Free Write Results (slightly refined)
from our April 18, 2009 DCWF Meeting
OUR TOPIC: "It's Not the Words But the Music That Counts"
Time allowed during the meeting to compose: 15 minutes
IT'S NOT THE WORDS BUT THE MUSIC THAT COUNTS
by Candy Abbott
O Lord, You have given me the gift of words, but they work best when You make them sing. It is the Spirit that brings them to life, that changes them from words on a page to a song in the reader's heart. Sometimes the music You create from my words is fast paced and joyful or causes a rhythmic heartbeat through suspense. On other occasions, it is a soft melody that may comfort or even bring tears. Healing and truth are in the music You bring from my words, but only if my heart is pure when I write them. And if I am distracted OR procrastinate, the song You want to sing through my writing all but ceases. Yet You are faithful, O Lord, to forgive my wandering and disobedience. And I know that You are always near to provide inspiration and direction, even when I go through dry spells. At times, I sing solo when inspiration flows and I can't capture the words fast enough, but there are other times when my writing needs the harmony of advice from my fellow writers. Just as an orchestra needs a variety of instruments for the melody to be effective, so you have blessed me with writing mentors.
Thank You, Lord, for the support we receive from one another through Delmarva Christian Writers' Fellowship. Sing Your song through us--loud and clear--touching others so they, too, may sing praise to You through the written word.
IT'S JUST THE MUSIC NOT THE WORDS . . . OR IS IT?
by Leslie F. Claunch
Life without music is unthinkable. Next to salvation, it is the most beautiful gift from God. It is the language of the soul. Some the sounds referred to as music make one wonder what language some people's soul speaks.
Back when rock 'n' roll was new, my parents infuriated me when they told me it wasn't music, but noise. History repeats itself. I say the same thing to my teenager, Julie, when she listens to the cacophony she refers to as music. She thinks the Bebop and Doowap that I still listen to is boring and hokey.
I do listen to her music and analyze the words. The words are the redeeming quality, and even some of them are rather dark for my taste. We argue about which sounds are really music and have animated discussions about the words.
When my late husband, Julie's father Don, was alive, he drove a semi cross country. Our song was the country song I'll Leave This World Lovin' You. The words were beautiful and appropriate for our transient lifestyle, and the tune was melodic and soothing. He's been gone for some time and my new love, Bob, and I call our song Unchained Melody. The beautiful melody and sweet words somehow touch a chord for senior citizens who are young at heart.
Julie and her boyfriend, Alex, are both seventeen. I asked them what their song was. They told me it is Chasing Cars. My voice raised along with my eyebrows when I squawked out, "What!" They played it for me on her iPod, and I have to admit the words are really neat and the techno sound is more pleasant to my ear than heavy metal. I understand why twenty-first century teenagers would find it romantic.
Bob and I were talking about music the other day, and I mentioned that my favourite Rascal Flatts song really spoke to me and that the tune didn't sound like it was really C&W. The mystery was solved when I heard the tune on the classical Sirius channel of my TV. I rushed into the living room and saw that it was Mozart's The Magic Flute. He told me about his disillusionment when he heard the lyrics to what he considered the single most beautiful tune that he ever heard. He thought they were really hokey--I just called to say I love you.
Sometimes listening to classical music creates mental images. When I hear The William Tell Overture, I visualize a herd of centaurs thundering down Route 13.
The best way to appreciate and enjoy music is to correlate the accompaniment and the words. Especially evaluate the words regardless of the music. They do get to your subconscious.
IT'S NOT THE WORDS BUT THE MUSIC THAT COUNTS
by Judi Folmsbee
For me, when I hear a song, I am usually drawn first to the words. The words speak to me and touch my heart. Having said that, when a tune is changed or altered, I notice it. Recently, on American Idol, one of my favorite songs’ melody had been changed. The words stayed the same. So then I ask myself, how does the music count?
I have always enjoyed music. Music can be on the radio, inside my head, on the computer, or on the piano.
Music can be nature like birds singing or the waves of the ocean swishing back and forth in rhythm. It can be the wind whistling through the trees or the cooing of a baby.
Music has been associated with “listening to the beat.” The beat can be my heart. The heart of music is the beat, the rhythm. My heart, I hope, will have an ear to hear the heart of what God wants me to do in my life. I hope the music in my life, my beat, follows the beat that God want me to march to.
I LOVE EASTER!
by Betty Lewis Kasperski
I love Easter! The joy of the resurrection re-enacted in so many ways. Young children prepare pageants and nervously speak their lines. As always, their innocence captivates me.
They believe without questioning the logic of it all. Their enthusiasm for an Easter egg hunt brings a shared excitement for those watching them scamper for treasure. Finding chocolate, plastic or real eggs it doesn’t matter, the most important element is fun.
Easter services bring families together to celebrate the holiday. Churches are adorned with vibrant spring foliage: lilies, daffodils and hyacinths. The severed palms of the prior week are replaced with new life.
But if I had to say what strikes me as the most glorious part of the Easter celebration of Christ’s resurrection, it would be the triumphant music. You could skip the words of the worship service and tune in to the excited vibration penetrating your ears, trumpets, violins and voices shout the joy. Music, even centuries old, confirms that it is a day of majesty. Close your eyes and let your soul listen to the timeless message of salvation. Hallelujah, Christ arose.
Amen and AMEN!
IT'S NOT THE WORDS BUT THE MUSIC THAT COUNTS
by Steve Robison
It’s not the words that we speak or hear, but the symphony of the music of life that really matters. The singing of the birds, the ringing of church bells, the majesty of the world as it flows around us – life is divine, a gift, gloriously wonderful.
These words, while lofty, are surely known to be true to those who have experienced the fullness of the beating of life’s heartbeat. When we learn, through time and training and practice, to silence the doubts, the questions, the complaints, the ideas, the needs, all the words of the ego, we allow ourselves to partake in the feast that God has prepared for us.
Silencing the ego is not so easy however, as we humans are stricken by the lies of the world that pulse around us. Constant practice and deep faith are required allowing us to let go of our need to be in control of ourselves and people and the world around us. Our egos strive to maintain control; that’s the human condition. But the ego is not stronger than the power of Christ within – if we choose to allow that power to flow in manifest glory.
The ego is in harmony with the chaos of the world: bad news, weak faith, misery, perceptions of loss, fear, anger, worry, etc. The ego is comfortable in those places when we are not in a place of Oneness in the gift of the Christ within. Though born free (in the perfection of God’s plan) as real and true children of God, we quickly are taught by those around us, by that which the world teaches and shows us, that our place of comfort is in fear. This lie of the world, of the enemy, must be cast into the Truth of the Light if we are to find peace.
Christ is a personification of the utter and absolute loving perfection of God. Hence, to dwell in Oneness we dwell in that same utter and absolute loving perfection of God. There is no fear in perfection, no lack in perfection, no misery in perfection, no worry in perfection. There is only God’s ever-present Love.
As we surrender the fallacious ideas and beliefs of fear, lack, suffering, and worry to the Savior of the world, Jesus, we find the strength, through Him, to be in real and true stillness with Him. There, in the stillness, is heard the glorious songs of angels, the perfection of love, the ringing of church bells, the flowing symphony of life.
IT'S THE RHYTHM NOT THE WORDS THAT MAKES A WRITER MEMORABLE
by Karen H. Whiting
As I stood in the bedroom I heard a voice on TV in the living room and instantly knew Jim had turned on an old Audie Murphy western. I recognized the actor not from the words, but from the rhythm of his voice. His distinct pitch, tone, lilt, and style resonated in my memory.
Rhythm heard in the writings of Max Lucado, Emily Dickenson, and Shakespeare leave an impression and we can easily identify their work. The rhythm that flows within us should splash upon the paper as we write. We need to learn to release that music within us as we write.
Often, the first paragraph or even chapter is a warm up, like a singer warming up his or her voice. If we look past the opening, those next words start to flow with our rhythm. I find that once I complete a chapter or two of a book I have found my cadence that connects to readers as they discover my authentic voice.
We find our rhythm through practice, as musicians discover. It also comes as we listen to our inner voice and let the words flow unencumbered by the editor within our head. It comes from a soul in harmony after we spend time with God. We may not notice, but over time we develop our rhythm.
I always believed I had no sense of rhythm, though my husband is very musical. Yet, Jim mentioned that he hears the rhythm in my prose. He notices the beat of words that flow smoothly within the message, soft tone that encourages and uplifts people mixed with creative juices that energize the listener. That surprised me, yet I know that when I’m writing within my rhythm the words flow easier. If I try to copy a writer I admire, the words sound hollow, creating a loud cacophony. I learned that I tap into the music within myself after I let an idea stay in my thoughts for hours or days. My thoughts take shape enough to allow the music take over. The sound might build to a crescendo, as in suspense, or it might be a march that motivates people to action. Each piece needs a rhythm that matches the message.
The long and short sentences help create a tempo and punctuation creates beats. Sentences must harmonize with one another. And paragraphs are like the stanzas. A repeated thought (main point) sounds like a refrain. The words and variety of sentence lengths play out a type of rhythm: blues, rock, lullaby, country, easy listening, or other style. Read your writing aloud to hear how it sounds and discover the harmony and tune created. Work on parts that seem out of tune. The rewriting is the mark of a composer trying to create the perfect sound that will engage a reader and leave a lasting impression.