Lara Tupper: Swift Ink Stories

Ink and Song

As a member of Generation X, I was an early devotee of the Sony Walkman. I could inhabit my own landscape of songs (Prince, Eurythmics, Journey, The Eagles), regardless of what was going on in the adult world around me.

I still turn to songs for solace or invigoration, as happened with a recent short story ("The Mission Bell," now published in The Ghost Story). It's a creepy, supernatural tale, because that's what the lyrics from "Hotel California" brought to mind. 

AUGUST WRITING EXERCISE:  Listen to a favorite song, one you've been humming to yourself for a while. Write the first line of the song at the top of your page. Then go from there. What story do you see in the song? What characters, which setting? What happens over the course of the verses? Maybe it's a story from your own life. Or maybe it's completely fictional. See what comes up and allow yourself to freewrite without censorship. Set a timer and write for 10 minutes. If 10 turns into 20, so be it. 

Let others kn…