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.
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The main thing I like about “Bleed It Out” is its rawness. While I listen to it, I’m able to experience my characters’ self-destructive natures, as well as their rage, frustration, and despair.
Another things I love about this song is its rhythm and beat. Let’s face it, sometimes (okay, many times) writing can be an energy drain. Physically, mentally, emotionally–it can take a lot out of us, especially if we’re writing stories that “dig deeper” and deal with uncomfortable subject matters.
So, if you’re looking for an energetic song that inspires raw emotions, listen to 
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”.
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.
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.
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”!
I apologize for being AWOL the past couple of weeks. It’s been a little rough…But, more about that later. Let’s hop into today’s Music Monday!
The moment this music video began playing, I was infatuated with it. The imagery, tone, and words were exactly what I needed to see/hear to give my lagging story a swift kick in the rear.
Not only did “Shatter Me” help me tap into the raw emotions of my characters (anger, resentment, fear, sorrow), but it sparked my imagination with its amazing music video. I loved the shattering theme. It gave me some great ideas for my horror story’s morbid journey.
And, of course, “Shatter Me” has amazing lyrics with the power to inspire all kinds of emotions and ideas.
When I create my playlist(s) for my stories, I tend to add songs that my characters would listen to. Why? Because it helps me develop them better. When I listen to their music, it helps me understand who they are and what their tone, attitude, and characteristics are. And “Bad Moon Rising” happens to be one of my protagonists’ favorite songs.
I also enjoy this song because it’s a fun one to listen to when writing suspense or horror. “Bad Moon Rising” is all about disaster and mayhem, and I’ll admit, those elements often appear in my stories.
I fell in love with this song years and years ago, all the way back to when I was a kid and my aunt used to babysat me and my siblings. Whenever we’d go over to her house, she’d throw on Lesley Gore’s record, grab a spatula, and “serenade” us while we ate dinner. Usually her performance would end with all of us dancing around to 
However, it was my aunt’s theatrical rendition of “You Don’t Own Me” that stuck with me throughout the years. And lately, as I’ve been working on the edits for my manuscript, it’s become one of my obsessions.
So, if you’re looking for a wonderful song that’s full of power, drama, and attitude, listen to Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”.
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.
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