There’s an old adage that silence is golden; in my house, silence is golden. Without an office, when I sit down to write silence falls. While we have no kids, my husband’s become remarkably good at keeping quiet; it’s what I need to write. Or, it was. Embracing sound, or writing in spite of it, is something I strive toward every day because sound is more than a fact of life, it’s something too often taken for granted. Accepting sound has enriched my writing experience and given me the gift of inspiration.

The Sound of Music

When looking for a place to start experimenting with sound, I went to music. Now, my headset is never very far away. There’s no standard faire, the boundaries of limitation extend to my preferences and beyond. The trick is to really listen, to hear the beat, seek out the strumming of a guitar, look for the instruments in the arrangement. Music can be an amazing source of inspiration.

• Experience The Sound of Music:  Seek out and listen to something you would not normally choose. Give the music your full attention, close your eyes and deprive your other senses. Once you’ve listened, put what you’ve experienced to words and write a short tale inspired by the song.

The Sound of Nature

Crickets chirping, the tapping of raindrops on the glass, the birds song, the distant roll of thunder, they’re all a part of the chorus of nature and a gift to those writers willing to take advantage of it. Take your notepad, or laptop, and go outside. Sit, don’t write, and just listen to the natural sounds around you. Nature has inspired authors for centuries, without nature Gothic literature couldn’t exist. Of course, with the pulse of the city all around us, this is harder than it sounds.  Even parks are too often situated in the middle of noisy cities.

• Experience The Sounds of Nature: Actively seek out a place where nature is undisturbed by man. Look for a secluded spot or use a sound machine, or sounds of nature track, and write about yourself as a part of the cycle of nature. Write about your voice as a part of the chorus of nature.

The Sound of Man

Most writers are natural eavesdroppers.  We don’t always intend to listen to what’s being said at the next table and rarely are we disappointed. More than once I’ve overheard a cell phone conversation and wondered about the other end of the line.  More than once I’ve thought, “that would make an amazing story.”  Most importantly, more than once I’ve gone home and written the story.  People are an excellent source of inspiration; we just never know what they might say.

• Experience The Sounds of Man: Go somewhere people gather and listen.  Listen to the conversations and imagine what might have provoked them.  Jot down notes about three different conversations, take note of their owners, and write a story where they interact.

Go, write and be influenced by the sounds of the world!