Music Inspiration

“That's why you and I ended over U N I.
And I said that's fine, but you're the only one that knows I lied.”

Ed Sheeran is such an amazing singer/songwriter. His song U N I is one of my all time favorites. So much so that every time I listen to it I think of the same idea for a story. Even though I had the story in my head I never sat down to write it. It wasn't until I saw a beautiful picture on Pinterest (a girl who perfectly matched a character in my head) while listening to the song that it all clicked. I knew I needed to write. I sat down and typed out a couple pages. Anything that came to my head I wrote.

Music is amazing. I have always loved singing and the violin. In fact, I'm taking violin lessons now. I wish that I could write music like I write stories. To create music to express my feelings (or the feelings of my characters) would be dream-like. Imagine writing your novel's background music. HAHA! That's sounds nerd-tastic! I've tried, but my music never turns out how I imagine it. I'll leave that to those with the talent.

What I will do is appreciate how notes flow. They're like words. Words can be placed in thousands of different orders to create thousands of different stories. Same goes for notes. It amazes me how many songs can come from one instrument. If I could sit back and play my violin with random notes straight from my head I would be in heaven.

Speaking of violin, Ed Sheeran isn't the only musician who has inspired me. Lindsey Stirling is another who has written heart-stopping, thought provoking pieces. Her music finds it's way inside your soul. I actually discovered her while writing. For me, it is difficult to write while listening to music if the music has lyrics. I always end up paying attention to the words or singing along and my writing slows down. Case and point, the band FUN. is impossible for me to listen to without singing and dancing. But violin brings me peace. As I searched for violin music to listen to I stumbled upon Lindsey. I was instantly hooked. Without fail, I always feel happier when I hear her play. Most of her songs have no words and yet the sound brings a tear to my eye. I've been inspired by many of her songs.

My story that is inspired by Ed Sheeran's song isn't finished, but I know the direction I'm taking it. My hope is that it will make people ponder and get confused. Yes, confused. As the story goes on the reader will think they know what's happening, and then a moment will come that changes the entire direction. That's how some of Ed's songs make me feel. The entire album is a rollercoaster ride. I've laughed, cried, and had deep thoughts. It is my hope that my readers will have the same flow of emotions.

The definition of music- Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

Ed Sheeran

Lindsey Stirling