What music do you listen to while writing?

BlueDimity · Jan 29, 2010

I read that it helps if you listen to music while writing. Music that ''matches'' up to the scenes that play in your mind as you write. I've found that to be true.
I am wondering, (if you do) what music do you listen to while writing? I listen to playlists of Narnia or A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Pan's Labyrinth. Also I find Coldplay relaxing when I write. Anything melancholy.

blacbird · Jan 29, 2010

None. I find it distracting.

caw

willietheshakes · Jan 29, 2010

I think this topic should be a sticky...

Fryson · Jan 29, 2010

I'm actually interested in what other people listen to as well. Oftentimes I just use soundtracks from movies that don't have any lyrics. Whatever I use usually depends on if I have an idea about what I want to write about. I also have an iPhone so there are a couple apps I use that just have sounds of nature or other zen/relaxation type stuff, e.g rain, streams, forests. Other times I just want silence or I go out to find sounds naturally. Nature typically inspires me so normally I listen to things from nature.

And I know some authors like to listen to Beethoven and Mozart. Personally I never have because I've never been interested in that kind of music, but it might be interesting to try when you're writing.

AlterEgox5 · Jan 29, 2010

Depends entirely on the scene and the book. Soundtracks are my first love, from Hans Zimmer to Basil Poledouris. Occasionally songs with lyrics find their way in, from Within Temptation to Korn to Owl City. I make entire soundtracks around my writing.

Here's something you might be interested in though. Go to Pandora. You give the site a song you enjoy and it builds a "radio station" around that song by delivering music with similar styles and sounds to the one you like. Then as it plays you can skip songs or eliminate them from your playlist altogether. Great way to find new music by artists and such you've never heard of before.

HConn · Jan 29, 2010

Whatever is playing at the Starbucks.

I used to need a certain kind of music, but arranging that got in the way of my writing, so I put it behind me.

Playing a certain music is fine, unless you can't create without it.

Fryson · Jan 29, 2010

AlterEgox5 said:
Depends entirely on the scene and the book. Soundtracks are my first love, from Hans Zimmer to Basil Poledouris. Occasionally songs with lyrics find their way in, from Within Temptation to Korn to Owl City. I make entire soundtracks around my writing.

Here's something you might be interested in though. Go to Pandora. You give the site a song you enjoy and it builds a "radio station" around that song by delivering music with similar styles and sounds to the one you like. Then as it plays you can skip songs or eliminate them from your playlist altogether. Great way to find new music by artists and such you've never heard of before.

Hans Zimmer is great. I actually listen to the soundtracks from Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King from time to time. I use to also use his stuff from The Dark Knight but I've lost track of the CD. I like some of James Newton Howard's music as well.

Also, I'm not sure how many people play video games, but the music from the Halo video games is really good as well.

benbradley · Jan 29, 2010

I usually don't, though I always notice/listen to whatever the Border's is playing.

And even though I'm not a particularly big fan of their music, I've sometimes thought I should try listening to Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

Chasing the Horizon · Jan 29, 2010

Yeah, this should be a sticky, it seems to come up every couple of weeks.

I listen to music that matches the tone of my books when I write. Within Temptation, Nightwish, Iced Earth, Blackmore's Night, and a bunch of others. I'm not easily distracted from my writing.

chris41336 · Jan 29, 2010

I listen to whatever matches the tone of whatever I'm writing. recently, I've been listening to the spider-man themes (the movies, not the cartoon!) and other orchestral pieces. Normally, I don't like music with lyrics while I write. unless the lyrics pertain to whats going on.

virtue_summer · Jan 29, 2010

Jazz, usually. That's the default. Miles Davis is a favorite. Sometimes it's classical or rock. Depends on my mood, etc. I try not to listen to music with too many lyrics unless the lyrics have some particular meaning for that story or character.

DoomBunny · Jan 29, 2010

My work mix is as non-distracting as I can make it. Mostly mellow, although that's a relative term. I use it as a source of white noise (ie blocking out background noise) and to kick my right brain into gear. I find Tool great to work to, also lots of Queen, a few odd bits of Metallica, Sheryl Crow, SOAD, NIN, Eric Clapton, Alice in Chains, Eagles, Pearl Jam, and a whole bunch of odds and ends.

Vilisse · Jan 29, 2010

I mostly listen to instrumental music, but sometimes other tracks get thrown in there. Right now I'm listening to stuff off Youtube ('cuz I'm too cheep to order the CDs - I should do that :tongue

)
I'll listen to songs with lyrics sometimes to develop characters, I find that the words/music really defines some of them. I'll listen to the radio and think of how my character is just like the song playing, it helps give me inspiration too.

BlueDimity · Jan 29, 2010

Thanks. I find all your answering interesting. By the way, I am sorry for not making this a sticky-though I'm not quite sure what a stciky is.

jruby · Jan 29, 2010

Anonyouth said:
Music that ''matches'' up to the scenes that play in your mind as you write. I've found that to be true.

That's what I usually do; it depends on the scene in the book - sometimes it's instrumental (mostly soundtracks) and sometimes lyrical. I have like a ton of CDs full of music I'd never personally listen to just to listen to, but that I use when I'm trying to write like a nightclub scene and I need something with pumping bass.

BlueDimity · Jan 29, 2010

I see how that is quite helpful.

And to Alterego, thanks. Pandora is great.

M.R.J. Le Blanc · Jan 29, 2010

Right now I'm listening to music from the World of Warcraft soundtracks, some 80s music, some Shakira, some anime themes, some of the Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core soundtrack and Gackt. If I have a song that inspires a certain scene, I'll usually just throw it on repeat to keep me in that headspace to write it.

BlueDimity · Jan 29, 2010

Great! I love World of Warcraft and video game music myself. It's great when writing a fantasy.

M.R.J. Le Blanc · Jan 29, 2010

Oh me too! I've even got some Guild Wars on here, but World of Warcraft is the only one I play. It inspired three of my stories.

LostInReality · Jan 29, 2010

Seether always gets my creative juices flowing

ebennet68 · Jan 29, 2010

I've been listening to a variety of stuff. I have a "soundtrack" that goes along with my WIP, each song fitting a particular scene, emotion, etc. It ranges from classical to rock to country. It never fails to motivate my writing.

The Lonely One · Jan 29, 2010

Anonyouth said:
I read that it helps if you listen to music while writing. Music that ''matches'' up to the scenes that play in your mind as you write. I've found that to be true.
I am wondering, (if you do) what music do you listen to while writing? I listen to playlists of Narnia or A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Pan's Labyrinth. Also I find Coldplay relaxing when I write. Anything melancholy.

I used to listen to music. I once wrote a short storysomewhere around 3-5k, with a soundtrack. I'd listen to certain songs over and over as I wrote and thought, "this is genious!" But it turned out, the music influenced me to write melodramatic crap. So I decided silence worked best for me.

Krintar · Jan 29, 2010

Like blacbird, I find music distracting while I'm writing. However, I will often listen to a couple of appropriate tracks to get me in the mood while I'm getting comfortable / reacquainting myself with where I left off. Which music I use depends on the specific story (I have an affinity for stories inspired by a song), the type of scene coming up and my mood at the time.

Caitlin Black · Jan 29, 2010

To answer a secondary question, I believe only a mod can make this a sticky thread. A sticky is one that "sticks" to the top of the page and never leaves, like the Uncle Jim threads.

To answer the music question: I listen to whatever is on my mp3 player. Currently there's a lot of Cradle Of Filth, some Astarte, My Chemical Romance, Muse, The Veronicas, Sarah Blasko, Paramore.

From time to time I'll buy a new CD and put that on there, and when I do I invariably wind up deleting one CD off the mp3 player... it's not like I'm at capacity or anything - I just get sick of songs sooner or later.

But I have noticed that what I like to listen to has changed with each progressive WIP, and so I've been buying CDs I normally wouldn't buy. At some point I need to buy some Tool. I think that could be beneficial for my moods while writing.

I love lyrics while I'm writing.

AlterEgox5 · Jan 29, 2010

Anonyouth said:
And to Alterego, thanks. Pandora is great.

Welcome. My sis told me about it - raved, more like. She thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread. XD

And for anyone looking for good soundtracks, I'm always announcing my soundtrack junkie-ness (and how I'm still not sure if it's impressive or sad the way I can tell a composer after just a few notes), but you can go here and scroll down until you see the soundtracks drop down. Then feel free to poke around. I always add the inspiration level to my rating (how muse-worthy is this CD?). Got over 80 soundtrack reviews in there.

Heck, if you're looking for a soundtrack to match a scene, just tell me what you're looking for and I could probably refer you to some - if not specific songs (and I still have soundtracks I have yet to review, haha!)

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