Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Is There Music In Your Writing?

One day I was working on my current young adult story when one of the major characters surprised me by saying he had learned to play the guitar. Now this was not in my original plans, but I went with him¾who am I to question my characters? In one scene, so far, he and a friend play their guitars. We will see where this new thought leads.


I started thinking about my other stories and whether they contained musical elements. To my surprise, music is part of four out of five of my books. In Listen to the Ghost Matt, one of the major characters plays the saxophone and piano. Jennifer, the pov character in Secrets I Have Kept, plays classical music on the piano, and Casey, the other pov character writes country ballads and strums the guitar. Then Rebel’s mother runs away with the drummer in a rock band in the novel Rebel in Blue Jeans, and Lizzie, from Caves, Cannons, and Crinolines plays the guitar. Though the music isn’t the main point of each story, it’s there, adding to the details of the characters’ lives, telling us a little more about their likes and dislikes.

So music does play a part in most of my work. And I believe it goes back to my early years when I took piano lessons. Twice a week I spent 30 minutes in Mrs. Patton’s home, sitting at her piano. At the time, of course, I’d rather have been outside playing with my friends. My parents wanted me to play the piano, and I did my best. Today, I’m so glad I did. When I’m tense and my world is going in ten different directions at the same time, I can sit at the piano, play some of my favorite tunes from the 50’s or my favorite hymns from today, and I relax and soon I’m ready to face the day with an improved attitude and sometimes ideas for new scenes or lines that popped into my head from the songs.

In addition to the piano, I once played the clarinet in the junior high and high school bands. At the time I enjoyed the music but never considered how it might affect my future life. From my experiences, however, I believe that writing is much like playing a musical instrument. I started from the beginning, learning the basics. With music, on the piano for instance, it’s treble clef, base clef, whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, rests, sharps, flats, and all the parts that go together to make a song. Then I advanced in my knowledge of music and put the parts together with words and lyrics and melodies. Soon my music was telling a story. Yes, someone else wrote the words, but when I was on the stage, playing for my recitals, I still relayed the message to my listeners.

With writing, I began with words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, commas, periods, and question marks. As my skills grew and developed, I put the parts together, introduced the characters, and added a plot and theme. Soon I was telling a story to my readers.

Sometimes, what we do as adults reflects back to things we enjoyed in our childhood. Is there music in your writing?







 
 
 
 

13 comments:

  1. Great blog post. I always enjoy reading what Beverly has to say. It's interesting how music is a common element in most of her books.

    I took piano lessons from a neighbor. We didn't have a piano, so I also got to practice at the neighbor's house. I also took guitar lessons for about a year or so when I was younger. Played clarinet in junior high band.

    Too bad I can't play any of those instruments today. : (

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is one skill I don't have. My husband sings in our church choir and is quite good. When I was in college I had to take piano lessons for this music class. The teacher told me she could teach anyone. Well, that was before she had me!

    Great post, Bev!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We have a lot in common, Susanne. I still play the piano. It helps me work through a problem, and it things are really going wrong, I can pound away my frustrations. :) I'd love to learn to play the guitar, but all I get is plunk, plunk.

    LOL, Kim. Poor teacher. As for singing, I love to, as long as no one is listening.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am all thumbs with instruments. I tried the oboe, guitar, and flute. I stink. I just cannot make my hands do two different things at once. I've always wanted to play the piano - and I can read music, but can only either play the melody or the harmony at one time. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I grew up surrounded by music, and prefer write to it all the time, too. In fact, my stories don't really fly until I find the special "anchor" song that kicks off the magic. Thanks for sharing that! I'm glad to know lots of other folks have that same connection between the words and the music!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOL! Remember, Christine, we all have our own talents. That's what make us who we are. And the world an interesting place.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My mother, grandmother, and sister could/can play anything you put into their hands. I just never had the knack for it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Both my great-grandmother and grandmother could play the piano by ear. Never took lessons either. I can't play any instrument or sing either. Even my baby cockatiel doesn't appreciate my singing!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Christine, some people are talented in one thing, like music, others are talented in sports, or writing, or so many other things. One time I asked my 3rd graders what they were good at. One little boy told me "eating." So he had found his talent when very young. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. LOL. Poor little cockatiel. Sensitive ears.

    My cat leaves the living room when I play the piano. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. If music does sneak into one of my books somehow, it is almost always in the form of karaoke. (My poor characters. :P)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey, that's good, Heather. Kids have fun with karaoke. :)

    ReplyDelete