Guest column by Jessica James
Jessica James writes steamy, heartfelt romance about ambitious women and the people who fall in love with them. In addition to writing, Jessica has a passion for music—she’s a mezzo soprano with a BA in Music and a deep love of Broadway. Her spare time is spent going to concerts, watching Star Trek, trying new cookie recipes, playing cozy video games, and exploring the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with her spouse and their magical reindeer herding dogs.
Books have always been a passion of mine, but my creative background started elsewhere. A little about me: I grew up singing in choirs, performing everywhere from Disneyland to Lincoln Center, and I hold a Bachelor’s of Arts in Music with a focus in Classical Voice. When I first started writing fiction, I thought I had to keep these two creative pursuits separate. That worked…for a while. But I couldn’t help it! I found music cropping up in my stories, and it happened more and more with each project. When I stopped resisting the music, I started to have a lot of fun weaving music through the narrative.
But you don’t have to share my background to make your stories musical! Let’s dive into some of my favorite ways to incorporate music into YOUR novel.
Write about a musician—and figure out what that means
One of the most straightforward ways to incorporate music into your novel is to write about a musician… or two, or five, in my case. But in my experience, there is so much depth to musical characters beyond simply putting a guitar (or violin, saxophone, etc) in their hands—it’s important to ask yourself the why behind it:
Why did your character pursue music?
This is an opportunity to really dig into your character’s backstory. Perhaps their parents forced them to take piano lessons every week after school, and there’s some compliance or resentment buried underneath that talent. Or maybe it’s the opposite: your character secretly learned bass to join a rock band as an act of rebellion against their family. All of these details don’t have to make it on page, but once you figure out what makes sense for both the character and the plot, you’ll have a lot of juicy details to draw from.
Did they choose their instrument for a reason?
A character might become a drummer because they have a lot of nervous energy. Or maybe they crave attention and want to become a singer. Or maybe it’s less emotional and more impulsive, and they picked up the flute at random because they had a crush in their high school marching band. There are so many different options, and this is another opportunity to dig into that backstory.
How does your character’s relationship with music function in the story?
If you’re writing a romance, the character’s musical abilities could intrigue a love interest. Or maybe you’re writing a coming-of-age story, and music ties into your character’s ambition. If it’s a mystery, perhaps a familiar song becomes a clue. Whatever it is, make it intentional!
There are so many ways that a character’s relationship to music can inform their background and growth, and it can be so rewarding to bring that to fruition on a page.
Paint your scenes with textured sounds
Confession: I love describing a musical scene.
When you’re first writing music into your story, your instinct may be to describe the lilt of a violin or the blare of a trumpet—and that’s a great place to start. But if music has a deeper function in your text, you can really ground your reader by going further. Describe how the instrument is being played, and how it impacts the character.
If you’re not sure how to describe what the music in your book sounds like, it’s time for one of my favorite music appreciation exercises: grab a notebook (or your keyboard,) put some music on, and describe everything you hear! What’s the instrumentation? Is the song slow and smooth, or fast and frantic? Is there a singer? Is their voice warm and sensual, bright and lyrical, or growly and raspy? Do the guitars wail, do they strum, or are they plucked?
Get detailed, and help your readers experience the sounds in your head.
Don’t forget your other senses
I know, music is literally sound, but it’s also visceral! Connect the music to other senses.
Is there a thumping bass that makes the floor shake beneath your character’s feet or feel the rhythm in their chest? Maybe your character is playing the instrument themselves, and they can feel the reverberations of the guitar in their hands, or their fingers might start to ache from the strings.
What about sight? Are we captivated by a drawing bow or flying fingers? Or maybe the musician looks different when they play a specific song that has a lot of meaning to them.
I’m even going to go there: smell. Old pianos are dusty. String instruments have a woody scent. And if you’ve ever been around a lot of brass instruments, they actually smell metallic.
Taste, well that might be too far, but… if your character is playing a woodwind, maybe that’s an option too. All of this to say, there are so many ways to describe music in a scene. Let your senses play!
Music as metaphor
This is a fun one! If you’re writing a book about music or musicians, consider the way your main character interacts with the world. Maybe they see anything with a rhythm as a drumbeat, or they hear a sound in the wild that sings, or the way two people work together is harmonious. If you’re worried you’re going overboard into purple prose, choose to use these metaphors when they’ll make the most impact: at emotionally heightened scenes, or scenes where you want readers to focus on an important detail. But don’t be afraid to get metaphorical!
Lyrics as a plot device
This might be my favorite, and it’s a bit of extra credit: if you’re writing about a musician, maybe it’s time to write a few lyrics! Whether you have a background in poetry, or you’ve never written anything like a song before, consider if lyrics might fit into your story. If this is one you want to try but you’re not sure how to get started, seek out one of the many online videos about basic lyric writing, or try to mimic songs that already exist. You never know—you might discover you have a knack for another kind of writing!
I love using song lyrics to have characters reveal something about themselves, whether to a reader or another character. It can also be fun to include old songs that tell us something about the character’s past without exposition. Truly, the possibilities are endless.
And there you have it! Five ways to incorporate music into your novel. Rock on!
For One Night Only by Jessica James
When former bandmates—and ex-lovers—Valerie Quinn and Caleb Sloane reunite for a high-stakes pop punk revival, their fake dating scheme for publicity hits some unexpected notes. Valerie, desperate to save her floundering TV show, orchestrates a Glitter Bats comeback, dragging Caleb back into the spotlight he abandoned years ago. As old tensions resurface and the lines between performance and reality blur, they’ll have to decide if their second act is just for show—or if their unfinished song deserves an encore.
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