{"id":15434,"date":"2016-07-22T01:00:13","date_gmt":"2016-07-22T08:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=15434"},"modified":"2016-07-14T07:38:43","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T14:38:43","slug":"muse-ic-calling-name-carol-malone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2016\/07\/22\/muse-ic-calling-name-carol-malone\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Muse-ic Calling Your Name? by Carol Malone"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Fight<\/a>Please welcome author and book coach in training\u00a0Carol Malone<\/a>. Today she\u2019s sharing her article about enticing your Muse-ic to bring you stimulation, inspiration, and peace as you write. Enjoy!<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

When I was a small child,<\/strong> it didn’t take me long to realize music could be used to tell powerful stories. I\u2019d pop on a 78 record and listen till my parents would cry. I listened to songs like: \u201cBlue Tail Fly\u201d or \u201cJimmy Crack Corn and I Don’t care,\u201d \u201cThe Big Rock Canady Mountain,\u201d \u201cTwinkle, Twinkle Little Star,\u201d \u201cThe Three Billy Goats Gruff,\u201d and \u201cHow Much is that Doggie in the Window?\u201d I know, I\u2019m dating myself. You younger writers are scratching your heads, aren\u2019t you? But these songs influenced my play and my emotional state. They told me stories, let me live within the worlds they created.<\/p>\n

How did Muse-ic affect my creativity and when?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I grew, my childish songs were replaced with songs from the likes of Elvis, the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Credence Clearwater Revival, and my favorite, John Denver. I adored groups and songsters who were still storytelling-types.<\/p>\n

The Sixties turned into the Seventies and then my rock and roll choices changed to bands like The Doors, The Who, the Eagles, America, and the group I listened to the most, Journey. This was the music I played constantly in high school and in college\u2014the years I wrote my first short stories and poetry.<\/p>\n

In between my early childhood years, teen, and young adult years, I used my fondness of music to motivate me to learn the piano, join choruses, and choirs. I even learned the guitar in college. I was in a band once, me and three guys. We rehearsed and rehearsed to tell our stories in song and had only one performance. Such a short, but memorable musical career.<\/p>\n

How can \u201cMuse-ic\u201d influence your state of mind and prepare you for writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I recently read an article about adding a sound track to our writing. In her article, \u201cWriting Under The Influence (of Music)<\/a>,\u201d Melissa Muhlenkamp \u00a0said, \u201cThere is also something about musical stimulation that produces a very real response in our brains. It can create a specific emotion, a specific idea, a specific image. For me, this is where the true power of music lies. Music gives me vision, and for me, translating the vision of a story into words is the art of writing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle went on to say, she has two rules for \u201charnessing its [Muse-ic\u2019s] full potential. Rule number one, listen. I close my eyes and focus on the melody alone. I don\u2019t worry about writing at this point. I just quiet my mind and let every thought mull over the song, its highs and lows, and whatever response it produces in me. Rule number two, don\u2019t try to control the flow of ideas. In other words, I don\u2019t hold back the jam. Instead, I let it guide me. Once the story takes shape, I open my eyes and begin typing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Music continues to play a significant place in my heart. Listening to my favorite songs still soothe, inspire, and energize me. What I listen to has seen me through more joy and pain than I care to chat about in this article. I figure it will do the same for my characters, especially if they are uncooperative, lacking motivation, or hurting.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Can \u201cMuse-ic\u201d set the proper tone for your writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When I’m writing my new pulp-fiction<\/a> about hard-boiled detectives and long-legged dames, I love a good 40s\/50s Harlem vocal smooth jazz<\/a> play list. Hm-hmm. Sweet as honey. Songs like: “This is Always,” by Charlie Parker. “Baby Won’t You Make Up Your Mind,” by Ann Baker. “My One and Only Love,” by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. I like a bluesy, romantic sax, a discordant piano, tender clarinet, and smoky-throated gals like Billy Holiday, Mildred Bailey, or Peggy Lee. These masters wove tales of the gritty 1940s and 50s. When I put on this type of music, I feel like I\u2019m writing while sitting in a hazy, half-lit blues club where a sultry, sexy redhead saunters to the mic\u2014hips a\u2019 swaying\u2014and belts out her version of \u201cBody and Soul.” Can you hear it? Can you feel the scene?<\/p>\n

Can Muse-ic help you to feel the flow of scenes, or strengthen your characters?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I\u2019m writing about boxing action, I’ll listen to the early 50s jumpin\u2019 classic rock and roll such as, “Hound Dog,” by Elvis Presley or “Great Balls of Fire,” by Jerry Lee Lewis. All the tunes have a driving beat<\/a> so my boxer can pound rhythmically on the speed bag and get his bouncing dance steps for sparring. Some managers even have their boxers train to ballet music.<\/p>\n

When I’m writing a slower scene in my 50s new pulp-fiction\u2014the highly charged romantic parts\u2014I might listen to Benny Goodman and his liquid sound of “Moonlight Serenade<\/a>,” or Rosemary Clooney\u2019s scorching tones of “Memories of You<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Last time I worked on my YA Romance, I keyed up Pandora and set my station to the likes of Taylor Swift, Maroon Five, and Ed Sheeran. Or maybe I\u2019ll plug in some sexy romantic tunes by Sam Smith, or Michael Bubl\u00e9. I might even go old school, and listen to Ole Blue Eyes.<\/p>\n

Can you use your \u201cMuse-ic\u201d to get you in the mood for writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

If I can\u2019t get in the mood to write, or when I\u2019m feeling down, or need a pick-me-up, or a kick-in-the-pants, I\u2019ll put on my inspirational music. Songs like these:<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my Fight Song\u201d \u2013 Rachel Platten<\/p>\n

\u201cBrave\u201d \u2013 Sara Bareilles<\/p>\n

\u201cTry\u201d \u2013 Pink<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect\u201d \u2013 Pink<\/p>\n

\u201cRoar\u201d \u2013 Katy Perry<\/p>\n

\u201cShake it Off\u201d \u2013 Taylor Swift<\/p>\n

\u201cCounting Stars\u201d \u2013 One Republic<\/p>\n

\u201cBest Day Of My Life\u201d \u2013 American Authors<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Makes You Beautiful\u201d \u2013 One Direction<\/p>\n

\u201cShake It Out<\/a>\u201d \u2013 Florence + The Machine,<\/p>\n

My all-time beloved tune for lifting my spirits is, \u201cRise Up<\/a>\u201d sung by Andra Day<\/p>\n

Can listening to your Muse-ic be distracting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Susan Perry in her book Writing in Flow: Keys to Enhanced Creativity<\/em><\/a>, analyzed hundreds of award-winning writers who were interviewed about how they “find their flow.” She discovered that using music was part of their increase in the much-craved writing flow. “This may be because the senses generally tend to operate from a different part or combination of parts of the brain from the logical, linguistic part.”<\/p>\n

In his article, “How Spotify Can Make You a Better Writer<\/a>,” Michael Mahin, offered his opinion on listening to music with lyrics. He thought it was somewhat distracting until he “signed up for Spotify (it\u2019s free!) and discovered film scores. The first thing you need to understand is that a film score is different than a soundtrack. A soundtrack is simply a compilation of the songs (typically pop songs) that were used in a movie.” I have found the Pandora also lets you search for composers and they do list their firm scores.<\/p>\n

Michael Mahin offers some advice on how to use the Muse-ic program, Spotify, to help you find your flow:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how you can use music to become a better writer:<\/p>\n