in the form of classical music and jazz.

Electronic music

This is one of the best forms of music to get into the groove as advocated by many writers. It provides the necessary impetus.

Ambient noise

Putting on your noise-cancelling headphones and playing white and gray noise which are ambient can also work wonders as far as writing is concerned.

It must be clear by now that music is useful for getting the required inspiration while writing. Tap into your genre of preference and find the inspiration to start writing again.

Curtis Dean writes on behalf of Sage Music School where they base lessons on the science and research of the psychology of learning. Their effective teaching methods create confident and capable students who enjoy the happiness of making music.

Sound Off!

While brainstorming for this post, I remembered the song that inspired the climax for my first screenplay over a decade ago. For a prodigal son just out of the club scene, the song “Rise Up” was a game changer for me.

But, in retrospect music has been a game changer in our society for centuries. Particularly in the film industry for nearly 100 years, the first 20 or 30 years of film were muted moving pictures.

The silent film era is almost unimaginable to most audiences today. Imagine sitting in a theater for up to 30 minutes watching pictures move across the screen and hearing no words. I doubt if many of us would stay awake all the way through.

Fortunately, filmmakers realized the importance of sound in film after a few decades. Many consider the first “talkie,” The Jazz Singer the film that killed the silent film era. Although many theaters acquired live musicians to play a musical score for a film, The Jazz Singer was the first film to have synchronized recorded sound in the movie.

The presence of sound in pictures gave the film industry another dimension, it literally gave film a voice; engaging another sense of the audience. They could hear the conversations of the characters on the screen and be pulled deeper into their reality. After all, talking is a basic form of communication.

Talking?

Sound has changed both film and communication in good and bad ways. In fact there were many who mourned the death of silent film. Perhaps it was distracting from the essence of moving pictures. Here’s a link to The Jazz Singer, the first film with synchronized sound.

https://youtu.be/-iX2lg4eYwQ

Or maybe it was fear of what was really being said in a film. On second thought, considering some of the language and dialogue in today’s film, the mourners were on to something.

It’s possible we should have just continued with film scores. There is no denying the impact music has played in the success of film. I haven’t met at generation Xer who doesn’t get excited the moment they hear the first few notes of John William’s Star Wars theme.

I can remember growing up watching and listening to classics like White Christmas and Blue Hawaii over and over with my parents. These films may have not been the hits they are without the element of incredible music scores and soundtracks which set the beat of the films. It’s incredible.

Keeping the Beat!

For nearly a century Hollywood hasn’t missed a beat. They have learned how to cross market and promote films with incredible soundtracks. It must be noted that most songs in films are specifically written for the films, mainly for copyright reasons.

The cost for studios to continuously purchase copyrighted works from record labels would be astronomical. The upside of this though is the wealth of film-inspired music that has shaped the industry. Some of my favorite post-golden age musicals are listed below.

1970s

Grease
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Saturday Night Fever

1980s

Footloose (my personal favorite)
Flashdance
Dirty Dancing

1990s

Aladdin
The Lion King
Step up

Chances are there are a couple of movies which have motivated you. What films have songs that have inspired you? The impact of sound and music to moving pictures is so obvious most marketing firms have implemented the use of music—a catchy tune—in television commercials. Who can forget that Folgers commercial or the Kit-Kat or Coca-Cola anthems?

More recently the marketing firm for Asics shoes has taken sound in commercials to another level.

While the oft forgotten character of music has almost disappeared from the silver screen, if you’re writing a screenplay don’t leave the sound off!

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.