Creative Event: AU Singers Spring Concert

       This past Sunday afternoon I went to the AU Singers Spring Concert. I had a special interest in this show because I used to be a Show Choir performer all through middle school and high school, and it's still near and dear to my heart!  
       The exhilaration and enthusiasm I felt watching the show had me thinking about if I could translate that feeling onto paper.  How would you put  that emotion into words without just having to say "exhilarated"? I guess I could write the character's stream of consciousness, just spilling out any thoughts they are are having during the show, maybe a word-association sort of thing? I think it'd be interesting to write about a character who has a true passion - obviously all characters in fiction have a passion, or else they'd never be read about - a passion that drives everything in their being. Maybe it could be performing, or playing an instrument, or running marathons, or winning hot-dog eating contests, anything really, but really get into their head and see why this drives them, how it makes them feel, and how it effects the people around them.  Are they celebrated for this passion? Are they mocked for this passion? Are they obsessive or balanced? 
        I also looked at the music the performers were singing.  For the solo performers, I imagined what kind of characters would be singing these solos. Like, what would be happening to my character if she was singing an Adele song? Probably something sad, but what could be her backstory? Who or what is making her sad? Where does she live? Is she happy with her life? There are a lot of opportunities, and I like the idea of listening to songs and forming characters and situations for them from the songs. 
         Beyond the actual performance, my knowledge of the AU Singers lent some inspiration. I know that at the beginning of summer they take a tour around one region of the country.  So that had me thinking about what it would be like to live on the road for a while, whether that be for two weeks or two years.  That would definitely be an interesting setting to write about, and it would lend to the possibility of so many different situations for the characters to be in. A new town equals a whole new set of problems and shenanigans!  And being confined to a tour bus with the same people all the time could lead to some good tension and conflict, and character inflection.  
         Overall, the AU Singers concert was greatly entertaining and lead to a lot of varied ideas!