Catching up on this, but LOVE it. Centering rhythm, character, and theme when writing these lyrics seems so smart! I am so endlessly impressed by your craft diligence at whatever you do!
“Write fiction. Not real life.” a WERD... I want that embroidered on a pillow, tattooed on my wrist, and whispered into my ear by Maya Angelou every time I open a Word doc.
And bless you for admitting the lyrics were tragic at first, cuz you are very much an I-can't-believe-I got-this-Grammy-on-my first-try Girlie And it pisses the rest of us off 👏🏾
"whispered by Maya Angelou..." is sending me 😂 And please. This is just me trying to get an A+ in life because no one told me grades don't matter anymore.
I love your point about song lyrics doing story work and reinforcing character arcs. They really do function differently in a book, and I resonate with the idea of the same words coming to mean different things over time. Thanks for the tips - I’m definitely saving them!
The evolution of meaning over the course of a book is one of my favorite narrative devices! It blows me away whenever I encounter it in a book. It was fun to use it in one of my own.
I so enjoyed this insight into your process, and hope we have a chance to discuss during our panel! Writing lyrics is one of the hardest things I've tried in fiction, and if I ever do it again, I'm going to follow your blueprint.
Catching up on this, but LOVE it. Centering rhythm, character, and theme when writing these lyrics seems so smart! I am so endlessly impressed by your craft diligence at whatever you do!
Thank you Emily! I'm behind on substacks too. I miss it! So happy you found this useful.
“Write fiction. Not real life.” a WERD... I want that embroidered on a pillow, tattooed on my wrist, and whispered into my ear by Maya Angelou every time I open a Word doc.
And bless you for admitting the lyrics were tragic at first, cuz you are very much an I-can't-believe-I got-this-Grammy-on-my first-try Girlie And it pisses the rest of us off 👏🏾
"whispered by Maya Angelou..." is sending me 😂 And please. This is just me trying to get an A+ in life because no one told me grades don't matter anymore.
I love your point about song lyrics doing story work and reinforcing character arcs. They really do function differently in a book, and I resonate with the idea of the same words coming to mean different things over time. Thanks for the tips - I’m definitely saving them!
The evolution of meaning over the course of a book is one of my favorite narrative devices! It blows me away whenever I encounter it in a book. It was fun to use it in one of my own.
I so enjoyed this insight into your process, and hope we have a chance to discuss during our panel! Writing lyrics is one of the hardest things I've tried in fiction, and if I ever do it again, I'm going to follow your blueprint.
I'm glad it was helpful! And yes, it's so hard. Will I ever do it again? Not anytime soon 😂 But I'm glad I know how to approach it if I do.
I love Remember by Seinabo Sey!!! OMG can’t wait to jump into this.
Loved what you said about songs ultimately serving the story. Great way to think about it.
That song is so haunting and perfect. I listen to it all the time!