Monday, February 28, 2011

Music and Writing Combined

If you've been looking for a good writing prompt, love music, and are reading this, you'll want to continue... reading.

I love music. I'm almost always listening to it in some way. My I-Pod (his name is Danny), the radio, CD's, or just singing. I love music because it inspires me. So, I came up with this little idea. A writing prompt centered around music.

  1. Make a playlist on your i-pod. If you can't make playlists, or don't have an i-pod make a list of your favorite songs on paper. I chose not to add any songs that are not sung in English (considering it's the only language I speak) and most of my Christmas songs. I also decided not to go with any of the classical pieces, or soundtracks.
  2. The next time you want to tackle a writing prompt, or just feel like writing, but aren't sure what to write about, go to your playlist and put it on shuffle. Put the first song that comes up on repeat and listen to it at least once completely through before you start writing.
  3. Write. Write the story that the song tells you. Write about what it means to you. Write about everything you've ever thought about this song before. Just write. Don't think. Set yourself a time limit, or just write till you can write no more.
  4. When you're done, collapse for a moment to catch your breath and then delete that song from your playlist.
Every time you need a writing prompt go back to that playlist. I have 243 songs on mine. Should take me awhile to get through, but I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun with it. Will you?

Sunday, February 27, 2011

The Heart Press

You know that feeling you get when you sit down to write in your diary for the first time in weeks and you feel like you have millions of things to update about? So much has changed in just those few days. So much of what's happened has shaped your life. Is shaping your life.

You sit down to finally write about it, because you've been to busy to do it before, and it's then you realize it's all already in the past. Already happened. Already gone. You realize there's no way you could write about it in this book. This little book of memories and thoughts.

After you realize all this you simply write what's on your heart. Then once that's all down on paper, you instantly feel like you've unloaded something. You just feel better. You feel like your heart is pressed within the pages of the book. Like a flower, delicately preserved.

I had that feeling today.

I had that feeling and then I prayed. Because my God is good. My God is good and I will praise Him.

Monday, February 21, 2011

God's Love is Like a Meteor Shower

A little known fact about me. I'm an Owl City fan. At first I thought his music was just really weird, but now I think it's weird and awesome at the same time. I think maybe that's what Adam Young was going for... at least, I hope so.

Anyway, I've been listening to this song over and over again lately. It's short, only two verses. I love the words though.


I can finally see
That You're right there beside me
I am not my own
For I have been made new
Please don't let me go
I desperately need You

I am not my own
For I have been made new
Please don't let me go
I desperately need You

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Squeeze Box

Added to my bucket list: Learn to play the accordion.



I'll need someone else to do the deep singing though...

P.S. This guy is my favorite accordion player. On Youtube at any rate.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Give a Girl a Fairy...

Today I watched Shakespeare Retold: A Midsummer Night's Dream. I enjoyed it although I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Puck made my day. That's about it.

Frankly, I'm not as impressed with Shakespeare as I told myself I would be if I could just get myself excited about it. I now get excited about Shakespeare. I am not impressed. A good tale he could certainly tell, if only slightly predictable. My thoughts in one comment? I enjoy Dickens so much more.

Not only that, Shakespeare has done something terrible. He has filled my mind with fairies. Give a girl a fairy and she'll ask you for a princess. You'll give her a princess and she'll think of a castle. So you'll build her a castle and she'll need a dragon to get her princess to the castle. Once her princess is at the castle she'll discover it's owned by an evil dark lord and she'll need a prince to get the princess out again.... the list goes on and while I should be working on my countless other projects, I've been writing a fairy tale all day.

Oh, and one last thing. If you listen to Owl City's "Hot Air Balloons" while writing a fairy tale you'll end up in an unbelievably whimsical mood.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Dear Summer...

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." -John Lubbock


"In summer, the song sings itself." -William Carlos Williams


Then followed that beautiful season... Summer...
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow


"No price is set on the lavish summer;
June may be had by the poorest comer."
-James Russell Lowell


"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade." -Gertrude Jekyll


Oh the Summer night
Has a smile of light
And she sits on a sapphire throne.
-Barry Cornwall


... please come soon. Love, me.