Grooved Pavement

When thinking about how different types of music can influence behavior in an individual, it is only safe to assume that the same can be said for influencing what a person will write.  A laid back, slow jazzy type jam will incite thoughts of a smoky little bar, sipping on a cognac, and staring back into that low, simmering look coming at you from across the bar.

What if your listening to speed metal, will it make your writing faster?  Could you see the rock on top of the hill as the song starts, and then as soon as the bang, bang, bang of the drums hit, and the rush and twang of the guitars crush chords like eggs, the rock rolls down the hill, faster and faster, and it seems to blur as it heads twords the curve of the bottom of the hill not stopping going quicker taking your breath away until it comes to a !HALT!  Just like the song that just stopped.

One in particular that always seems to mess with a person is listening to a movie soundtrack when trying to write.  Hearing anything from Queen of the Damned makes a short vampire love story come to mind quickly.  Pointed teeth, dark and hansome eyes, and a longing for the neck could make a good start. 

Songs from The Breakfast Club, and in your mind's eye, you can see Molly Ringwald dancing in the library, Judd Nelson doing the headbanger moves, and next thing you know, your'e back in the eighties.  A despret teen highschool angst story overcomes both right and left lobes until you burst if it isn't written, even if it's just about the dandruff Ally Sheedy used for snow.

It's amazing how much music plays a part in our emotions, and even in memory recall.  No wonder it can influence what stories will pour out of us at any given time.  Try a little experiment.  If you have a terrible case of writer's block, sit back and fish around some old CD's.  Play a few records if you got them.  Not only will it get you out of a slump, but it may just give you the inspiration to write that award winning piece you've been hearing in your head all along.