Theme: March To Your Own Drummer

Music sets the mood, words tells the story

Last month, we asked you to take Love/Hate and twist them to new levels:

Now, let’s try something a little more upbeat

In keeping with your alternating strategy, this month will be a simpler and easier month. Just listen to the music and write a story. Easy.

The Genesis of this month’s idea struck like a serendipitous lightning bolt.

This month, we’re asking you to March to Your own Drummer.

To write your stories with a personal sound track and then share that tune with us at the end of your story. Maybe we all improve our playlists too.

If you don’t write to music, it’s a new creative avenue to try, an additional source of inspiration and a way to tease the muse out of your subconscious for a dance across your pages.

In my process, I pick a song that matches my genre and often listen to that single song on repeat sometimes for hours on end.

The repeating music puts your mind into a sort of trance that helps you focus. I once spent an eight-hour work day listening to Eye of the Tiger and designing up a storm. It dropped me into such flow I didn’t even realise the day had passed.

For my own serials, I enjoy picking a genre of music or playlist for the story, like Burke’s Privateers

Which was inspired by Wellerman, you can see that by the name of the ship and perhaps a lyric or two finding its way in (no one sue me!).

This led to me to listening to a playlist of sea shanties which named my main character for me (Leave Her Johnny) and gave me plenty of inspiration for later chapters.

For my recent Jenx series and in fact all the cyberpunk stories I write I have a favourite mix to get into the world. Nothing works as well as this to drop me quickly into a retro-futuristic dystopia.

It’s intense and hard-hitting, and inspired JenX’s hatred of the music. of her time. Because we are what we love and hate, in that way the music led to a nice bit of her character which I thread through the series.

So your mission this month, should you choose to accept it, is to create your own soundtrack from the genres we give you.

Each week we’ll give you three genres. Pick a song from one of those genres (or use one of your own favourites), put it on repeat and write a story that it inspires. Then share your song so we can listen in to what you and your muse were dancing to.

Simple and easy.

We’d love to read your stories: