A Musical Storytelling Zombie Journey: w ...

A Musical Storytelling Zombie Journey: writing insights from "Anna and the Apocalypse"

Oct 13, 2021

Y’all know how much I love connecting the dots… especially between things you’d least expect to be connected!!

So in the spirit of Halloween, and storytelling, and musicals (3 of my favorite things!!), I thought I would take you on a musical storytelling zombie journey through Anna and the Apocalypse. 😃 (If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. Like, right now. Each song title links you to the video clip, so SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!)

For each song in the movie (except the first and last, because they’re not sung by the characters) I’m going to pull out a writer-related message for you. Click the song title to watch and listen first (wish I could embed but they're not allowed, must be a zombie quarantine thing), then read the message that goes with it.

Are you ready? Get ready. Because it has begun. Dun dun dunnnnnn…….

(image credit: https://wickedhorror.com/horror-reviews/anna-apocalypse/)
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🎼 Song: Break Away


🗯 Key lyrics:
“Am I lyin’, am I cheatin’, am I foolin’ myself? Why should they listen to what I have to say? Am I just another nobody like everyone else? Cuz I don’t want to live that way!”

👉 Message:
I think most (if not all) writers have this feeling once in a while. You doubt your message, you doubt your skills, you wonder why the f*** you have any right to be publishing things at all. Who cares what you have to say, right?

Well get out of your own way, my friend, because you’re not just another nobody. You’re YOU!!! And it’s YOUR unique spin on things, YOUR unique perspective and experience, that makes your writing worth reading. So keep stringing words together and putting them out there. You got this.

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🎼 Song: Hollywood Ending


🗯 Key lyrics:
“We’ve been living in a lie for far too long. We’re tired of pretending. There’s no such thing as a Hollywood ending.”

👉 Message:
Hollywood endings are for the movies, folks, that’s why they’re “Hollywood.” But the cool thing is----- you get to write your OWN story! YOUR way! Jot down those experiences and life lessons. Shed light on the lies and stop pretending. Get real, get vulnerable, get authentic… and write your heart out, baby!! Our lives are more raw and beautiful than any Hollywood ending, anyway.

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🎼 Song: The Fish (W)rap

Note: this song has nothing to do with anything and is a random ridiculous blip in the plot line… and for that, I kinda love it. 😃

🗯 Key lyrics:
“There’s plenty of fish in the sea, baby, but there’s not enough fish for me!”

👉 Message:
Always be hungry for more… keep writing, keep submitting, keep sharing. Also, the market is NOT too saturated for your story. As mentioned with Break Away, it’s your unique angle that makes your writing special.

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🎼 Song: It’s That Time of Year


🗯 Key lyrics: not applicable

👉 Message:
Not everyone is going to want to hear what you have to say. Not everyone (e.g., your principal) is going to agree with you. But you’re not writing for the whole world, you’re writing for a) yourself and/or b) a specific audience. When you try to appeal to everyone, you connect with no one.

So don’t let the naysayers bring you down. Put it out there anyway, especially if it makes you happy. You do you, Boo!!

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🎼 Song: Turning My Life Around

This is my favorite song from the whole movie!! I mean, I’m not a gal who dances, but this song gets me up and shakin’ my booty and grinning and doing crazy slide moves across the floor and… yeah, I’ll just leave it there. Ahem. Anyway, enjoy. 😃

🗯 Key lyrics:
“I’m ready for turning my life around. Hey, it’s a brand new day.”

👉 Message:
Every day is a “brand new day.” Even if the world is a dumpster fire blazing all around you. No matter what is happening, when you’re a writer you can find the diamond in the dirt, the message in the mayhem, take the experience and make something brilliant out of it!

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🎼 Song: Human Voice


🗯 Key Lyrics:
“I need a human voice, something that I can hold onto, in all this static noise I need someone to break on through.”

👉 Message:
We long for connection. Human stories… real, authentic, vulnerable human stories… they give us that connection. This is why, as an editor and coach, I encourage my clients to include personal stories to support whatever their article’s main message is. We can get our tips and hacks and how-tos from anyone, but what really drives it home is the connection from that “human voice.”

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🎼 Song: Soldier at War


🗯 Key lyrics:
“When it comes to killing zombies I’m the top of my class. While you’ve been hiding I’ve been kicking some ass.”

👉 Message:
Writing original stories, and especially articles, is a vulnerable thing. It’s personal. It’s powerful. And in many ways it means being a leader and going first. You’ve gotta get out there and start “kicking some ass” while others are hiding their ideas and experiences.

-Do you know your Why?
-Do you know your purpose?
-Do you know what you’re “fighting for?”

Because this “war” is for your creative soul.

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🎼 Song: Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now


🗯 Key lyrics:
“Nothing’s gonna stop me now… It took me time to blossom, I know, but I’m all fired up and I’m ready to go!”

👉 Message:
I’m gonna keep this one short and sweet--- This song sums up that feeling when you get your first piece published!! 😂😂😂

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🎼 Song: Give Them a Show


🗯 Key lyrics:
“There are some things in life that you just can’t control, but I’m ready to fight, I was born for this role. I’ll do what I can ‘fore I go to my grave. There is good in this world and it’s worth trying to save.”

👉 Message:
Sh*t happens, y’all. It just does. Whether it’s a breakup, or a pandemic, or a zombie apocalypse, there are some things you just can’t control. But we writers are born for our role--- to shape, shine, and share these roller coaster experiences!! To see the good in this world, even through the black.

So raise the curtain, hit the lights, and strike up the band because it’s time to give ‘em a show. Make your mark on this world and use your stories to change lives.

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🎼 Song: I Will Believe


It’s the last one! Are you sad? I’m kind of sad. And this song is a bit sad, too… but full of hope. And MY hope is that you not only got some giggles out of these awesome clips from an awesome movie, but also some inspiration and encouragement from the little messages that went along with them. ❤

🗯 Key lyrics:
“Where is the light that used to shine? Oh where is the life that once was mine? But while there’s hope, while I still breathe… I will believe.”

👉 Message:
This feeling. This is the driving force behind sharing our personal stories, our traumas, our victories. When people are lost in the dark, your story can shine a light and show them there is an end to the tunnel. Seeing that someone else has been where they are now, and made it through, can be just what’s needed to give them hope and help them believe that something more… something brighter… is possible. That this is not the (Hollywood) end(ing).

So share your stories, my loves. Be real, be authentic, be leaders. Kick some ass. Be a human voice in the midst of all the zombies. Connect with people. Pull the messages from the mayhem. It’s a brand new day, so give them one hell of a show because nothing’s gonna stop you now.

🧠 P.S. You really just never know when a story you share might be able to holler, “Boom! Saved your life!” to a reader somewhere that you’ll never even meet. You’re NOT just another nobody. You’re a somebody, and you have so much power in you. So keep writing.

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