you’re beautiful – you’re beautiful to me
don’t ever say you never lost your way
you’re beautiful today
and every day for the rest of your life
Last week, I mentioned that I often use music to get myself ‘into the mood’ for writing. One of the songs I used for my soon-to-be-released steampunk series is Beautiful, by Pop Evil.
This song is special to me because it communicates strongly and clearly that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that each of us is beautiful to someone. It really fit the series, because my hero, Cyrus, has bionic legs and a bionic eye from being involved in a mine explosion, and my heroine has been through her own battles working underground in a mine for five years. Neither of them feel beautiful, but each of them is beautiful to the other, and eventually comes to see that beauty in themselves.
Creating this type of feeling before writing is very important to me, because I want my characters to be beautiful despite their flaws, or perhaps because of their flaws. . I can only hope that my characters inspire the feelings of love and self-acceptance in the reader that this song inspired in me when I was writing.
And this idea doesn’t have to be relegated to the realm of fiction. I think it is important to remember that YOU are beautiful, flaws and all. In fact, your flaws are probably your greatest undiscovered assets. They make you unique, they give you obstacles, and they imbue you with character.
for the rest of your life
for the rest of your days
you feel it inside in every way
for the rest of your life
“Beautiful”
Written by Leigh Kakaty, Davey Grahs, Johnny K & Shaun Michael Lichtenstein
Performed by Pop Evil on the Album Onyx
Aeon Igni 