My first experience with music as an inspiration for writing occurred in the summer between high school and college. I lay in bed at night listening to the radio and trying to go to sleep when a pop song with a tune borrowed from classic music stuck in my mind. I turned off the radio and tried to imagine the characters evoked by that song. 

By that age I had written an essay that won a local award, an article published in a state magazine for students, and a poem that would later be published in a national college level anthology. Still, I struggled with writing that required me to develop my own plots. Despite many false starts, I had only crafted one decent short story. My attempts to write a novel had stalled at the second or third chapter. I could start with an interesting premise such as a horse who had run away from a cruel owner or pilot shot down behind enemy lines in a war. But, I didn’t have the knowledge, or perhaps the experience, to heap problems onto a protagonist, while sneaking in options that would allow a final victory that would result in a satisfying conclusion.

I spent many hours scribbling down ideas based on this song but only ended up with a setting, a rural area south of Lake Erie in the early 1900’s, and a vague idea about the two major characters, but no plot. A few months later, I would start a work study job at a college music library. When not busy I would listen to the recordings that the music appreciation students constantly checked out. Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet and For Love of Three Oranges were my favorites. 

However, these plays came first, and he wrote the music later. It finally dawned on me. I was viewing this idea of gaining inspiration to write through music backwards. Symphonies had programs for each movement that replicated scenes in a story or play. The composer’s inspiration was written works. The characters, dialog, actions and emotions were replicated in sound. What was I to do with a setting and characters that had no story? At that point, I abandoned the music inspired writing project.

However, listening to music can provide a context—setting, time frame, character traits or circumstances—that can be woven into an existing plot. The word context and textile have a similar root, texere, meaning to weave. Therefore, context actually means to weave together. Once I have the idea for a plot, I may be able to embellish it by experiencing music as I write. If I still don’t discover ideas to use for my story, at least I’ve enjoyed listening to my favorite songs.

Photo by J.W. Listman