Short stories inspired by music

The only song you've up there that i've listened to [and enjoyed] is the Iron and Wine one.

I write, like most people, to music, so i've a lot of shorts that are more or less because of certain songs or albums, though they mayn't seem it.

I actually have a story coming out in a few days that was written completely to Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Part. I'll tell you folk about it when it's published.

what i'm most curious about is because of what eddy here said about most people writing to music is that what you mean. or do you mean specifically writing a story from inspiration that a song has instilled in you. for instance a song makes you made at the man, so you go and write a story about demolishing government property or something. or, maybe it's a song that is a sort of narrative, tells a story, are you using that established story and adapting it?

personally, i find it really dfficult to write or read with music of any sort on. music is such a big part of my life, i'm very passionate about it and i find myself getting lost in it. i can't just let it si tin the background. i tried writing to instrumental stuff, or like django reinhart and artists in that vein, maybe foreign speaking bands, but still, i sait back and let my mind flow with the sounds.

What I mean (for me, at least) is a story that hit you while listening to a song.

When I write, I tend to listen to instrumental music (NIN Ghosts) or music with lyrics I won't understand (Sigur Ros, Pearl Jam (j/k)). Those can be inspirational, but most of the stories from them end up not developing for me.

But for this, I'm using music with lyrics I can understand.

I plan to take a song, an album, or an artist, and write a song that evokes similar emotions as I got when I listened to it. May be be directly connected, may be just one line relates, but there is a connection somewhere.

With Iron and Wine, I actually just realized it's two songs that inspired the short story, Naked As We Came and Love And Some Verses. But anyway.

Take it however you like it... the series is tentatively called Fiction Inspired By Music.

Do whatever you want with it, I say.

I'll link some stories that tried to grab the same feeling or sensation as the music i listened to.

This is Not for You, inspired by Burn, Piano Island! Burn! by The Blood Brothers.

Open your Eyes, inspired by some Interpol song i can't remember the name of.

A Night on the Town, inspired by some National song i can't recall.

Those are the ones i most remember being because of a song, anyway.

Funny, I had this same exact notion for a short story. I haven't messed around with the idea mainly because I wasn't sure about the legality of it all.

i'm sure there is no legal restraint in regards to being inspired by something.

Noted.

but, by "I'm sure" i mean, i'm assuming, because the notion of that just seems absurd and in a sense contradictory to the creative industry. like an artist would so another one because they were inspired to create by something they created.

i'm definately NOT a lawyer.

lmao well damn it... I'm sure if I wrote a short story based on a song and didn't profit from it in any way. I wouldn't get sued. Right?

Honestly, this is really a non-issue. Artists, published ones, document there inspiration all the time.

Stop procrastinating.

Yes sir!

First story is up.

Around Her Neck Like a Scarf

Eddie, do you want me to link to those stories? I can maybe pepper them in here and there, one a week, as redirects if you like.

Better Places Part I and Part II are now live.

This story was based on the NIN album Ghosts, but mostly the mellower tracks. Maybe I'll do another short based on some of the grindier stuff on Ghosts. We'll see.

Check them out.