The Influence of Music

Throughout the ages music has been a source of inspiration, comfort and joy, but how much do we really rely on music’s influence?

Music to soothe the soul:

A widely disputed legend has it that Johan Sebastian Bach composed the Goldberg Variations for the harpsichordist Johann Goldberg to play for Count Kaiserling when the count could not sleep.  No matter the time of night, Goldberg had to play the harpsichord in the next chamber until the count finally dosed off. This gives new meaning to working the night shift. 

Here is a short excerpt of the Goldberg Variations: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.

Goldberg Variations

 

Even further back in history David played music to soothe King Saul’s dark moods.  But it is not just kings and counts that need to sleep.  Mothers throughout the years sang their infants  to sleep either using a traditional lullaby or one of their own making.

Here is a short version of Johannes Brahms’ Wiegenlied Op. 49 no. 4: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.

Wiegenlied Op. 49 no. 4

 

Background music in shopping malls:

There have been countless studies on the influence of background music on shopping behavior.  The focus of these studies were to find out if certain background music can influence people to spend more money than they normally would. These studies date as far back as 1982. Perhaps in the future it would be safer to go shopping with earplugs.

Music therapy:

The psychological effect of music has always been acknowledged, whether it is used to get people to purchase more items in a local store or to help people in dire need of some solace. No one will attest to music’s deeper effects. Some researchers have gone so deep that they literally transcribed DNA into actual music.

Here is a link to a website that allows you to send them the data of your very own DNA. They transcribe your DNA sequence into musical notes, giving you the choice of tempo and instruments.

http://yourdnasong.com/

Music and World War II:

V for victory, a symbol of the Allied forces during World War II. The Morse code of the letter ‘V’ is three dots and a dash which is the exact rhythm of the opening motive of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.  

Here is a demonstration of the four note pattern: Please click on the blue link if the video doesn't work or display.

Beethoven's Fifth Symphony

Music and the written word:

Music is very closely linked to emotion, especially if it comes to characterization. The text of an opera is called the libretto and it is usually written by someone other than the composer. It is only through music that the libretto comes to life.  There are two methods composers use to merge the libretto with music.  The first is called recitativo. The vocal line very closely mimics normal speech patterns. The second is called an aria. Arias are a lot more lyrical than the recitativo and have become familiar to the general public because world renowned tenors and sopranos sing them during their performances as separate items, completely removed from the original opera they came from.

The reason the aria is so popular is because it was written as an emotional response to the recitativo. Which means that if the main character got stabbed during the recitativo, the audience would be able to hear what kind of impact it had on the character in the aria.  Even William Shakespeare knew this, using music in his plays to enhance his characterization. Unfortunately he never composed his own music, which would probably have revolutionized the musical world.

Symphonic Poem:

Composers have long since been drawn to poetry and prose, so the advent of the symphonic poem is no surprise.  According to Wikipedia a symphonic poem is an orchestral piece that is written in one movement that illustrates the content of a poem, novel or painting.  Here is a link if you want more information on the symphonic poem.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphonic_poem

Music and the movies:

The notable John Williams, the composer of the soundtrack of Star Wars, has made use of a method called: Leitmotif. The online Oxford Dictionary defines a leitmotif as a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation. By utilizing this technique the musical score could foreshadow events in the movie or at least echo them as they happen on the screen. John Williams wrote a theme for Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Leia, the force and many other characters.  

As writers we sometimes underestimate the influence of the music we listen to as we write.

Musical writing thought of the day:

Assign a leitmotif (any track of music) to the following:

1. Each of your main characters.
2. An important object
3. Any recurring theme in your work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once Upon a Time Mommy Was a Night Writer...

Gone are the days I could sip on wine and write into the wee hours of the night. In those childless years, I wrote only when inspiration struck, which looking back wasn’t often. I blamed work for not making writing a priority. I have a new job title these days. The pay is zilch, actually it costs money, but the rewards…priceless. Being a mommy definitely compromises my writing time. It has also forced me to be disciplined and more efficient. Hours alone with my thoughts are rare, therefore precious and must be used wisely. 

So can you have small children and write? Yes! Here are just a few tips I’ve picked up while writing with a two year old and another on the way.

1.) Prioritize your writing. If writing is your passion, it’s something that is yours and you need this. You’ll be a better parent for it. It is important. If you’re like me, you just feel better when you write. Writing is like little therapy sessions for your soul. Take time for you. 

2.) Schedule your writing time and stick to it. You no longer have the luxury to wait for inspiration. Your sticky fingered snuggle bug dictates your writing time now. If you don’t use it, you’ll likely lose it. If you think you can get to it after they go down for bed…come on. Let’s be honest, after you sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star it won’t be long before your head finds the nearest pillow. 

3.) Watch your night writing. If you do find yourself late night writing, all night writing should be avoided at all cost. Unless, you’re in your twenties. If you’re not, don’t try it. Trust me on this. You’ll end up enduring what feels much like a hangover you can’t shake, which means you’ll most likely sleep away your writing time. If this happens, whatever you do, do not pull another all night jam session to make up for lost writing time. Stop the cycle before it starts, that yellow brick road leads to a place called Insomnia. 

4.) Just write. If you simply stare at a blank screen, waiting for the words to flow, you will have wasted valuable time. Write. Even if you write, “I don’t know what to write.” Write! Or plan what to write. Brainstorm. Cluster. Write dialog only. Free write. Use a prompt. Write. Write with pen, paper and timer. Write. Do not waste your time writing a sentence, only to let you internal editor delete it, rewrite and delete yet again. Push yourself. Sand must be in the sandbox in order to build a castle.

5.) Embrace the chaos. Your scheduled writing time isn’t guaranteed. Things happen. Kids get sick, wake up early, stay up late, refuse to nap…hiccups in your schedule will happen as often as your newborn gets the hiccups. My tiny tot is currently driving his monster truck along my screen and demanding I turn on Alvin. Learn to write in the chaos. It’s not easy. It requires stopping and starting again, which is difficult and far from ideal. I know. Trust me, I know. When you have little ones, sometimes that’s all you going to get. You may have to get creative to embrace writing this way. Try writing or clustering on giant sheets of paper, give your toddler a sheet too and deem it Creativity Hour. You won’t find me judging if you give your tiny tot a happy hour with Mickey Mouse and a big sippy cup of chocolate milk.

The truth is my son has changed the way I write, but for the better. I watch him go after what he wants, when it’s difficult,  he struggles. I tell him, “You can do it. You can do it.” He keeps trying and chants, “I can do it. I do it.” When I want to throw darts at my scene cards, when I want to quit, I think of him and what I would tell him. I want him to know I chased my dreams. I worked hard when things weren’t easy. I kept going when what I wrote wasn’t very good. I worked to get better. No one is going to sharpen your tools for you, it’s up to you. And isn’t that the kind of drive you want to see in your children? 

Be their example but do it for you. If you want it bad enough, you can write with small children pulling on all your limbs. You can figure out how to pursue your dreams amongst the beautiful, sticky chaos. You can do it. Write on my writer friends! 

We’d love to hear from you. Do you struggle to find the right balance between your writing and work and/or family life? Have your children inspired you to write again? Any advice for parents trying to balance writing, work and family?

Writer’s Block – Using research as a procrastination tool

Procrastination is an art. Those of us who are really good at it can disguise procrastination in literally hundreds of ways.

Checking Facebook seems to rise to the top of the list for many writers. I also like to organize my desk or rearrange my documents folder. I can get lost calculating my average word count per day and then figuring how long it will take me to finish my book. I’ve perfected cleaning the cracker crumbs out of my keyboard. Today I am procrastinating by writing a blog post on great procrastination skills.

My single most effective procrastination tool is – research.

You start out simply wanting to verify that the perfect gun for your villain to use would be a semi-automatic. You do a quick search on revolvers vs semi-automatics. Then, you stumble on a tiny bit of information that the revolver on your screen will shoot both bullets and shotgun shells. What?!?

That tidbit leads to more searches about bullets and shells. And then back to the gun that will shoot both shotgun shell and bullets. You visit the Taurus website to learn more about that gun. Then, you just have to visit the Smith & Wesson website to learn more about theirs. Oh, wait! Did you know that the Smith & Wesson allows you to load both types of ammunition at the same time? Would that help my villain? Why would he want to shoot shotgun shells out of a handgun? That leads to more searches.

You get my point. Before you know it, you’ve spent an hour or more on research. While you know quite a bit more about handguns, you haven’t written one sentence.

How can you avoid using research as a procrastination tool?

I’m not going to suggest that you get hard core and install blocking software that would block access to Facebook or Twitter, but I have heard of some writers taking that big step. Admitting that you do procrastinate is a good step towards conquering procrastination. Perhaps you can find an effective way to stop procrastinating.

If not, here is what I do. Maybe it will help you:

When I hit a spot in my book that makes me lean back in my chair and wonder whether my character needs this or that, or which item would fit best, I no longer let myself research it. In the past, I would open a connection to the internet and go straight to Google. Now, I simply hit the “Enter” key a few times (to give me white space that I can easily find). Then I type a note. It’s usually something simple like “Need to decide best gun for my villain”. I bold that text and hit the “Enter” key five more times. I can then just keep writing.

Using this technique, I am able to keep writing. I haven’t completely cured my research procrastination, but I do find myself taking fewer “research” breaks. And, my average word count per day has gone up.

Recognizing that you are doing something wrong is the first step in fixing it. Do you use research as a procrastination tool?

Here, Hold My Wine (There's a mouse in the house)

Here, hold my wine....

We built this house sixteen years ago and have never had a mouse in the house. Not one. Until last weekend.

We started hearing him last Saturday. We searched and searched but couldn’t find him. Sunday, I found he had gotten into the bread. I’ve been on a mission to catch him since then.

Picture Bill Murray in Caddy shack.

I made a special trip to town to buy some of those sticky mouse traps because the two snap traps we had just weren’t doing it. I bought eight of those sticky traps.

By the time Bruce got home, I’d set two of them in the kitchen. I left the rest for Bruce to decide where to put. But, it would have to wait until we got home from a birthday party.

Bruce got his shower taken and we were ready to leave. I had my clothes laid out on the bed so when he was ready, all I needed to do was go back, brush my teeth and get dressed.

I headed back to the bedroom. I pulled off my jammies (yes, I wear jammies all day) and headed for the master bathroom. As I switched on the light, that mouse darted in front of me.

Of course I screamed like a girl. - Wouldn’t you?

I stepped back and jammed my hip into the dresser. It hurt like hell. I realized that I was doing my familiar “barn jig” in my underwear and started giggling.

Bruce came running into the bedroom. I pointed at the bathroom. “The mouse attacked me. He’s in there. Get it.”

He turned and left the room, returning a few seconds later with the broom. (Now why didn’t I think of that?)

He gingerly stepped into the bathroom. He pulled the bottom drawer of the vanity open.

“I think he’s behind the toilet.” I said.

Bruce reached down and moved the toilet brush holder. The mouse jumped out. Bruce jumped into the shower.

I started giggling again. Bruce gave me that look that I’m pretty sure scares the heck out of people at work, but it don’t scare me.

The mouse ran to the vanity and jumped in the open drawer. It was obvious that Bruce did not want to pull the drawer the rest of the way open. He stood and stared at it as if, by staring, the drawer would slide open and hand him the mouse. Magic just doesn’t work like that.

“Come on,” I said. I’ll take this side, you take the other.”

Together we slid the draw open. The mouse rushed madly around inside the drawer. Between bars of soap, over a couple old brushes that I never use anymore, but didn’t want to throw away (just in case..), a couple boxes of big bandages, and Bruce’s old electric shaver. As the mouse jumped over a bar of Coast soap towards Bruce, he shoved the drawer shut. (Who’s the girl now?)

When we opened the drawer back up, the mouse was gone. We had to remove the drawer (together). Once we got it off the tracks, and pulled it out, the mouse jumped out of the cabinet, dashed in front of me causing me to do that barn jig again (in my underwear) and darted into the bedroom. I watched it race along the pedestal of the bed and streak to the front where it disappeared in the nether regions of under-the-bed land.

By now, we were late for the party. I told Bruce to get all the sticky traps and bring them in while I got dressed. ALL of them. Not two or three. I wanted the floor covered in sticky traps.

By the time I got dressed, he’d assembled what looked like a war zone with sticky traps. If the mouse came out from under the bed, there was no way it could get past the sticky traps. He’d also brought the snap trap in and was holding it, trying to decide where to put it.

“Dear,” I rolled my eyes. “That’s just a little bit of overkill. He can’t get past the sticky traps. We don’t need that snap trap in here. I’m afraid one of us will forget it’s there and step on it.”

He gave me that “Don’t mess with me” look and set the trap on HIS side of the bed. “Just in case.” He said as he flipped the light switch off.

“Just in case is stupid. There is no way that mouse could get past those sticky traps.”

We got to the party a little late. Had a good time. Ate some good food, and then left a little early (just in case we had to disassemble the bed before retiring).

I kicked my boots off at the front door and crept down the hallway to the bedroom. I flipped the light switch on. There lay my dead mouse.

In the snap trap.

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