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.
For the first time in a long time, I’ve been excited to sit down, open up a manuscript, and write. Besides loving my plot and crazy characters, I have music to thank for my surge in motivation. I’ve come across so many great songs lately! So many, in fact, I had a tough time deciding which one to choose for this week’s Music Monday.
After a lot of debating, I finally decided to go with “Cell Block Tango” from the musical Chicago.
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.
*cue evil laughter* 😉
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, I said to him,
I said, “you pop that
gum one more time…”
and he did.
So I took the shotgun off the wall
and I fired two warning shots…
…into his head.
So, if you’re looking for a song that brings out the dark side of your plot and characters, check out “Cell Block Tango” from the musical Chicago.
In case there are technical glitches with the video above, here’s another one that should work: “Cell Block Tango”.
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 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!
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!
There’s also a dash of suspense and an edge of malice in “Partido Feminista”. Madonna’s voice, the crowd’s ongoing chant, and the background orchestration mesh together in a powerful and frightening way…I’m not sure if those emotions were intended for this song, but I hear them every time I listen to it. Which is perfect motivation for the current scenes I’m working on in my book!
So, if you’re in need of a strong, persuasive, and even threatening number to inspire your writing, listen to “Partido Feminista”!
There have been many variations of this song recorded over the years, but this is one of my favorites. Kerry Ellis adds so much oomph and power to “Defying Gravity” with her explosive vocals and rock n’ roll gusto. It makes me want to stand up and rebel against those trying to drag me down and hold me back. And that was the exact feeling I needed while writing my final chapters.
Not only does this song have the right tone and attitude for those “defying” moments in your story, but it has the lyrics to inspire them as well. Simply put, they’re amazing.
To put it simply, this song is evil. It might not sound like it. Actually, when you first hear it, you’ll likely think it’s beautiful and sweet–motivational, even. But once you stop and listen to the lyrics, you’ll quickly realize what’s being sung about and your stomach will drop and your heart will sink.
Yes, this song is about the rise of The National Socialist Party before World War II, and yes, it’s downright horrible.
This past week, I became obsessed with the song “Always Starting Over” from the new Broadway musical, 
“Always Starting Over” is such a dramatic, emotional, human driven song. Every time I listen to it, I’m filled with frustration, anger, desperation, and heartache. And those are some emotions I definitely need to tap into while I’m developing my characters and the conflicts they’re facing.
So, if you’re looking for a song that delivers real human emotion to your story, check out “Always Starting Over”. And, I urge you to listen to it more than once. I promise, it’ll get more and more powerful with each playing.
This past weekend, I saw the hit Broadway musical, 
Now, there are many reasons why I love this musical, but one of them is because so many of the songs inspire my writing (
There’s actually one specific chapter in my book that I created/choreographed using this song. It’s a pivotal scene that revolves around one of my plot’s main twists. Oh, and a big fight between two of my main characters–hi-yah! “Know Your Enemy” helped me fuel the fire in this chapter and make it really POP!
Since I skipped last week’s Music Monday, I thought I’d share with you a couple of songs that inspired “Into Paradise,” my final entry for the 
The past few days, I’ve been listening to one of my favorite musicals, 
Out of all the awesome songs on the Next to Normal soundtrack, my favorite is the reprisal of my second favorite song, “I’m Alive”. It might be short, but I love this track for many reasons: First, 
Jen's Pen Den 