3 Tips On Writing Songs in Stories

- Germaine -

So you want to write songs in stories, but have no idea where to start? Unfortunately for you, I have no idea how to write songs, too. But before you begin to despair, here are a few tips I've learned from reading a few books.

1. Songs DO NOT need to rhyme

I see this a lot. It's a little annoying when it's overused in the same book, especially when the author seems to run out of rhymes.

I'm not saying, "don't rhyme your songs at all." Some songs that rhyme are actually quite good.

I'm saying, "think about it." If the song you're writing fits well with your story, go for it. But if it seems out of place, you might want to consider rewriting it. The worst case scenario would be to delete it entirely and erase all traces of it from your story.

2. Write songs like you're writing poetry

Songs are poems, after all. So wouldn't it be fun to just throw out some deep, meaningful figurative language? Of course, it would have to somewhat relate to the song, or else it won't make sense. You could try writing a poem, then putting it to music. Try new things. Take risks. You can always edit later.

3. Keep your songs short

Once I wrote a four-page song into a story with my brother. It wasn't pretty. We could spend minutes just going over the entire song. Sometimes we skipped over it to save time.

My point is, keep your songs short.

My recommendation would be one page, maximum.

Enjoy yourself,

- Germaine

James 1:17

Read any good books with great songs in them? Comment below!

Comments

Spoiler-Free Book Review - The Squire's Tales (Gerald Morris)

Okay, so it's technically an entire series, but that's irrelevant. I am reviewing books and it is therefore a book review. The Squire's Tales , by Gerald Morris, is a series of novels that retell in hilarious fashion the lesser known tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Don't worry, you won't have to hear about the sword in the stone again or anything at all about Arthur's childhood. Because this is where the best part comes in: these stories are told from the perspectives of those that other renditions tend to gloss over, mock or forget entirely. These characters are a squire, (as the title would imply) a page, three women and a knight who is objectively terrible at being a knight. He sings and plays music instead. His name's Dinadan. He's wonderful. Over the ten books in the series, you get seven different characters from whose points of view the stories are told (plus a couple extra in the last book, but that's a spec...

How to grow a pinboard

A pinboard is like a loving thing, so treat it with care. Find it a good place, not too dark but not in direct sunlight, as its foliage may fade. Make sure you keep a good store of pins nearby in case you need to feed it quickly. With the pins, keep scraps of paper, sticky notes or blank notecards. Feed it regularly, so it doesn't get a tatty coat. Regularly prune as well, since old pieces of paper no longer serving any purpose can get in the way and make it look shabby. Ensure you are feeding it a well balanced diet of different colors, sizes and shapes of paper, and occasionally add supplements such as leaves, postcards and bits of string. This way you will see your pinboard bloom all seasons. A pinboard can become a lifelong friend if treated correctly. Make sure you feed it enough, but not too much. An important point to note is the content of the notes you are giving it. Single words are acceptable as long as they are clear, so you know exactly what you were thinking whe...

Sonnets

We studied Romeo and Juliet in English, discovering the foolish protagonists and their sappy sonnets. An activity in class was to write our own, so we picked strange themes and twisted the idea of a sonnet. What we produced is as follows: Oh, My Fair Sonnet Oh, my fair Sonnet, how lovely art thou, Thou tellest most flattering descriptions, Thou entrancest me with stunning words now, If told by others, I’d think were fiction. Thou enchant me with thy pretty quatrains, In which there are many wonderful rhymes. I’d listen always without any pains, For leaving would be committing bad crimes. Alas, my fairest love must leave me, My misfortunate heart must wave goodbye. My fair love won’t listen to any plea, Even though this leaving makes my heart die. Goodbye, goodbye, with a couplet you leave, I wish for you to know how much I grieve. By Grace Death to Romeo Oh Romeo, thou art Darth Sidious We love uncovering your many faults Delight in fi...

The Writing Mafia

Search This Blog