As readers, we are tuned to find emotions in the text. As writers, our emotions definitely influence the way our “voice” appears on the page. (You usually know if someone was angry when writing an email, even if they don’t use ALL CAPS!)

In this month’s writing voice exercise, we’ll experiment with channeling emotions into writing, using a combination of freewriting and a specific soundtrack. As I write this in the holiday season, I’ll suggest holiday songs, so this exercise may be both festive and fun.

Choose your soundtrack

First, choose a musical piece or song that elicits a specific emotion for you. In the holiday season, look for carols, songs, or musical interludes that spark your emotions.

The music might be joyful, funny, nostalgic, bittersweet, or outright sad. Perhaps Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” drives you absolutely batty during the holiday season. Go ahead, cue up that one and channel your inner irritation or ranting!

After years of singing Handel’s Messiah with full orchestra, I always find the short Pastoral movement, midway through Part 1, to be particularly soothing.

Got your music? Now it’s time for the exercise.

Write freely and fluidly about a holiday experience from your past. Approach this like a freewriting exercise; don’t try to outline or structure the piece. Don’t polish the words or judge the results. Simply write. Removing judgment from the process makes it easier for your emotions to show up on the page.

Put the song on repeat and write until you feel done. Perhaps the music brings up a different memory. Cool! Write about that one, too.

What does that emotion do to your voice?

Read what you’ve written and notice if your writing voice has shifted. Is the rhythm or cadence different than your usual work?

In earlier Writing Voice posts, we’ve looked at things that you can control on the page, like punctuation, sentence length and word choice. We make decisions almost unconsciously about these factors when we write under the sway of emotions. Your sentences might get longer if you’re feeling ranty, or shorter if you’re sad. Or, perhaps it’s the other way around?

If you didn’t notice a change, try a song that triggers a different emotion in you. Run through all of your favorites and see what happens. Have fun with it.

Perhaps this works well for you. Maybe you already listen to music to set you in the writing mood or influence your tone of voice. If not, experiment and see what specific emotions loosen up in your voice.

Related

This exercise is based on ideas in The Writer’s Voice: Techniques for Tuning Your Tone and Style.

For more on emotions and writing, read Emotional Cues to Creativity.