Music, Writing and Finding a Story: Elaine Hastings on the nostalgic power of music, first love and family in her debut novel, When Were Were Young.
I’ve always found songs deeply inspiring. Even before you pay attention to the lyrics, the music can shift your mood instantly, whether it’s a break-up song, a love song, or a rousing anthem. I have playlists for every mood, and the songs I love most are the ones that move me in a way that’s hard to put into words. Music does it instantly; writing takes longer, but the goal is the same – to make people feel.
In the nineties, I was part of London’s live music scene, often packed into the back of a van with my guitarist boyfriend and bass-playing brother as we travelled to gigs. It wasn’t exactly glamorous – the furthest we got was Windsor – but it gave me a real sense of what it’s like to live around people driven to create music, how it shapes your days and nights, and how it becomes the backdrop to everything. Those memories, the noise and the energy, were part of what led me to write When We Were Young.
These days, I can’t listen to music while I write, at least not if it has lyrics. The words in songs fight with the words I’m trying to wrestle onto the page. But around the writing itself, I often find myself reaching for songs that help me get into the right mood for a scene or character, sometimes without even realising it.
When We Were Young
When I was querying When We Were Young, a few agents told me music-themed books can be a hard sell. Thank goodness for Daisy Jones & The Six for helping to change that perception. Books like High Fidelity, The Idea of You, and Mary Jane prove that music and fiction are a perfect match when done well, showing how music can transport us to another time or place.
I can’t help listening closely to lyrics, trying to work out what led a songwriter to put those words together. Who is the woman Jeff Buckley is pining for in Lover, You Should’ve Come Over? What moment made Dave Grohl write Everlong? I’m interested in a song’s meaning, but I’m even more interested in the version I create in my head. Let’s not let reality get in the way here! Sometimes I mishear lyrics completely, but it doesn’t matter. If a song affects you, there’s almost always a story, or at least a scene, waiting there.
Songs are brilliant writing prompts. If you’re stuck, try listening to one of your favourite tracks and see what ideas it sparks. For me, it’s about noticing the emotions that surface and then translating that feeling into words. Writing isn’t as instant as music, but once words find their way into a reader’s heart, they can stay there for a lifetime.
Official Playlist
There are a few hidden nods to songs in When We Were Young that only I will fully recognise. You can’t quote song lyrics in a novel without licensing fees, so I haven’t done that, but there are places where I’ve echoed a phrase or an idea as a quiet acknowledgement of the songs that have meant the most to me. Some of these tracks made it onto the official playlist I’ve created for the book, which includes songs from the nineties and beyond. They either appear in the novel or helped shape its mood while I was writing or editing.
For instance, I’ve included Zero 7’s Destiny, which to me perfectly expresses the loneliness of being far from someone you love. Florence and the Machine’s Sky Full of Song conveys the feeling of coming off stage on a high and needing someone to help ground you again. Caught by the River by Doves isn’t an obvious choice and technically falls just outside the nineties, but it fits the mood of the novel in music, tone, and lyrics. I hadn’t listened to it for years, but it found its way back to me during edits, and I couldn’t believe how well it matched what I was trying to convey.
If you have a song you think should be on the When We Were Young playlist, I’d love to hear it. Drop me a message on Instagram (@ehastingswrites) and let me know what song you think captures the book, or what music inspires your own writing.
If you’re an aspiring writer, let music inspire your stories. Let it guide the mood of your scenes or help you get into your characters’ heads. Let it remind you how powerful it is to feel something deeply – and then use your words to capture that feeling.
And if you’re curious to see how music can shape a story, I’d love for you to read When We Were Young.
(c) Elaine Hastings
About When Were Were Young:
Spring, 1994. Will, a talented busker, falls for Emily, a quirky art student. By 1997, Will is playing Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, and Emily is unveiling her first gallery show. They spend a whirlwind summer touring with Will’s band, caught up in their love for their art and each other.
But within two years, Will is dead.
Spring, 2016. Emily remains single. Her art is long forgotten. Now, life revolves around her 16-year-old daughter, Liv. But when Emily accidentally reveals she once knew Will, Liv is stunned. How could her ordinary, predictable mother have known someone like Will Bailey?
And why does Emily blame herself for his death?
Interweaving dual timelines, When We Were Young explores what it means to have loved and lost, and reminds you that the ones you love can set you free.
Order your copy of When Were Were Young online here.
And see recent Meet the Author feature articles on Writing.ie here.
