Musicals, Story, and Inspiration

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I love musicals. I have this theory, mainly because of Gilbert and Sullivan, that musical theatre is a direct descendant of opera and therefore of classical music. Sure, it's been filtered through the lens of vaudeville, but it's roots in opera means that it's no wonder I find it inspirational.

But while classical music and other instruments or ambient jams are best to listen to when focusing on drafting or editing one's own work, I love musical numbers when I need a little inspirational for a scene, a character, or a story.

The disadvantage to musical music is that all the numbers are about something specific happening in a very specific show. The advantage of listening to the same music is that if you haven't seen the show, or even if you have, the numbers can be great for studying plot and character development. In short numbers surrounded by dances and overtures, musical numbers are great examples of using the fewest words to get the point across. Which is an invaluable skill when writing fiction.

They're also moving, sparkly, grand, and just plain fun. They recall us to certain eras and places, and I personally never try of having musical theatre numbers, from Gilbert and Sullivan to Avenue Q, sprinkle my inspirational playlists. You should try it!