inspiration: a: a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation b: the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions c: the act of influencing or suggesting opinions.
By Paula Quinn
Hmm, a divine influence? A sacred revelation? The power to move my intellect, my…emotions? Sounds profound.
It is.
Inspiration is intense, extreme, and consuming. It comes to everyone differently. For me, through music. Not so odd, really. After all, those nine mythical beings, the Muses were believed to be spirits who inspired poets, musicians and artists. Under Apollo, they presided over music and all activities of the mind.
So it doesn’t surprise me when I hear a particularly stirring piece of music and an elusive, fleeting pang of feeling overwhelms me seconds before my hero or heroine come alive. The first time I meet them, my characters come to me without name, without form or face. They bring only their emotions sweeping through me on a melody that goes straight to my heart.
In my debut novel, Lord Of Desire, Lord Brand “The Passionate” introduced himself while I listened a man singing on T.V. The man’s voice pulsated with emotion while his fingers picked and strummed a mournful, yet furious sonata on his guitar. The passion was Brand, hungering for something lost, bitter with betrayal.
“That’s me,” he whispered. “Let me tell you my story.”
He did, and every word, every page grew around him.
Music is a critical part of my writing. It’s my “muse”. I love it in all its diverse forms. After all, you never know who you might find inside of it just waiting to come to life.
“Where words fail, music speaks.” - Hans Christian Anderson
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