Music, writing, and why I can’t write music

I’ll start with the last item first – I cannot for the life of me write music.

Or lyrics. Or poetry come to think of it, but then I tend to think lyrics and poetry are one and the same so maybe that goes hand in hand.

Despite signing in a choir for some years now, I can barely read music (sorry James – and you have tried so hard to teach us!) I still have ‘A’ ‘B’ ‘C’ ‘D’… written in eyeliner on my keyboard when I’m note bashing at home and I will never understand how someone can create music in their mind (much less figure out how to write it down!)

Okay so I can’t write music but I use it a lot in my writing, in two different ways.

First up is what I listen to whilst actually writing. I quite like writing in silence, but silence is hard to come by, and there will often be background noise (and barking dogs!) that need to be muffled so this is where the classical music comes into my writing. I can’t listen to anything with lyrics or I will end up typing them out mid chapter! Either that or I find three songs have gone by where I have just been singing into my computer screen like a diva and not written a single word.

So ‘wordless’ music is the criteria. After than, anything goes! I could pretend I know what I’m talking about, but the truth is I tend to pick up cheap compilation albums mostly of piano music, and listen to them without realising who I’m even listening to!

I also listen to movie soundtracks, and have a soft spot for Thomas Newman. In fact this afternoon I have something of a sad scene to re-write so will be listening to the ‘Series of Unfortunate events’ soundtrack. Specifically track 28 ‘The Letter That Never Came’. Repeatedly. Till I’m done. (There will be chocolate on stand by when I’m finished!)

Secondly…hmm. I wondered whether to share this with the world as large, as now that I come to write it down, it occurs to me now that it might be a little…strange.

Ok I think this habit stems from the playlists I used to make. Back in the days when I busy with my afore mentioned notebooks I would also make music playlists (ok so back then it was old skool mix-tapes!) for certain books.

This then evolved into my own writing where I would often give character’s their own theme songs. Too many years later and I have somehow reached a point where I have written (almost) an entire novel based on one single song.

The song didn’t come first, I only discovered it about four years ago, but it instantly became my main character’s theme song and then slowly altered the tone of the entire novel during each re-write!

And the weirdest part is that I was fairly unaware of the extent of this influence until I realised I had temporarily named a chapter after the title of the song; Silent Lucidity

 

Silent Lucidity Queensryche

 

Yes that’s right we’ve gone from Mozart to metal!

 

Enjoy!

PS A side note into how crazy this post is – I suddenly thought as I put the link to the song up ‘oh no, now people will know how the book ends!’ Ha ha ha!

Welcome to my mind!