A Sky Full of Stars – How One Song Shaped My Fiction

 The Power of Music in Storytelling 

Music has always been a gateway to emotion, a catalyst for memories, and a spark for creativity. A single note, a lyric, or a melody can transport us to another time, another place—sometimes even an entirely different world. As a writer, I’ve always found inspiration in music, particularly in the songs of the 1960s. But every now and then, a song from outside that golden era sneaks in and takes hold in an unexpected way. 

Coldplay’s A Sky Full of Stars is one of those songs. The first time I heard it, something shifted. It wasn’t just the melody, the soaring vocals, or the driving rhythm—it was the feeling. A feeling of weightlessness, of infinity, of something both deeply personal and universally vast. And every time I sit at my piano and play it, I get that tingle. That rare moment of magic. The kind that doesn’t just make you listen, but makes you feel. 

That feeling found its way into my fiction, shaping one of the most intimate and ethereal moments between my main characters, Jon Penryn and Iso. 

A Moment Beneath the Stars 

Jon and Iso’s story is one of adventure, discovery, and love, but at its heart, it is also a story of wonder. There are moments between them that exist outside of time—suspended in something greater than themselves. 

One of those moments takes place above Veryan Bay in Cornwall. Just the two of them, sitting together beneath an endless canopy of stars, their connection as deep and limitless as the universe itself. The vastness above mirrors the newness of their love, full of possibility, full of the unknown. In that moment, they are not just two people in a place—they are part of something much bigger, something cosmic. 

The song captured that feeling perfectly. It’s as if Coldplay had unknowingly written the soundtrack to that scene before it had even been imagined. The pulse of the piano, the uplifting energy, the weightless drift of the chorus—it all echoed the emotions I wanted Jon and Iso to experience. 

The Ripple Effect of a Single Emotion 

What fascinates me most as a writer is how one moment, one note, or one phrase can trigger an entire cascade of emotions. A single spark stretches out like a thread, unravelling into infinity. 

Take A Sky Full of Stars. At its core, it is a love song, but it evokes far more than romance alone. 

• Wonder – That feeling of looking up at the night sky and realising how small we are in the grand scheme of things. The vastness of space, the endless possibilities of life. 

• Love – Not just romantic love, but the deep, soulful connection between two people who see each other in a way no one else does. 

• Awe – The sense of being part of something so much greater than ourselves. The beauty of the world, of music, of the emotions that bind us together. 

• Longing – A bittersweet ache for something just out of reach, a feeling that lingers like a half-remembered dream. 

• Hope – The idea that anything is possible, that love and adventure are limitless, stretching out like the stars themselves. 

Each of these emotions feed into storytelling. They take a simple scene—two people sitting beneath the stars—and turn it into something vast, something unforgettable. 

The Concert That Never Was 

Music doesn’t just inspire moments; it creates entire worlds. 

When I watched Coldplay perform A Sky Full of Stars live, something else ignited in my imagination. I saw Jon and Iso in a different light—not just as lovers beneath the stars, but as musicians themselves. 

And so, in my mind, a new, imaginary, scene unfolded. A concert in Cornwall, just outside St Ives. A crowd of 5,000 people. Jon and Iso standing on stage, fronting their band, Pystrilow. The opening notes ringing out – the Crosby, Stills and Nash song, Love the one you’re with - the audience swaying in time, the night sky above them reflecting a kind of celestial energy. 

This only ever happened in my story. But that’s the beauty of storytelling—music can take you anywhere. I suppose a small connection was when I sang at a wedding on the south coast, near Falmouth. It was an emotional evening, a lovely couple setting out on life’s adventure, the ceremony and reception intimate and immersive, the standard disco shunned for a time of reflection. They had seen me sing several times and decided we had much in common, hence the invitation. We stayed in touch for several years until they moved abroad, the Canada I believe. 

Finding Your Own Sky Full of Stars 

Inspiration is everywhere. A song. A single word. A fleeting moment. The key is recognising it, following it, letting it lead you into a world that didn’t exist before. 

A Sky Full of Stars gave me Jon and Iso’s moment above Veryan Bay. It gave me their concert beneath the night sky. It gave me a thread that I could stretch into infinity. 

What about you? What songs, memories, or moments have sparked stories in your own life? If you listen closely, you might just find your own sky full of stars waiting to be written.