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.
This past weekend, I officially began working on my new novel. To help kickstart my journey, I listened to one of my new obsessions: “Amen” by Halestorm.
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.
And this song is perfect to inspire that kind of “eff you” character.
I also really like “Amen”s lyrics. They inspire all kinds of emotions and ideas:
A fire’s gotta burn
The world is gonna turn
A rain has gotta fall
Fate is gonna call
But I just keep on breathing
Long as my heart is beating
Someone’s gotta hate
It’s never gonna change
Gets harder everyday
This is one hell of a place
Keep your heart from freezing
To keep yourself believing
If you’re looking for an energetic, rebellious song that’s full of attitude, then check out Halestorm’s “Amen”.
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:
In a nutshell, my story is about two crazies trying to off each other. So, I need to find things that inspire my inner psycho. And this music video definitely does. Shia LaBeouf and Maggie Ziegler’s movements, facial expressions, and emotions spark the exact feelings I need to experience to write my story.
Another reason I love this video is its meaning. Just like my main character, Shia LaBeouf is forced to face his inner demons (Maggie Ziegler), and then battle to overcome them. And that battle involves a wide range of emotions: fear, anxiety, denial, courage, pity, curiosity, pain, rage…It all adds up to a powerful and moving display. And watching it makes me feel closer to my main character and his struggles.
So, if you’re looking for a video that has edge, emotion, and a splash of insanity, then check out “Elastic Heart” by Sia!
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).
I love listening to “I Wanna Rock” when I’m looking to infuse attitude in my writing. If I have a character who needs to act out, or stand up for themselves, or go against the grain, then I turn to this rock n’ roll song for inspiration.
“I Wanna Rock” also helps me develop conflicts in my stories.
So, if you’re looking for a song with lots of attitude and the power to put you in the “Conflict Zone”, then check out “I Wanna Rock” by Twisted Sister.
There are many versions of “Nobody’s Side” out there (including those by 
This is a great song to listen to when you’re working on character conflicts, or a plot twist (i.e. a terrible betrayal), or a particularly emotional scene full of anger and resentment. Why? Because it’s brimming with conflict and betrayal and anger/resentment. Just read some of the lyrics and you’ll see what I mean:
So, if you’re looking for “one of those songs” that offers motivation for a variety of stories, then check out “Nobody’s Side” from the musical Chess!
When I first watched “Chandelier”s music video on YouTube a few months ago, I thought, “Meh, it’s okay.” Then it popped back up on my playlist a couple of weeks ago and–boom! Obsessed!
Now, I’ll fully admit, my favorite thing about “Chandelier” is its music video and the dancer, Maddie Ziegler. I’ve never been so inspired by the art of dance. And I’ve never been able to use it to see my characters better.
So, if you’re looking to be inspired by music and dance, check out “Chandelier” by Sia!
As much as I love writing, there comes a point I need to stop, step back, and regain my breath (and sanity). So, that’s what I’ll be doing the next couple of weeks. However, just because I’m not working on a project at this very moment doesn’t mean I’m not listening to music and finding inspiration in it. That’s like asking me not to breathe!
This is one of those songs that always ends up on my latest book playlist. No matter what story or character I’m creating, “Shake It Out” sparks my imagination, helps me deepen a plot, and pushes me to develop stronger emotions.
My favorite thing about this song is its lyrics.
So, if you’re looking for a song to add to your book playlist, check out Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out”!
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