Welcome to Music Monday! As many of you know, music contributes a great deal to my writing process. Whether it’s a song’s lyrics, beat, rhythm, or tone, I find myself constantly inspired by it.
As you might have (or might not have) noticed, I didn’t publish any blog posts last week. I decided to take some time off to relax, spend time with family, and work on my manuscript. It ended up being a great week. I took a day trip to Vail, visited the Denver Zoo with my nephews, and even won the Wicked lottery with my sister!
Not only did I have fun during my week off, but I made tons of progress with my new novel. I managed to write over 26,000 words in five days. Ahhh! Seriously, it’s amazing what you can do when you shut the world out and focus. Hopefully this major boost means I’ll be able to meet my goal of finishing a first draft by July 31st, when the first round of the NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge kicks off.
Anyway, on to Music Monday! Today, I thought I’d share a song that helped inspire me as I wrote my booty off last week: OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out”.
The number one thing I love about this song is its rhythm and beat. It’s edgy, energetic, and even a little dark. Every time I listen to it, I close my eyes and get lost in the incessant thumping of the drums, piano, and cymbals. And every time it finishes, I realize I’ve thought of a new layer to my story. A new drama, a new twist, a new character trait, a new something.
As always, the lyrics provide oodles of inspiration as well. I didn’t really listen to them the first few times I played “Love Runs Out”, but then I Googled them and I realized they fit my story perfectly.
Ooh, we all want the same thing.
Ooh, we all run for something.
Oh for God, for fate,
For love, for hate,
For gold, and rust,
For diamonds, and dust.
I’ll be our light, your match, your burning sun,
I’ll be the bright and black that’s making you run.
If you’re looking for an energetic song with an amazing rhythm and inspiring lyrics, then check out OneRepublic’s “Love Runs Out”.
What song(s) are you in love with right now? Which one(s) offer you inspiration? Let me know! I’m always searching for songs that motivate my writing.
Photo credits:
The first time I heard “Fight Song” I thought, “Well, this is perfect for writers and anyone else pursuing a dream.” Most of us experience failure along our journeys, and many of us get so crushed by it, we begin to question everything: Our passion, our goals, our abilities. Some of us even wonder if we have the strength to keep fighting for what we want most. I know I have.
“Fight Song” also provides great story fodder. Although I can’t get a ton out of it for the current story I’m working on (my characters are way too crazy to care about digging themselves out of the pits they’ve fallen into), there are still plenty of gems to use from it: Conflict and drama. Depression and sorrow. Determination and hope. Freedom and courage…The list goes on and on!
And, as you likely suspect, the lyrics are what make this song so great:
So, whether you need a personal boost, or some motivation for your story, I strongly encourage you to listen to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten.
Last week, I probably listened/watched this song on YouTube at least a dozen times. I couldn’t get enough of it! It has so many of the darker emotions and elements I need to feel while writing my story: Fury. Vengeance. Denial. Murder.
What makes this song extra powerful is the performance of it. As I watch the dancers in the video below, I can see my characters and I can feel their wrath. Their twisted righteousness, their satisfaction, their spite…
So, if you’re looking for a song that brings out the dark side of your plot and characters, check out 
This song came on while I was at the gym yesterday and I couldn’t stop playing it! Over and over, I listened to “Addicted To You” while I jogged, my brain running almost as fast as my legs (well, maybe faster 😉 ).
For me, this song isn’t so much about love. It’s about the addiction–the obsession–love can create, and the darkness that can follow when it gets torn away or isn’t reciprocated.
So, if you’re looking for a song that inspires the light or dark side of love, check out “Addicted To You”!
The number one thing I love about this song is its attitude. It’s great inspiration to help me develop my protagonist, who’s anything but an angel. He’s rebellious, selfish, and arrogant. He does what he wants when he wants. And he refuses to be controlled by others. Basically, he walks through life giving others the middle finger salute.
I also really like “Amen”s lyrics. They inspire all kinds of emotions and ideas:
If you’re looking for an energetic, rebellious song that’s full of attitude, then check out Halestorm’s “Amen”.
The thing I enjoy most about this song is its pacing. It starts off with a powerful punch, then pulls back and slowly winds back up to a powerful ending. Up and down, loud–quiet–loud, intense–light–intense…It’s all very dramatic and puts me in the right frame of mind to write.
Another reason I like listening to this song is its emotions. I usually need music that elicits darker feelings (anger, misery, revenge, insanity, etc.), but this one has the opposite effect. There’s joy, wonder, excitement, life in “Je Veux Vivre” (translation: I want to live).
So, if you’re looking for a fun, dramatic, beautiful song, check out Maria Callas’s performance of “Je Veux Vivre” from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.
My favorite thing about this song is its raw emotions. While listening to it, I’m able to experience anger, sorrow, desperation, defeat, frustration…And then I’m able to take those darker feelings and infuse them into my work.
And, of course, I love this song’s lyrics. Whether it’s one line or many, I always find something in “Take Me Away” to spark my imagination and help with whatever story I’m working on.
So, if you’re looking for a song to help inspire those darker, rawer emotions, check out “Take Me Away” by Avril Lavigne.
To help draw out my “cuckoo” side, I listened to Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster”. It’s perfect inspiration for creating characters who are off their rocker.
As you might suspect, my favorite part of this song is its chorus. Simply put, it’s awesome. The lyrics capture the right message, tone, and feeling I’m striving for when developing insane protagonists.
So, if you’re looking for a song that inspires insanity of any kind, give “The Monster” a listen!
In addition to its emotions, I find “Epiphany” inspiring because it takes me into the mind of a demented character–a twisted man so full of hate and vengeance, he becomes a ruthless murderer. Which is great!
Now, you might be wondering why I need to be listening to a song like this right now. Well, over the weekend, I made a difficult, but surprisingly, exciting decision. I’m not going to start the fourth draft of my YA novel right now. Instead, I’m going to focus on a new project–one that relates to a short story I wrote for an 
So, if you’re looking for a gritty song that brings to life darker emotions, check out “Epiphany” from the musical, Sweeney Todd!
Last Friday, I woke up and looked at my assigned genre for round two:
I ended up watching the music video of “Ghost” over and over again while developing my story. I couldn’t help it. Every time I watched/listened to it, my foggy plot sharpened and my vague characters came to life. Between the imagery, the tone, and the lyrics, “Ghost” had everything I needed to get me motivated to write my story.
I highly recommend you watch/listen to “Ghost” by Ella Henderson. It’s great inspiration for all kinds of stories (not just ghost ones).
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