Music

Listen to music while you write? It could really help. In that first stage of writing, where you just put everything down on the page, you aren't really looking at structure and grammar. You are getting the rough, clay ideas out that will be molded into structures later and then chiseled into the actual story even further down the road. The music you use can shape these ideas and scenes and make them believable. It sort of goes side by side with day dreaming. Some even listen to music while they edit. 

A song can take you to another time, to another frame of mind. For instance; if I want to get into a high school student's mind I'll listen to Third Eye Blind, How's It Gonna Be. (I still tear when I think of Dawson's Creek--don't laugh!) Or if I need to get into a vampire's thoughts, I'll listen to Type O Negative, Black No 1. (or almost anything from them.) It all depends on where you want to go, and what type of character you are writing about--or which POV you want to make authentic. 

The songs are like a soundtrack for your story, like the ones at the end of a movie. I used to love watching them, feeling cool as I left the theater, like I was the main character for a few hours.
For one of the novels I'm writing I listened to a lot of Doo Wop, as this plays a prominent role in the story. Not only do the songs put me in the time period, but they are also like a soundtrack for the movie I see in my head. Some say my stories read like a movie, and I'm good with that. 

It's easier to get into the world with a tune. Sort of like daydreaming, where you are there, you see and feel and maybe even smell within your mind. Music makes it that much easier to drift off and get lost in that place you're creating. Your mind's olfactory sensory let's you experience these things as though you are there as the character. 

There is a short story I'm working on based off of a song. When I hear the song a video starts in my head and I see the characters doing their thing. My subconscious comes up with these scenes and I write them down. Sometimes they feel as though they are being created before my eyes of their own will. They are very vivid. My subconscious does this quickly and it's quite amazing as it happens. 

Point to consider, music can be very powerful and while it can put you in the mood for certain writing, it's wise to be careful as certain music can really have an influence on how you feel in the real world, so try to bring yourself back with some upbeat music after, if you're going into a more depressing situation in your story. 

So music is yet another tool in the arsenal of writing. Hope this helps, or gives someone ideas. Please leave a comment or subscribe to this feed. Maybe leave a tip on what makes you get into your story. 

Here is a good link about our olfactory sensory and how writers can use it in their writing. http://www.creativenonfiction.org/brevity/craft/craft_johnson38.html 

Maybe I'll touch up more in a future post about sensory and bringing your reader deeper into your story. 

Until next time. 

Keep writing. 

WCM