Musical Inspiration
I made a post over at the NaNoWriMo forums about writing novels or stories based on music. The response to the post seems to indicate that this is a common phenomenon. In fact, a few people are going so far as to write stories where each chapter is based around a different song by a specific group.
In my own personal experience, music has inspired me not just in a general sort of way, but to the point of giving me ideas for plot points. For example, Split Second, an unfinished novel that eventually became the premise upon which Blurred Line is based, was inspired partly by a trio of Matthew Good songs, "Advertising on Police Cars", "The Workers Sing a Song of Mass Production" and "Sort of a Protest Song". In fact, if you look hard enough, you can even find a direct reference in BL to the first song, when it's mentioned that police wear the badges of their corporate sponsors on their uniforms.
For my NaNo project, which as I mentioned earlier was partly inspired by three songs by The New Pornographers, I've gone even further. The book is (tentatively) titled Mass Romantic, after both the album and the CD's first song. My main character is going to be a writer for one of those "Woman Gives Birth to Alien Bat Baby" type tabloids, thanks largely to song #2, "The Fake Headlines". A song called "The Body Says No" was influential in some fleshing out of the plot and a couple of other songs from the album helped with minor points as well.
Throw in the fact that I've had a short story inspired by yet another Matt Good song, it's pretty clear (that in addition to the fact that I should be taking a trip to Vancouver to kiss the ground these musicians walk on) that I'm influenced by music.
Anyone else?
In my own personal experience, music has inspired me not just in a general sort of way, but to the point of giving me ideas for plot points. For example, Split Second, an unfinished novel that eventually became the premise upon which Blurred Line is based, was inspired partly by a trio of Matthew Good songs, "Advertising on Police Cars", "The Workers Sing a Song of Mass Production" and "Sort of a Protest Song". In fact, if you look hard enough, you can even find a direct reference in BL to the first song, when it's mentioned that police wear the badges of their corporate sponsors on their uniforms.
For my NaNo project, which as I mentioned earlier was partly inspired by three songs by The New Pornographers, I've gone even further. The book is (tentatively) titled Mass Romantic, after both the album and the CD's first song. My main character is going to be a writer for one of those "Woman Gives Birth to Alien Bat Baby" type tabloids, thanks largely to song #2, "The Fake Headlines". A song called "The Body Says No" was influential in some fleshing out of the plot and a couple of other songs from the album helped with minor points as well.
Throw in the fact that I've had a short story inspired by yet another Matt Good song, it's pretty clear (that in addition to the fact that I should be taking a trip to Vancouver to kiss the ground these musicians walk on) that I'm influenced by music.
Anyone else?
10 Comments:
Oh yeah.
I've written a short story with four sections each based on one line of the four line chorus of a song which I will not name here (sorry).
I'm planning a novel based on a almost all of the complete works of Rainer Maria. I'm not afrid to say their name because I love them, and I'm sure not too many people will be writing the same book even if I plant the idea. I'm starting with their second album and spanning 3 albums and 2 EPs.
I thought it was an original idea, but I guess I was wrong. Damn the man.
I've found alot of ideas tend to spark in my brain when i hear goldfinger, eve 6, and jack johnson songs. Ive written a few short stories, but i hope to flesh them out full length eventually (everyone seems to have that writing "to-do" list dont they lol)
Millo - if you can create some horrible three-headed monster of a story out of "Banana Pancakes", "Sunset Strip Bitch" and "San Simeon", you'll forever be my hero.
I'd heard Stephen King likes to write while listening to rock. Except where he is up in Maine the radio stations didn't play it much so he bought WZON http://www.zoneradio.com/wzon/ I don't think he owns it anymore, but I've always thought that was neat.
Alot of ideas spring into mind when I browse blogs. I read peoeple's tales and something new is growing in my mind.
Actually one of the stories was from "Sunsetstrip bitch" with some, i think it was "mable" thrown in there. Im afraid your on your own for "banana pancakes" however lol
Just wanted to say that I 'blog surf' a lot. Yours is one of the few that I actually stop to read.
My first novel is coming out this fall and it's based on a band coming out of Austin. Music is certainly universal!
Anyway, thanks for making the blog surfing interesting!!
Definitely, about music... I can get myself back into the groove of work on a particular piece by putting its particular music on the ipod.
Nice blog... I found it by way of Blog Explosion, will be back!
awesome...I also thought it an original idea, but it seems not. My twist is that I wrote the music first that I'm basing my NanoWriMo project on. It's a little audio short entitled, "I'm Going Away For Awhile". Something creepy for sure, don't know what yet...waiting for November to let it all flow. The track is on my website if you're curious. Great blog, btw! See you in the forums...
-thc
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