Top Ten Tuesday (161)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

I don't know about you, but when I listen to a song I picture something. It could be me singing on a stage (and pretending I have a very good voice), a dance routine I've made up in my head, or a story kernel or scene. When it comes to writing--at least for me--it goes hand in hand with music. I can't really write without music. Sometimes a song inspires an idea (like short stories inspired by "Sometime Around Midnight" and "Stolen Dance" that I wrote for fiction writing classes), and sometimes a song creates an entire scene.

I have a few story ideas, and there's one that lives in my head the most (by a lot). But I have trouble connecting the beginning to the end and filling in the middle, and music has helped with that because sometimes I listen to a song and I can picture my characters with it and bam, scene. I can lay (or lie, whatever) on my bed for what feels like hours just listening to music and picturing this or that.

So here is a modge podge of songs that have inspired scenes and stories and some that I wish would just be a damn book already. I don't know that they're my top songs--only so many are coming to mind and my iTunes list is still on my old laptop and I'm too lazy to boot it up. But for now, these will definitely do. (And please now that this could've been way longer, like my gosh.)

"The only thing I feel is pain // caused by absence of you // suspense controlling my mind // I cannot find the way out of here."

The mood of this song is just so UGH. I need something based of this mood. I attempted to write a short story (more like a scene, really) on it for one of my classes but my gosh, THIS MOOD.

"I say ya kill your heroes and // fly, fly, baby don't cry // no need to worry cause // everybody will die."

The whole kill your heroes thing is super duper interesting, and I constantly picture this wrecked city where everyone's fighting all the cape-wearing superheroes.

"And your friends say 'What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost.'"

I wrote a short, short story about this for a class a few years ago because I've always pictured a specific scene (or two, depending on what story I'm thinking of) when I listen to it, and yes, there's a ghost.

"The city is at war // playtime for the young and rich // ignore me if you see me 'cause I just don't give a shit // the city is at war // bless the young and rich // with designer drugs and designer friends."

When I listen to this song I literally picture this sort of alternate, rave-like world filled with bright colors and young people and parties. There are two sides, and the one that rules has a sunglasses wearing leader with an expressionless face and her people do drugs with designer names on them. I know it's insane, but I think it's fun (and I like my plot twist at the end of the song).

This lacks lyrics, but I imagine some excellent fighting between this warrior-esque immortal couple as they, like, morph into their strength and powers and fight these dinosaur-esque beasts.

"Though nothing will keep us together // we could steal time,  just for one day // we can be heroes, for ever and ever // what d'you say?"

The feel of this song and the lyrics have so much potential DON'T GET ME STARTED.

"Who's usin' who? // what should we do? // well you can't be a pimp // and a prostitute too."

I picture a boy and a girl pit against each other in a boxing ring and she's winning and kicking ass (much to everyone's surprise) and there's a lot of blood but this is a dystopian-esque world where people are forced to fight to the death and the details don't get much farther than that (except that she got in trouble and is the first girl to fight).

I picture one girl up against like a million alien-like creatures and there's this one part where she pulls one of the creature's spines out and basically it's a really badass fight scene.

T H I S  S O N G. This is my number one for my WIP. L O V E  I T (and the whole score).

"I'm the king of my own land // facing tempests of dust, I'll fight until the end // creatures of my dreams raise up and dance with me // now and forever, I'm your king!"

Basically, if my WIP (as a whole) was a movie and the trailer needed a song, this would be it.

Ah, yes, my character's first theme song.

"I'll bleed you dry now // pour more through my veins // shut your dirty, dirty mouth // I'm not that easy."

This song is definitely a bit more hardcore, but that's necessary when "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and a character goes into a raging slaughter.

"And I watched the birds // as they fell out from the sky // into the hands of decay // [...] // and I would bathe in ash // as it rained down from above."

I heard this song on Vampire Diaries and then it became a very big scene and plot point creator for my WIP.

"I'm never alone // I'm alone all the time // are you at one or do you lie? // we live in a wheel // where everyone steals // but when we rise it's like strawberry fields."

This song is a dance scene at a ball and T H O S E  L Y R I C S.

I really just love this track from like 3:58 on but it is so good and it gives me the idea for the kind of the scene that would show up after the credits in a movie.

"I'm headed straight for the castle // they wanna make me their queen // and there's an old man sitting on the throne there // saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean // I'm headed straight for the castle // they've got the kingdom locked up."

If I had to describe this song in a word it would be A E S T H E T I C S.

"I wear this crown of shit // upon my liar's chair // [...] // you could have it all // my empire of dirt // I will let you down // I will make you hurt."

I just feel like this song emits emotion.

What songs do you write to or wish was a book?