I've often thought music and writing to be two sides of the same coin, as it were. One informing the other. What music/musician influences your writing style?
How does your writing sound?
- Thread starter Lifelongdagger
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2009
- Messages
- 11,732
- Reaction score
- 4,650
Haha, fun one. This may not answer the question, but I do tend to listen to music when I write, and I do it in two ways. The first is music that the main character would listen to (helps get into the character), and the second is what seems to fit stylistically. The story I recently finished was written mostly to Coldplay and Radiohead's latest albums, Disturbed, and occasionally random 80s music. The Disturbed was for the action scenes or scenes where the MC was upset or angry.
The story before that was written mostly to an odd arrangement of rock music, mostly 70s rock. The one before that was written entirely to the soundtrack from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (beautiful, btw).
The story before that was written mostly to an odd arrangement of rock music, mostly 70s rock. The one before that was written entirely to the soundtrack from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (beautiful, btw).
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2005
- Messages
- 4,422
- Reaction score
- 641
- Location
- Metropolitan District of Washington
- Website
- www.linda-adams.com
Music does NOT influence my writing at all. I don't have a sense of rhythm and timing, so I don't relate well to music. I don't own anything to play it on, nor do I go out of my way to listen to it.
Interesting you should bring up rhtyhm and timing, Linda, as that is sort of what I was getting at.
I think I'd go with The Clash, Sham '69 and a touch of Tom Waits.
I think I'd go with The Clash, Sham '69 and a touch of Tom Waits.
P.O.D's Youth of the Nation and TV on the Radio's Wolf Like Me to be specific, Linkin Park to be generic. Some other sounds I am going for would be Editors, Bloc Party, though I can't say I've reached them.
Just hard beats, powerful lyrics.
Maybe some My Culture by Robbie Williams, thought it doesn't really relate.
Just hard beats, powerful lyrics.
Maybe some My Culture by Robbie Williams, thought it doesn't really relate.
Everything I listen to from classical to hip-hop to oldies to new wave to metal.
I generally have classical music on when I'm writing but it's usually only for background noise.
I generally have classical music on when I'm writing but it's usually only for background noise.
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2007
- Messages
- 3,802
- Reaction score
- 465
- Location
- Canada
- Website
- www.linneaheinrichs.com
Music doesn't influence my writing style although I've been told my writing is poetic. As I plan out a scene sometimes a piece of music comes to mind and I play it to set my mental mood and then write the scene.
It changes from book to book but this one's all Texas, John Mayer, Jamie Cullum, Late Night Alumni and even one song by (sorry) Craig David.
I've been a musician longer than a writer. I can't say the two have much to do with one another.
My sense of timing and rhythm in writing comes more from reading other work than anything musical. But I guess there could be crossover, like in the case of Leonard Cohen. That's a big influence for me.
My sense of timing and rhythm in writing comes more from reading other work than anything musical. But I guess there could be crossover, like in the case of Leonard Cohen. That's a big influence for me.
Percy Aldridge Grainger. I've never thought of this before, but your question made me consider it.
Definitely Grainger, though. My writing has that nice, expected steadiness interrupted by stylistic weirdness that makes you go, "Whoah. What was that?"
In a good way. For those who think such things are good. Not everybody does, I know.
Definitely Grainger, though. My writing has that nice, expected steadiness interrupted by stylistic weirdness that makes you go, "Whoah. What was that?"
In a good way. For those who think such things are good. Not everybody does, I know.
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,417
- Reaction score
- 142
- Location
- Connecticut
- Website
- danstraka.blogspot.com
I listen to trance and techno most often. That's merely to engage and active a certain state of mind and doesn't translate into my work.
I am a lyricist, sometimes. I believe that Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell have influenced my style more than anyone else, because I tend to write in a personal narrative format. When I was younger I loved Duran Duran but could never write in their style of random exotic imagery. I also like Beck but again, could never copy his unique style.
My actual writing has almost nothing to do with what I listen to. I've written some lyrics that could only ever be country songs, but I don't listen to country music. Heh.
Right now, I've got Morrissey, Jeff Buckley, Florence + the Machine, and Radiohead on loop plus a whole host of other randomness from rap (Ludacris--what?!) to classical (Miserere).
My musical background's had a definite influence on my writing's structure--especially when it comes to commas, ellipses, and em-dashes. This is, however, often a detrimental influence as any of my crit partners can attest.
Listening to certain types of music also affects the mood of the piece I'm working on... can't really write something bright and happy when I'm listening to Bauhaus.
My musical background's had a definite influence on my writing's structure--especially when it comes to commas, ellipses, and em-dashes. This is, however, often a detrimental influence as any of my crit partners can attest.
Listening to certain types of music also affects the mood of the piece I'm working on... can't really write something bright and happy when I'm listening to Bauhaus.
Last edited:
The CDs I listen to over and over and over while actually writing are by Steely Dan and Bob Marley. And Mozart and Handel. And a local Celtic group called Pendragon. And the occasional Phantom of the Opera, though I tend to sing along to that one too much. The Phantom's parts. Muhahahaha....
Who does my writing sound like? Tough one. My own first impression is Bruce Springsteen, or, in darker moods, Pink Floyd.
Who does my writing sound like? Tough one. My own first impression is Bruce Springsteen, or, in darker moods, Pink Floyd.
Last edited:
Anywhere from Muse to Beck to Beats Antique. The occasional Depeche Mode and/or Pink Floyd if I'm lucky
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2009
- Messages
- 44,834
- Reaction score
- 2,929
- Age
- 42
- Location
- The exact centre of all of existence
Ah wakingself, "can't really write something bright and happy when I'm listening to Bauhaus." - I understand entirely, though it does make me dance (of all things).
I don't really listen to music while I write. And the bulk of what I've written is comedic, so I don't really think that came from music, per se.
I've got a couple things in the works that are 4k so far, and they are darker fiction compared to my comedies. I'd like to say Cradle Of Filth inspire me when I'm writing those books, but like I said, I don't listen to music while I write.
But I'd choose Cradle because a lot of their songs evoke in me a very surreal, powerful mental picture, with an emotion to go along with it - it's hard to write out such things, I've found, but one trick I've been working on is taking scenes from my life and building an interesting book around them, and those scenes from my life have a very Cradle picture to them, so maybe that would help.
I tried listening to classical while I was writing, and it was the only time I could concentrate on my work while listening to music, probably because it was classical without lyrics... If I listen to music that has lyrics, I find I can't think of what to say that isn't directly related to the lyrics, which to me sounds awfully close to plagiarism, which I'd prefer to avoid.
That reminds me... I need to buy some Muse.
Edit: Oh, and as for how I think my writing sounds... Like a choir choking on laughter...
I don't really listen to music while I write. And the bulk of what I've written is comedic, so I don't really think that came from music, per se.
I've got a couple things in the works that are 4k so far, and they are darker fiction compared to my comedies. I'd like to say Cradle Of Filth inspire me when I'm writing those books, but like I said, I don't listen to music while I write.
But I'd choose Cradle because a lot of their songs evoke in me a very surreal, powerful mental picture, with an emotion to go along with it - it's hard to write out such things, I've found, but one trick I've been working on is taking scenes from my life and building an interesting book around them, and those scenes from my life have a very Cradle picture to them, so maybe that would help.
I tried listening to classical while I was writing, and it was the only time I could concentrate on my work while listening to music, probably because it was classical without lyrics... If I listen to music that has lyrics, I find I can't think of what to say that isn't directly related to the lyrics, which to me sounds awfully close to plagiarism, which I'd prefer to avoid.
That reminds me... I need to buy some Muse.
Edit: Oh, and as for how I think my writing sounds... Like a choir choking on laughter...
Last edited:
Mumford and Sons ... Definately should check out 'White Blank Page' and 'Little Lion Man'. I prefer the latter, but only just.
I'm writing a story that was inspired by the song 'Hummingbird' By Alessi's Ark. Brilliant song.
I'm writing a story that was inspired by the song 'Hummingbird' By Alessi's Ark. Brilliant song.
- Status