How Music is Like Writing a Novel

So I thought I'd bring you all a little post about something other than just general updates this week. I was thinking last night about how creating music and writing novels are similar.

As I listen to the new Hanson album (Shout It Out) (don't judge me), I'm reminded what it is that I love so much about the band. No matter what the music sounds like, it always evokes in me a renewed sense of admiration. I've grown up with the band since the beginning in 1997. And the core of their music making hasn't changed. They still have their trademark 3-part harmonies and soul and '50s-'60s rock n roll feel.

So how, you ask, is music like writing a novel? It's simple. Both novel writing and music making tell a story. The real heart of music is communicating a story to your listener. Musicians, especially songwriters are really poets in disguise. They weave tales with beautiful lyrics just as a novelist crafts a story with the right words. It's about sharing a piece of the musician's soul with the wider audience. And isn't that what we, as novelists, do as well? We take a piece of ourselves and bare it to the world in what we write. Sure, it's sometimes difficult to pinpoint the piece of the creator in the finished product but it's always there, regardless of whether you can see/hear it or not.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that music can serve as great inspiration for other creative endeavors. As I continue to work on my various projects, I let the music I listen to fill me up and inspire me to greatness.

Thank you Hanson for 13 wonderful years and many more to come!