Here are three Pop songs that inspired my historic fiction writing, and how:
#1. “The Fate of Ophelia” by Taylor Swift
Consider the triple-rhyme scheme in these post-chorus lines:
Keep it one hundred on the land (Land), thе sea (Sea), the sky
Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes
We have "ah,""ee," and "eye" repeating across both lines. I was so obsessed with this technique that, in the middle of the night, I created my own period-appropriate rhymes. Here are two of seven:
Sword, shield, mail
Wort, weave, veil
This was on 10/14/25. Five months later, while I was brainstorming names for the four Parts of my second novel, I dug up that email. Now each Part uses two words built around "oh" and "ee" sounds -- like "Blood and Mead."
#2. “House” by Charli XCX and John Cale
This song opens with John Cale reciting a poem as if it were a fragment of heartfelt dialog.
Do you know what I gained by listening to it carefully? A better ear for natural dialog. Dialog made of broken sentences. Yet still perfectly understandable.
I've pinned those lyrics to my wall to remind me to seek authenticity in my dialog.
#3. “What It Sounds Like” from KPop Demon Hunters
Take, for example, the chorus from “What It Sounds Like.”
I spent an entire evening studying the meter and stress patterns, the vowel sounds and rhymes, even structure of individual lines.
Consider the stressed consonants in "I broke into a million pieces, and I can't go back." They fall as B T M P N T B -- a kind of sonic palindrome, with M and N mirroring each other as paired nasals.
From there, I fell into a rabbit hole about vowel sounds and how they reinforce mood. Words built on “uh” (blood, mud, rough) often feel heavy and gritty, while those shaped around “ah” (dark, scar, harmony) tend toward solemnity.
These lyrics aren't just catchy; they're meticulously crafted writing.
Conclusion
Even before reading and reciting Beowulf in Old English, I’ve always adored alliteration. But these songs reminded me that there are so many more techniques to choose from. Pop songs taught me to listen harder, and that made me a better writer.
