Charlene Newcomb

Capturing those moments…

Song lyrics. Wow. I admire individuals who can capture an image or a moment in time in the lyrics of a song. We novel writers are warned to watch verbosity, watch the flowery prose and, as my writers group reminds me at least a few times a year, watch the cliches. Can we say it simpler?

A smile washed across Nick’s face.

Nick smiled.

Getting too verbose in a dramatic scene can take the reader out of the scene. (Thanks, Raji, for that advice.) Powerful images are needed to drive those moments forward.

Tell him that the sun and moon rise in his eyes.
“Tell Him,” Celine Dion.

How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace.
“Against All Odds,” Phil Collins.

When you find you, come back to me.
“Come Back to Me,” David Cook.

I’m often inspired by song lyrics like these. I’ve pulled off the road to make note of a song title so I can go back and listen to the words again.

What about you? Have you ever written a scene or a whole book based on an image conjured up by a song?

  1. Catherine Hedge Avatar
    Catherine Hedge

    Beautiful song, Joel. You’ll be sad only days (WOW!) You and your mom share the ability to pull out emotions so well. Thank you for sharing, Char. Cathy

    Reply
    1. Char Avatar
      Char

      Glad you enjoyed Joel’s song. And thank you for the lovely compliments.

      Reply
  2. Jaime Avatar
    Jaime

    Aside from an RP that Katarina and I once did, I can’t really remember any instances where the lyrics of a song has inspired me – usually, I can’t listen to music with lyrics when I write because I’m a musical thinker. I think in sounds, so lyrics become like background noise in my head, if that makes sense? One exception is the new song from the Hobbit soundtrack that was just released. I love listening to it while working on my nanowrimo novel.

    I do get inspired from the music itself, though. Have you ever heard of synesthesia? For me, music has a color to it. So, if I need to write a scene (or even paint,) where it’s morning and the sky is a purplish-blue color, I’ll put on a song that my brain perceives as being mostly purple. It helps me to visualize the scene better, since again, I think in sounds and words, rather than images. 🙂

    I’ve really been watching the verbosity in my nanowrimo novel (even though flowery prose would boost the word count.) The novel is meant to be a bit rough around the edges because it’s being told from the POV’s of my characters (who are a bit rough.) If I did it any other way, it wouldn’t be in character.

    Reply
    1. Char Avatar
      Char

      Wow. I don’t experience that feeling you describe but that is cool. This lyrics-inspired writing started only a few years back for me, but often I will envision a whole scene or chapter based around just one sentence from a song. Good luck with your nano!

      Reply
  3. Cynthia Tussey Harris Avatar
    Cynthia Tussey Harris

    WOW! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Char Avatar
      Char

      🙂 Thanks for stopping by & listening!

      Reply
  4. Marie Loughin Avatar
    Marie Loughin

    I’m writing a story based on an Indigo Girl’s song. Not sure how they’d feel about it 😮

    Reply
    1. Char Avatar
      Char

      They should be flattered! What’s the name of the song?

      Reply

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