by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28
Every time I hear an incredible Christian soloist, I think, I want to write like they sing. The power in their voice, the soul-stirring words, the motivation I feel to live for God—it’s inspiring. I’ve always wanted to be a singer; however, God didn’t bless me with a singing voice. But He has called me to write.
Have you ever read a book, an article, or a blog post, and heard a “song” in it? Did the words powerfully stir your soul? Could you hear the melody behind the lyrics? Did the message stick with you like a favorite song? We can write like that. The question is how.
Even those who possess beautiful voices have to develop them. They have to take lessons and practice. They have to learn both the technical aspects of singing and the artistry of it. So do we as writers.
It takes time to learn how to sing as we write. But the time you invest produces beautiful results. Use the following “lessons” to fine-tune your writing so people hear the melody in your message.
5 Singing Lessons for the Writer
1. Try out your voice, no matter how shaky it is.
Write down your first thoughts about your subject, so you can get them on paper or in your computer. Just a few pages or so. Say what you want to say to your target audience.
2. Breathe deeply, inhaling beautiful melodies and exhaling fresh ideas.
Take the time to read a little of your favorite authors’ books so you can analyze their style. Note their word choice, cadence, and voice (tone). Then write down ideas for your own book. How “down to earth” or “poetic” do you want your wording to be? How often do you want to use short sentences versus long ones? What tone do you want to have toward the reader?
3. Tune your voice to inspiring, encouraging, and soul-stirring; and adjust your lyrics.
Refine your voice in your writing to sound like the inspiring authors you love, but remember to let your own personality shine. There’s only one you.
Look at your wording and replace mediocre nouns and verbs with vivid ones. Mix short and long sentences for comprehension and cadence (to sound good to the “ear” of the reader). Use short sentences to emphasize a point or end a paragraph. They’re dramatic.
4. Read your writing aloud, and listen for the melody.
Do your words flow well? Do the syllables and sentences form a pleasing cadence to your ears?
If you get stuck trying to make the words sound melodious, read a few sentences by your favorite authors again. Don’t just focus on the words and grammar, but let the feel of the words sink in. Fine tune your own wording to reflect the feelings you want to stir inside the reader. Don’t fall into the trap of becoming melodramatic, but never divorce writing from emotion. Emotions stir us to act on what we have read.
5. Before you publish your “song,” ask a friend or two if they can hear the music in your writing.
Are they inspired by what you wrote? Can they hear the melody in it? Do they appreciate the lyrics? Keep tweaking your writing and getting enough feedback to know when your song is ready for the stage.
Remember: practice, practice, practice. Every artist becomes better with practice, either with the microphone or the pen. Ask God to help you know how to craft your message, and trust Him for an opportunity to sing.
Tell us in the comments below what makes someone’s writing sound like a song to you, and keep singing!
Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. Her first compilation, Breaking the Chains, won a 2018 Selah finalist award. Her second compilation, Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character, released this summer. Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, PursueMagazine.net, two blogs on writing, in online magazines, and on devotional blogs. She loves spending time with family and friends, making jewelry, and hunting for the best peanut butter cookies. Connect with her at her blog and on Facebook and Twitter.
The Conversation
To me, a book or article sings through the characters. There are a few authors who bring their characters to life and they become my friends. I hate to see the story end.
Ann Tatlock is very good at that.
I know what you mean. After watching a favorite TV series, I don’t want it to end. Or a good book either. Thanks for sharing that, Sherry! I’ll have to check out Ann Tatlock’s books!
Of course the words of a song are meaningful but it’s the passion of the singer that brings the delivery of those words. It can also be the circumstances the person (singer) has encountered that can add depth to the words and to the delivery. I recall a time when I sang a song titled “You Alone.” I had just completed chemotherapy for my breast cancer and was asked to complement the pastor’s sermon “Purpose in Pain” by giving my testimony and sharing in song. At the end of the song I kneeled down and laid my wig on the altar. It was moving and represented my thanksgiving and sacrifice of praise. People still talk about that fifteen years later! Why? Because they could see and hear the intensity, the praise, the worship, but most of all the passion that came straight from the heart. Such words will never go unnoticed and will inevitably bring harmonious music to our Father’s ears and that is Who I wish to please most.
Katy, your practical tips and descriptive comparison of music and writing “sing.” When a reader feels as if she’s present with characters and the action flows smoothly from one scene to the next, the writing “sings.”
Thank you, Jeannie! And I appreciate your sharing that. I love to read novels and even stories in nonfiction books that make me feel like I’m in the story with the main character.