When Music Inspires You to Write

I love Nigerian music, and in recent years, it has undergone such a transformation that it has almost eliminated the need to listen to other kinds of music. Almost. Although my focus for the most part is Gospel / Christian music, I have learnt to appreciate other kinds of music as well. Thanks to my sister, I have fallen in love with period dramas, and their soundtracks. Currently topping my list are the main soundtracks of Downton Abbey and North and South. I highly recommend both. Beautiful music.

Apart from the fact that both music and works of fiction are usually grouped under “The Arts,” I believe they complement each other. Specifically, music can inspire you to write both fiction and non-fiction.

That includes poetry, novels, essays, articles, name it. There’s a song to encourage those creative juices to flow. Not to mention the fact that music is a very potent cure for writer’s block as long as you get back to writing after the block is gone, and you don’t take to dancing for hours afterwards. Okay, maybe a few minutes of dancing. *smiles*

I have found that music allows my mind to wander and dream, depending on the arrangement and type. Violins (and string instruments generally) add a romantic touch to a song that can make your heart flutter and stir up your imagination. What follows next is inspiration. Not necessarily in that order, but I think you understand what I mean. All of a sudden, you know what your character should say next or what the next sequence of events should be in a story. Line by line, that blank sheet of paper becomes populated with words, and sentences, and paragraphs … and then the story ends. Just like that.

Next time, you’re having a hard time writing anything, listen to music. You can thank me later.