The use of other creative arts for inspiration is not uncommon. As many of you know from my newsletters, I’ve started writing Goalstruck. It’s the third book for Touchpoint press, in the To Love A Sportsman series.

And for some reason, it’s been a difficult manuscript because I love soccer so much. I’m not sure what I should write and what I should leave out. There’s so much I want to add to the book without dragging out the romance.

So I’v turned to other art forms for inspiration. Right now, I’m half way through and reached a critical point. The dreaded middle! Here are some of my inspirations.

Music

I honestly don’t listen to any Hindi/Urdu music. I’m more into the Kpop/country/pop/piano classics. However, as I write Goalstruck, I’ve managed to listen to a few Hindi songs and Arijit Singh’s Pachtaoge is on repeat on my playlist. It’s probably got 10,000 listens from me over the last few days.

I’m not sure if it’s the flute, the poetry of Janni, the lyrics itself in Punjabi (which I don’t speak) or the fact that it’s Arijit Singh’s voice. The song almost makes me cry and it’s helping me write some of the more difficult chapters in the book. It has also been a way of keeping me in the “mood” of the book which is kind of a regrettable vein. So apt!

Poetry

I’m new to contemporary poetry. Come to think of it, songs are poetry but I’ve not given it much thought. On my Christmas break, I had very little reading time and used it to read poetry. There are some really nice contemporary poets, Lang Leav among them. Poetry has got me thinking about the rhythm of sentences and the way we say things. I’m trying to incorporate more cadence into my writing. And some of the poems I’ve read have been super helpful.

Theater

I was invited to a repeat of the Nonologo by Eleonora Micali and this time, I managed to focus on the tighter writing and snippy dialogue. Stefano Maria Palmitessa conveys enough sarcasm through the one hour play. Since it’s a monologue, its very difficult to enact all the characters, but Eleonora does it effortlessly.

I loved how the writing is now more polished and fine tuned. It has kind of taught and reminded me how every draft can be edited to a fine sheen.

Inspiration Ideas?

Writers, do you use other art forms for inspiration? Pottery, crochet, tap dancing? Let me know. I might give it a try as I type my way through my latest manuscript! 😄