Some of you have asked why I never run out of blog fodder and whether I have any suggestions for blog posts for you. The answer is that I never run out of things to write about. There are so many things that interest me I always have material. The better and more important question to ask is how to never write a bad post. My answer to that is to not worry about it because it will happen. No matter how good your idea is you are going to slip on a banana peel from time to time and fall short. So Just Write.
One of my standard tricks is to supplement my writing with music. Music is inspirational. It moves me and makes me feel things. It is not limited to a particular genre because I can find something to love and feel in almost anything. The post that I wrote today for The Red Dress Club was easy because it asked for us to use music and or smells in it. I picked a Springsteen song but could have gone ten thousand other choices. For long time readers that is probably old news but it is true.
Here let me give you some examples:
“I would give anything I own,
I’ll give up my life, my heart, my home,
I will give everthing I own
Just to have you back again
Just to touch you once again”
Everything I Own– Bread
‘But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna want this back
You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you’re gonna miss this
You’re gonna miss this
Yeah, you’re gonna miss this”
You’re Gonna Miss This– Trace Adkins
It’s just another day / There’s murder in the air
It drags me when I walk / I smell it everywhere
It’s just another day / Where people cling to light
To drive away the fear / That comes with every night
CHORUS
It’s just another . . . . . . . It’s just another day
It’s just another . . . . . . . It’s just another day .
Just Another Day– Oingo Boingo
I can take the lyrics from any one of those songs and wrap a post around whatever it is they are singing about, and so can you. If you find it hard to write do yourself a favor and don’t over think it. Don’t make it complicated- find a beginning, a middle and an end. If you practice doing that enough you’ll find that it has become second nature and then all you need to do find simple ways to add some color to it. Use descriptive words that provide focus and imagery for the reader. Take advantage of the song to set a tone and run with it.
If you are interested in more examples of posts that I built using music try reading some of the following:
Music inspires me. And there are so many songs that are tied to memories for me. So much so that I might not even remember something until I hear a song…and then I’m hit over the head with a memory. I wanted to link up this week, but the post I did today was a scheduled one.
I am the same way. So many songs are tied in to memories of past moments and present. I can’t imagine life without it.
Oingo Boingo. That’s a blast from the past!
They are still current- at least on my playlist.