by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.” ~Author Unknown
My sons have a musical ability that does not come from either of their parents. My oldest son played the trumpet in marching band. Both of my sons sang in the a cappella choir and an elite choir in high school where students are chosen based on their auditions. Even though my husband has a pleasant voice, he’s tone deaf due to pneumonia as a teenager. I, on the other hand, make a joyful noise. No kidding. I love to sing. I just don’t do it well. Unless you ask my mom, who thinks I should be singing with our small worship team at church.
Despite not being able to read music or carry a tune, I love music—most everything from gospel to classical. Even though I grew up listening to Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash, I’m not a fan of older country music…or rap.
When I sit down to write, one of the first things I do is put in my ear buds and choose a station on Pandora. I know several writers who need absolute silence to write. They can’t hang out in crowded coffee shops or focus when other people are in the same room. Me? I can write anywhere. And I love writing to music.
In fact, writing while listening enables me to tune out some of the residual noises that could crowd out my concentration. When my boys were younger, I’d sit in the living room and write while the rest of the family watched TV or played games on the Xbox. I’d put in my ear buds and immerse myself into my story while drowning out the world around me.
Some people may argue that listening to music can cause your brain to multitask, which leads to less effective writing time. I think each person is different. Some writers are able to tune out lyrics while other writers need music without lyrics. If lyrics are distracting to you, listen to white noise such as gentle rainfall or waves hitting the beach. Sometimes those sounds are enough to drown out your environment without shifting your focus away from your story.
For me, however, listening to music helps to create a mood—not only for me, but also for my characters. Different types of scenes need different styles of music. While writing a break-up scene in my last novel, I listened to a lot of songs geared for heartbreak. The mellow, heart-yearning lyrics helped me to capture the emotions of my characters. Also, listening to the same kinds of music my characters enjoy helps me to dig deeper into their POVs.
Music stimulates my creativity and provides inspiration when I’m struggling with a plot point or a scene. Lyrics can trigger ideas and take my story in an unexpected direction but welcoming direction.
Music draws me closer to God and reminds me to keep my focus on Him as I write each scene. When I’m nearing the end of my novels, and I want to reveal spiritual truth to my characters, listening to contemporary Christian music empowers to me to know what to say. Sometimes, I’m surprised where the music leads me.
What about you? Do you listen to music while you write? Why? What type of music?
A Recipe for Romance
Sarah Sullivan will do whatever it takes to make her summer youth program permanent. But when she’s tasked to teach the teens basic kitchen skills, her hope goes up in flames. Not knowing the first thing about cooking, Sarah needs help. Smelling the delicious aromas coming from her neighbor’s apartment one night, she thinks she’s found her answer. Alec Seaver might know his way around pots and pans, but the lone-wolf widower doesn’t want anything to do with the free-spirited beauty next door. But after he becomes Sarah’s reluctant partner, Alec realizes that she might just be the key ingredient missing from his life.
Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Rachelle Gardner, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. She is the Operations Manager for Novel.Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for almost thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, kayaking, good books, and playing in her craft room with friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.