52 Weeks 500 Words
This is how it began: Justine (not her real
name) decided to write 500 words (or as near as), anything goes, per week for 52
weeks. She would then submit it for anonymous posting, via me, her friend.
Perhaps a pattern will emerge from her words, but at this stage it’s more an
experiment I have agreed to share in. I’ll attempt to draw conclusions at the
end of this. Stay tuned if this resonates with you.
Week 3
'I promised you Music. We all have our
tastes, some intense dislikes and some great favourites. Whatever it is for
you, we all identify with music. It speaks to our souls. It reveals our inner
selves. It makes the world go round. It can make the world dance!
Personally I get very irritated by jazz. I
cannot stand the looping sound. When it plays in the background in, say, a
restaurant, I get agitated and the meal becomes a chore, can’t wait to get out.
This is not to say all jazz is bad, for there are a few exceptions to actually
make me nod a bit, so regard my statements as generalisations. Always, as in
everything in life, there are exceptions.
My big love, musically, is movie soundtracks
and a close second is classical. In this, my writing buddy Elaina and I are
very much alike. You might infer I speak of ‘classical’ soundtracks, and you
will be right. The evocative stuff. You want me to name a few? Let’s see – Lord
of the Rings, Star Wars, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven to name but a few. Anything
composed by Hans Zimmer (Elaina put me onto Mr Zimmer), Howard Shore, John
Williams and so forth. Evocative, emotional, atmospheric. These are the tracks
I listen to while in editing mode. And that would include Mozart, Barber, Albonini,
in the more classical vein. Not all classical is good, though, don’t get me
wrong. You get dark stuff, crazy and chaotic stuff that can totally drive me
insane. So I’m picky. (I hear my writer friend laughing now … )
When writing new work I prefer silence,
although really soft background music is all right. I prefer the sounds of
nature when writing. Birdsong is the perfect music.
Now let me add that I have quite eclectic
tastes in general music and a massive playlist of songs I do like, the ones
that are not ‘classical’. I hesitate to say pop, because I despise that term,
but it would be in the line I’m talking about. Hip Hop leaves me cold, as does
rap. I can’t say metal engenders peace, but there are exceptions. Not for
peace! Tracks that do resonate, especially the older stuff. Some of the blues
is simply awesome, some downright irritating. It does therefore depend on mood,
doesn't it?
Can a good piece of music entirely change
my mood? Yes. Can it instill a new idea? Indeed. Can it aid in editing?
Absolutely. Do I want silence all the time? No. It all depends on mood. Point
made. And I believe it’s time to search out some new and fresh inspiration. And
we’ll leave it here for now and return another time with something directly
from my mind.'
