Obsession

When I'm writing I almost always "discover" a song that I already know. I hear it in a new light, and it makes me think. I become obsessed.

My current obsession song? Bouncing off Clouds. I'm sure it surprises nobody that it happens to be a Tori song. I look to Tori Amos for inspiration as I look to Madeleine L'Engle. And I'm never left wanting. Here are some of the lyrics that I'm obsessing over:

Make it easy
Make this easy
We could make this easy...
It's not as heavy as it seems

I like the simple idea that sometimes we make things harder than they need to be. That we can make things easier. That bouncing on clouds is a choice we can make.

You say you're waiting on fate
But I think fate is now
I think fate is now
Waiting on us

Fate isn't set, and it is in fact waiting. For us. How interesting an idea is that?

To deepen and widen the obsession with Tori--here is an interview with her describing her dive into sorrow to come out with her song, Tear in Your Hand. Years ago, this song introduced me to Neil (Gaiman) with the lyrics:

"If you need me, Me and Neil'll be hangin' out with the dream king. Neil says hi, by the way."

At the time, I started reading Neil Gaiman, and loved his stuff. And I discovered Tori as a tree in Neil's book Stardust. (Here's Neil reading the first chapter.) I spent a few happy years looking for references for Neil in Tori's songs and Tori in Neil's works.

Further fodder for the obsession: Here's an interview with Tori explaining her process writing the song, Happy Phantom.

What do you obsess over, if anything, while writing? Do you find that the process of others--writers, artists--makes you expand your own process?