Monday, February 21, 2011

Voice Lessons

I know a great many writers use music when they write, some even including lyrics or mentions of the songs in their work. For me, I enjoy the quiet of house silence. The muffled sounds of the TV, the washer and dryer running, the dishwasher churning, the cat's toenails clicking across the floor. Just plain old everyday sounds. So when I came across this essay by John Remy, I was intrigued. http://www.inkpunks.com/2011/02/19/using-music-to-find-your-storys-voice/#content

Mr. Remy actually shows you how the music works, especially with the song, "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. By showing three singers doing the same song, you can see how each voice brings something different to the story. Choosing your narrator is tricky business and finding the perfect character to tell the story makes all the difference.

4 comments:

Anita Page said...

An interesting post, Sandra. Like you, I prefer silence when I'm working, but I'm intrigued by the idea of using music to find a character's voice. I'm going to share that with my writers' group.

sandra seamans said...

There are so many different voices in music, Anita, and each singer brings something new to the song. The same holds true for writing. I love Patti Abbott's flash challenges and watching how many version of one theme the writers can come up with.

Anita Page said...

This will be the first time I've taken part in the challenge. I haven't written flash in a while and had forgotten how much fun it can be. I'm looking forward to reading the stories.

sandra seamans said...

Writing flash is fun, Anita, and being part of Patti's challenge is even more funner! :)