We’ve been choosing music for the wedding this week, and it’s taken over my evening so I have neglected the blog today – sorry! I promise that after the wedding I’ll be much better…
Still it’s got me thinking about the power of music once again. You may remember this is a subject I was working on many moons ago. Well, I put it aside for a later date that didn’t come along so it’s languishing in my to do pile. This isn’t so much a reboot as a gentle reminder it’s there!
Making a list of songs I’d like played, it’s become abundantly clear that what I love listening to is directly related to when I first heard it. There’s a vast stream of music from my university years that fills me with a nostalgic sense of joy – even though the music is not really to my taste nowadays. It’s like the first time I play the 1950’s Christmas songs; it immediately transports me to a certain place and time.
This isn’t a new idea, and it’s not even the first time I’ve written about it on the blog. Still, it’s worth revisiting because music makes a scene.
It is the background noise in the lives of our characters: on the radio in the car or the office, on adverts, even film or tv themes. Just as we learn the words of songs, and sing them absent-mindedly as we walk down the street, our characters will do the same. They will feel the words of a poignant song, cry to love songs when their hearts are broken, and drive into the sunset to songs of freedom and hope. Their lives will have a soundtrack, and one of the jobs of a writer is to make the reader hear that soundtrack. Not literally, of course – but through tone, timing, rhythm and pace we can give our characters a soundtrack for their lives.
And if we want to mention a few of our favourites, and have a listen along the way – well, it’s work, isn’t it?!
Happy writing,
EJ
🙂
Becoming a writer 