Music when you write

I get distracted too easily by music. I end up singing along instead of writing.

Hi. I usually have music playing. I've heard writers who say they try to match the music exactly to whatever scenes they're writing, but seems like overkill. Music in any form is powerful. It provides a disconnect from the boring real world, and that's enough.

Oh, another post appeared. Comically I can sing along without the least distractions. It's like it's happening in another dimension.

I need noise...maybe because I always did my homework with the background noise of family, TVs, cats, dogs rather than sit upstairs alone in my bedroom. I think I do my best writing when crap, boring TV at 3am is on!

During the day, music from my laptop does the trick, and means I can sit in the sun and write AND have the noise of music and cars and cows.

I have classical music in the background. I soon don't notice it's there so when I get up to start cooking in the afternoon I hear someone talking on the back veranda and get a shock until I realise it's the announcer.

I listen to music all of the time. When I eat, read, sculpt, work out or write. '
The big difference is that when I write, I don't listen to anything with vocals. Strictly instrumental. Otherwise, it becomes a distraction, because I love to sing. Doesn't even matter if I don't know the words. lol
As Scott said, music is very powerful. It can influence your mood dramatically. Be careful what you listen to when you're doing something as important as writing the great American novel.

I can't have music on while I'm writing or I'll get distracted. But for some reason, I can have the TV on and it's not a problem, depending on which channel I have on - food or living TV is great, sport or movies will distract me.

At first I actually listened to music while writing. Now, it's just background noise. To give you an idea of what I mean by that, I turned down the volume on my iPod as low as it can go when I was using my good earbuds and it was too loud and distracting.

Though, it depends on where I'm at mentally sometimes. From time to time I like having the music turned up a little more because the lyrics help spark my creativity from time to time.

Edit: However, when I am revising/rewriting, I want quiet. Not absolute silence, because that would drive me nuts. A constant noise, like the ceiling fan or air conditioner, suffices. This doesn't work so well when my dad's at the computer, outside the door and a couple feet away making every noise imaginable.

I can usually tune things out when I write (reading is another story). But that's just the point--why listen to music during writing if I'm not even going to be hearing it? To me it's like turning on a light and then leaving the room. The light is on, illuminating stuff, but it's not really serving any purpose other than using electricity. Plus, as someone else said, if it's a song I like then I'll want to listen to it instead of write.

This isn't to say I hate music--I adore it, and have mentioned how I envision certain scenes of mine to it in other threads around here--but during the writing PROCESS itself, it serves no purpose. *shrug*

For me music is like the air that I breath, so yeah, I need them when I want to write something. But got it set with the atmosphere that I need. Most of it instrumental tough... But sometimes I work with tv or just the sound of my crickets...

I can't write with music on, although if I'm writing a screenplay I'll often pause to listen to a particular track, because I always soundtrack it in my head.

Having said that, my husband plays music ALL the time and I can't escape it, so I've had to learn to tune it out a bit. Silence is much better for my writing process though.

I make playlists that go with the mood, vibe, period, whatever that I'm writing.

I was working on something that was set in the 80s, so I hit the 80's channel on XM. I am currently working on a project that is linked to Beowulf, so it's the Lord of the Rings Soundtracks.

I find the noise is something I need (as said above) but the music helps set the mood and get me thinking in a set way.

I do believe there's an entire subforum devoted to this topic, not to mention the many threads on this subject created in the past

Mumut said:

I have classical music in the background. I soon don't notice it's there so when I get up to start cooking in the afternoon I hear someone talking on the back veranda and get a shock until I realise it's the announcer.

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Classical is far too distracting. I have to listen to music I've heard a lot so that I don't focus on it. I guess I could listen to 1812, or Pictures at an Exhibition, or Bolera, those are about the only ones I've heard often enough not to find distracting.

I listen to Black Sabbath. I've heard every song of their's since I was in High School. I enjoy the music and when I'm concentrating on my story, the music fades into my subconscious. If I pause to think about the story, the song moves forward and I can enjoy it as a distraction. I'm kind of strange that way.

Darzian said:

Tehuti! Love your avatar!

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Oh! Why...thank you!

I find it inspiring!

I don't always listen to a song that "matches" the part I'm writing though. Once I was listening to a Swedish-bubblegum-pop song while writing about a man being mangled in an alley.

And it came out pretty good.

I always seem to write better when I listen to music. I don't know why, it just comes out more...creatively or something. The stuff I've written without listening to music never seems to be quite as good. And yeah, usually I try to listen to music that at least has a little to do with what I'm writing about at the time.

I just got Metro Station's new album and that really helps me write....for some reason.

wordmonkey said:

I make playlists that go with the mood, vibe, period, whatever that I'm writing.

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I'm currently in the process of doing this.

Music is great to create or enhance your mood and/or atmosphere. If I'm writing an angry scene, I listen to metal; angsty, emo or screamo; action or fast, rock or punk; love or slow, sappy or slow rock.

At times music can be distracting for me, at other times I can tune it out and just thrive off the mood or atmosphere of the music. It depends on how "into" my story I am. If I'm not inspired or don't know where the story is going, it's easy to just stop and listen to the music.

At the moment, I'm outlining a novel, and I'm adding songs to chapters that fit the mood.

Writing a story - classical (lyrics distract me)

Writing poetry - no music.

Sometimes I can listen to music while I write, sometimes it's too distracting. But I am creating a soundtrack of sorts that fits the story. Not exactly scene for scene but the mood.

As for the music itself, sometimes I need classical, sometimes it's Disturbed or most recently Abney Park or the soundtrack to the new BSG series.

I don't usually have music on, although in the evenings I have the TV on. If I do choose music it has to be exactly right to inspire me and that depends on lots of things!
Like TurkeyLurkey, I can only write poetry in silence. As I leave it right up to the deadline my magazine editor has set, I need to concentrate!! (My all time record is 20 minutes)

If I have a working CD player nearby with some CDs that I like, then I will always be listening to music as I write. I listen to New Age and various soundtracks.

I usually, but not always, try to choose a CD that is most appropriate for the scene I'm working on at the moment. If I'm writing an action sequence, I'll choose something with a quick beat. If I'm working on a character scene, I'll choose something a little calmer.

I'm currently trying to learn to write (and edit) with music on because the flat next door is doing extremely loud renovations (walls being knocked down and such). I'm wearing headphones and listening to loud music to try to block out the noise...but I can't really write with it on this loud, I don't usually have music on at all.