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Songs in your stories

I several books that I have read I have found myself liking the songs and musical moments that have been inserted. They have to have a reason for being there rather than just thrown there to absorb space of course. In my own writing I often use song and music to help inspire me, but I know better than to include them in my own works. Yet, this does not stop me from wanting to include my own.

The problem I have is that when I sat down to write some lyrics for a wedding scene nothing really came about because I didn't know how to quite structure it.

Has anyone else written songs for their stories and if so how did you go about it? Is there any guides out there that anyone would recommend I read?

Cheers
-Cold
 

Nagash

Sage
In multiple occasions, i've been compelled to try myself to the art of songwriting while building my WIP and working on specific cultures - i believe songs are an important part of general lore and folklore, since they often bear the traits of said cultures. One very notable example of iconic song in a book series would be - of course - the rains of Castamere, in G.R.R Martin's ASOIAF. Not only did i found the TV adaptation of the melody gorgeous, i thought it was a powerful - not to mention creative - device to use as a narrator, storyteller and worldbuilder in order to add some texture to your work. One should of course mention Tolkien's work too which is abundant with sung poetry, one of the many wonders of the middle earth's sagas which made them the prized and highly regarded fantasy stories they are today.

Songwriting however is no easy task - much like any form of art, that of melody and prose require much work and inspiration, if not a spark of genius. I found that being a musician (no matter the instrument really) gave you some sort of keen edge in this field; as did genuine love of music. So far, i've "achieved" to compose two songs on acoustic guitar as well as give them short lyrics, which i'm pretty satisfied with so far. Nothing fancy really, since i don't have the talent of a flamenco artist or what have you, but just enough to please my needs as a storyteller. Besides, all you need is the idea, you know - this bit of melody you hum someday and ends up being stuck in your head ? After that you'll just have to do some work on the content, depending on the thematic you've chosen.

Both songs i've written so far are about war and fallen heroes - the first one is basically about a solider dying and hoping his god saw him die with honor and will welcome him at his side. The second one is about the plight of war for all of those who leave a family and a home behind them, unsure they will ever come back. It's not much; but i'm still pretty proud to have been able to incorporate these too in my work. Besides, over time, they have become this recurrent element in the background, much alike The Rains of Castamere - which is what i was aiming for.
 

hots_towel

Minstrel
i have a few planned instances where a song (either sung or played on an instrument) is used a metaphorical key. I guess you could say I was too influenced by the legend of zelda games in that respect. the melodies or verses are meant to either open "magical" doors or prove legitimacy to a certain guild or group in general. like a password you could say
 
Yes, I wrote songs for my first novel, Mr Cleansheets and put some on my website. Described some of the music and wove the lyrics of a couple of songs into the story. Also made a short film purporting to be a video described in the book which readers can see on vimeo.

Thought I was breaking new ground back in 2010 but not much notice was taken. That's what you get for signing with a teensy publisher who totally beguiled me by saying Yes.
 
Another good example of songs in novels is Lord of the Rings - I remember buying my partner a song book with all the music and lyrics from the books - and there were a fair few.

Personally I'm poor at writing songs - so I avoid em even though I'd love to put them in. Better not there than in and crap!
 
Actually although I don't write the songs - I have written about the songs such as 'she got to the verse where the captain went down on his knee to propose and looked around the room the last note hanging on her lips.'

that way i get to write the feel and nature without having to actually compose the song.
 
Another good example of songs in novels is Lord of the Rings - I remember buying my partner a song book with all the music and lyrics from the books - and there were a fair few.

Personally I'm poor at writing songs - so I avoid em even though I'd love to put them in. Better not there than in and crap!

Yeah I am pretty poor myself. I never know if things should rhyme or just ramble. I am trying my hand at it though. We shall see if I turn out anything worthwhile.
 
As I said in the chat I've written several songs, a couple of which have actually appeared on commercial records. As you would expect from a pedant, I'm too perfectionist on rhythm and rhyme relative to most pop songs, so it takes me a while.

The easy ways to do it start with taking a song that already exits, and making the words, particularly the stressed syllables, line up; what you get needs a new melody if you want it behind the television serial ;), but you can sing it over the melody, and feel where things don't mesh. Alternatively, lay out a rhythm pattern, as with a fairly old fashioned poem, not free verse. Stick rigidly to the format, because you haven't got a tune to sing it to, so you need a structure; it won't be as natural, but you can work out a rhythm pattern.

In your case (which I have the advantage of having examples of) you use a number of trisyllabic proper names, which just about forces a dactyllic structure- less natural in Engish than Shakespearian ambics or binary trochaics (yeah, I know, I use complicated words for simple things, but every profession has its geekspeak. It's about stressed syllables and binary or ternary structures… no, it goes off into the obscure even when I don't try.) But English can be written in trinary, just look at limericks (a good limerick is an amphibrachic structure, and yes, I had to look that word up). Once you get used to speaking in waltz form.. and you don't need to write everything in the same rhythm.

Still, a good song has a repetitive structure. It needn't be the traditional verse- chorus separation, with instrumental middle eight, but repetitivity helps with memorisation, and memorability is a large part of the raison d'ètre of poetry and song.
 

Ayaka Di'rutia

Troubadour
In my earlier writing I tried to insert songs, but looking back at them, they mostly make me want to gag. In my later prose, when describing music or a song, I don't include lyrics; I simply describe what the song is about and the feelings associated with it. I'm not much of a poet or a song-writer. I'm a storyteller.

For example, in a series I recently finished drafting, a huge part of the MCs character is that she sings, and she is very, very good at it (she's had over a hundred years to perfect the art by the end of the series); however, I haven't written lyrics for any of the songs she sings in any of the 7 manuscripts. I describe what she's singing, but that's as far as it goes. I think it removed a lot of awkwardness for me as a writer, and will probably save future readers from rolling their eyes at my writing.

I tip my hat to any writers that can pull off song lyrics in their stories without it reading goofy or awkward.
 

Fyle

Inkling
Yes.

I only have one at the moment. I was he lead singer in a band for a few years and singer/song writer so... they come super easy to me. If something is off, I just pump out different versions until one fits.

I can only play guitar and piano so if something is meant to be a harp song or another instrument not commonly used today then I imagine the songs may need adjustments above my (and 95% of writers) level.

Great post by the way!

(≧∇≦)
 
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