You say you don’t know what to write or even if you have anything worth saying.

Everyone else seems to know, but not you.

I say, you do know what to write and you do have something worth saying.

Try this. Is there a song that you will listen to just to get to that one part that gives you chills?

That part resonates with you because it makes you feel a certain way.

That emotion says something about who you are and, to my point, what you have to say.

Obviously, you’re not going to steal the words.

Again, it’s not so much the words as the emotion that gets you.

Let me explain.

I have two songs.

One is “American Pie” by Don McLean.

That part when the “marching band refused to yield.”

Chills!

The audacity of a marching band—which in my day wasn’t the most respected group—refusing to give up its spot to the football team, that bastion of untouchable reverence in high school.

Holy smokes.

McLean’s marching band had something to “say” and it wasn’t about to let the opportunity go.

I absolutely love that for the marching band, and I love that for any character in a book who refuses to relinquish its power anymore.

I want that moment for every character I create.

The other song is “The Joke” from Brandi Carlisle.

It’s this part: “Let ‘em laugh while they can, let ‘em spin, let ‘em scatter in the wind—I’ve been to the movies, I’ve seen how it ends, and the joke’s on them.”

I want this for my characters, too!

A character who rises up, unafraid and unapologetic, unstoppable—someone who knows that they are the one who is going places.

Singer/Songwriter Pink is good for this, too, with her feisty ballads.

Basically, any song that you can feel in your heart is saying something important to you, whether it’s how to write your story or how to walk through life.

All you have to do is listen.

You’ve heard Maya Angelou’s saying: People will forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.

That goes for books, too.

That feeling, that emotion, is what you want to put in your story.

You can wrap the words in any emotion that gives you chills at your core, and you’ll have something worth saying.

Using music and lyrics can help you write all of your books.

If you’re having trouble finding the emotional core or character arc, listen to your favorite songs and, maybe, you’ll hear what your story needs.

Give it a try.

Have a fantastic week.

~Gail

(Tick tock)

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