Kevin and Marina sat down at the big table in the courtyard. Laid out in front of them were a couple of writing books and pens. Kevin was cradling “El Cheapo”, a cheap nylon-stringed guitar. The courtyard had the essence of a Japanese garden, with a ground covered in white gravel and some trees in it providing shelter at various spots.
“So, I’ve got some ideas for songs,” said Kevin. “What do you have?”
“I’ve also got some ideas,” said Marina. “But, I want to hear yours first.”
“Sure,” said Kevin.
Kevin had his writing book open to a page with a list on it. The items on the list were listed like so:
- Adventure to an exotic faraway country
- Romantically winning over someone
- Appreciating the family you have around you
- Tale of an underdog, from little to a lot
- Winning a game against the Blues
“These are the ideas I have so far,” said Kevin.
Marina’s brow furrowed a little as she scrutinised the ideas and played them out in her imagination. Kevin just sat there, watching her engaging heavily with the task at hand.
“These ideas are very broad,” said Marina. “They generally work, but they can be more interesting with a greater amount of depth and development to them.”
Marina took her pen and began writing. She wrote a list similar to the one in Kevin’s writing book, but her dot points were significantly longer.
- A lamentation for a long lost homeland one yearns to return to
- Two people who undergo the trials and tribulations to truly understand, appreciate and love each other despite hardships and temptations
- Loving your family regardless of even irreconcilable differences
- Appreciating your friends for who they are and not merely seeing them as objects and tools
- A journey of growth as one overcomes the trials and tribulations of life
- A single event that serves as a trial of fortitude and courage for a group of people
After elaborating on Kevin’s ideas, Marina flipped to another page with ideas of her own:
- A story of twins and how much their lives diverge based on their personal inclinations towards virtue and vice and the choices they make in their lifetimes
- A story of a person with a very unwise dream and so much naïvety that they do not realise the destructive consequences of their dream until it is too late
- Someone has 24 hours or 7 days left to live and they have to choose what to do during their time left
“Those ideas are very deep,” said Kevin. “So deep, that writing a song entirely based on them could be difficult. That could apply to a whole album with many different parts.”
“Looks like I gave you more work to do, didn’t I?” Marina teasingly asked Kevin.
“More songs for me to sing,” Kevin retorted back.
Kevin began humming a tune. He had a knack for coming up with melodies in his head that just sounded good. Marina took notice of this.
“That’s a nice melody you’re singing, Kevin,” said Marina.
“Of course it is,” said Kevin. “Why would I sing a bad melody?”
Marina paused for a bit.
“Pass me the guitar,” said Marina.
Kevin obliged with her request and passed El Cheapo to her. She cradled the guitar in her lap and awkwardly placed the fingers of her left hand on the fretboard while positioning those of her right hand above the soundhole of the guitar.
“Hey Kevin,” said Marina.
“Hmm?” Kevin looked over to Marina’s direction.
“I need help with the guitar,” said Marina. “I don’t know how to play it.”
Originally posted on the 25th of September, 2024.
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