The Literary Diversions of K.T. Lazarus

Music and Emotion are inextricably intertwined. Whether it’s a frenetic beat to get you up and on your feet, a haunting melody to draw out the grief and tears over a recent loss, or a collection of intricately crafted lyrics to leave you calm and contemplative, music affects us all in broad and unique ways. Something I have always found fascinating is when a particular combination of lyrics, rhythm, and melody mixes to elicit an emotional response in me that feels different than what I assume were the artist’s intentions. Songs like this feel uniquely special, and are wonderful to find.

When I begin writing a story, I often start from the seeds of one or more powerful feelings or emotions: Loss; Awe; Terror; Courage (or maybe just Bravado); Hope; Despair. These form the core and motivation of the first scene I’m compelled to write out around it, and soon the stem is ready to blossom into a story.

A fantastic way to practice this is to take one of those unique songs that speaks to you personally in some way, and turn that feeling into the seed for a scene. The title or the lyrics of the song might inform the scene you write, but they do not have to. What matters is the Emotion: what does the music make you feel? And then, how can you elicit that intense mélange of emotions out of your readers in prose?

I’d like to note, using songs as inspiration for scene and short-story prompts is not my original concept. It was shared with me several years ago by a friend and fellow writer. I am not aware where he came across it. Feel free to share if you have come across this concept, or a variation on it, elsewhere. The more tactics and methods you have at your disposal to inspire yourself to write, the more likely one of them will click with you and trigger that spark of inspiration we all crave like the sun in winter.

You’ll find my musically-inspired stories listed below, or by title in the Library.

Which songs do you notice speak to you on a powerful, emotional level?

-KTL

---