What's on your playlist?

Missus Akasha

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All authors have different ways of finding inspiration when it comes to writing their WIPs. Music is one of mine. I can safely say that I do not recall a time where I sat down at my computer to write and didn't have a song playing on one of my iTunes playlists or plugging in headphones to listen to music on my phone. I have songs for different moods I am trying to write or sometimes I just use songs to formulate a fake movie scene in my head starring my characters. I am always looking for different bands and artists.

For my current WIP, Thicker Than Blood, my playlist is:

Black Dog - Kelli Schaefer
Baby Now - Nichole Alden
Change (In the House of Flies) - Deftones
Creator - Santigold
Dance Without You - Skylar Grey
Devil In A New Dress - Kanye West
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
One More Night - Stars
Paradise Circus - Massive Attack
Psychotic Girl - The Black Keys
Spanish Sahara - Foals
Strange Times - The Black Keys

So I am curious, forum. What's on your playlist?
 

cosmia

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"Born to Die" by Lana del Rey is essentially the theme song for my current YA WIP. "252" by Gem Club is good for the more depressing scenes (well, they're all kind of depressing, but...) and "Wolf Like Me (TV On The Radio Cover)" by Anna Calvi for the more badass scenes.

When I'm working on my MG project, I listen to "Panis Et Circenses" by Os Mutantes and "My Slumbering Heart" by Rilo Kiley.

I don't really have a full playlist for these or anything. I think by the time I finish both of my novels though, I might - I imagine I'll gradually gather songs, but at the moment I'm satisfied with the few I have. Most of the time I'm just content to write with silence, so I'm not actively seeking more music.
 

maddicharmed

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I just can't write in silence. I need to listen to music, no matter what it is. I don't have any certain songs for a certain story, I just don't want to write in complete and utter silence.
 

Becca C.

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I usually can't write with music on -- but the odd scene, usually only one per manuscript, is so absolutely fuelled by a particular song that it has to play on repeat to get the mood right.

In my current WIP, there's a sort-of sex scene that is totally driven by "2 Become 1" by Spice Girls. Embarrassing, yes, but you can't argue with music sometimes.
 

lisalulu09

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This is the playlist for Sticks and Stones at the moment:

"When You're Around" - Motion City Soundtrack
"Bad Romance" - Glee Cast
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" - Glee Cast
"Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want" - Slow Moving Millie
"On Fire" - Switchfoot
"I Hate Everything About You" - Three Days Grace
"Blue and Yellow" - The Used
"Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" - Buzzcocks
"Gravity" - Sara Bareilles
"I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" - Belinda Carlise
"Come Down With Love" - Allstar Weekend
"Somewhere In Between" - Lifehouse
"The Only Exception" - Glee Cast
"Hopeful Romantic" - This Century
"It's My Life" - Bon Jovi
"Human" - Darren Criss
"Keeper" - Yellowcard
"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" - Reliant K
"The Reason" - Hoobastank
"Only One" - Yellowcard
"If It Kills Me" - Jason Mraz
"My Life Would Suck Without You" - Glee Cast
"Stuck With Each Other" - Shontelle feat. Akon
"All I Need" - Within Temptation
"Silly Love Songs" - Glee Cast
"Just A Kiss" - Lady Antebellum
"Lightning" - The Wanted
"Teenage Dream" - Glee Cast
"Breathless" - The Corrs
"Like A Virgin" - Glee Cast
"Hope For The Hopeless" - A Fine Frenzy
"Beautiful" - Glee Cast
"Perfect" - Glee Cast
"Just The Way You Are" - Glee Cast
"Firework" - Glee Cast
"Defying Gravity (Chris Colfer/Kurt Solo Version)" - Glee Cast
"All You Need Is Love" - Dana Fuchs & Jim Sturgess ("Across The Universe")

It's very long now, and more songs will be added to it, but as I write, I will be refining it so that it becomes a soundtrack.
 
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Niiicola

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Pandora is great because you can make multiple "stations" and each one can have a different mood. You have to put in a little time upfront to refine all the choices it gives you, but it's great because it'll play you new stuff within your theme. Sometimes I get really inspired by songs I've never heard before on there.
 

BriMeetsBooks

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I've discovered that I work well listening to French pop but I also have this soundtrack to FUNNY THING:

Glee cast - I Love New York/New York New York
MGMT - Kids
REM - Leaving New York
Fun - We Are Young

Still a work in progress :)
 

Windcutter

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I rarely have music on when I'm writing because I get distracted, but I tend to have a playlist or at least a theme song for every story. I listen to them when I'm watching the story-movie in my mind and when I need to get in the mood.

The ultra-short playlist for Project A:

Shangri-La - Angela
Der Weg In Walghal (Richard Vagner)

For BLEEDING VIOLETS (working title, since there is a recent YA novel Bleeding Violet):

Last Waltz - Rasmus
Lizard Skin no Shoujo - BUCK-TICK
Metallisydan - Terasbetoni
My Velvet Little Darkness - Lacrimas Profundere
Angel's Grave - ALI Project
Child of the Damned - Hammerfall
 

auriel

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For my current WIP, I have a variety of songs that seem to fit the moods of different scenes. Some of them are instrumental (I find it hard to write sometimes with lyrics going through my head instead of words I intend to type), usually violins and pianos, or songs in different languages. Here's a few:

"Viva La Vida" - Coldplay
"The Call" - Regina Spektor
"At the End of the Day" - Les Miserables
"Not Gonna Get Us" - T.A.T.U.
"Don't Cry for Me Argentina" - the Glee/Kurt version
"Fix You" - Coldplay
"Ave Maria" - Celine Dion
"The Last Rose of Summer" - performed a capella by Famm
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" - performed by Ralph Stanley
"Sanctuary" - Hikaru Utada

It's a weird mix, but they all somehow speak to the different moods and attitudes going on. I usually play a few when I start writing and then switch to silence after I get into the groove.
 

Ruriworm

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My recently updated writing playlist includes:
All is Full of Love-Bjork
Words-Skylar Grey
The Vent-Big KRIT
Where is my Mind-Yoav & Emily Browning
Sweet Dreams-Emily Browning
Intruder Alert-Lupe Fiasco
Street Lights-Kanye West
We All Complete-Rachel Portman
Rock Bottom-Eminem
Comfortably Numb-Pink Floyd
Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence-Ryuichi Sakamoto
Energy Flow-Ryuichi Sakamoto
I Hate You-Kendrick Lamar
Samson-Regina Spektor
Fallen-Sarah Mclahlan
Til I get Over You-Michelle Branch
What I Wouldn't Give-Holly Brook
Dream-Priscilla Ahn
Never is a Promise-Fiona Apple
Day Too Soon-Sia Furler
 

owlion

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Currently, I'm listening to the Machinae Supremacy album 'A View from the End of the World'. It's got everything I need in it to write well :)
 

rendezvous_with_leon

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Kids in Love-Mayday Parade

Adorable-Artist vs. Poet

Forever Girl-Forever the Sickest Kids

Simple Enough-Never Shout Never

Alive-Artist vs. Poet

Sleep-My Chemical Romance

Crush'd-Say Anything

Under a Paper Moon-All Time Low

You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet On the Ground, I'll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart In the Clouds-Mayday Parade

I Must Be Dreaming-The Maine

She's a Lady-Forever the Sickest Kids

Keep the Change, You Filthy Animal-All Time Low

Bulletproof Love-Pierce the Veil

What Happened To Emotion? (Killing Me)-Forever the Sickest Kids

Do You Want Me (Dead?)-All Time Low

I Guess You Can Say Things Are Getting Pretty Serious-Forever the Sickest Kids

Candle (Sick and Tired)-The White Tie Affair

You Do, You Don't-The Friday Night Boys

A Shot Across the Bow-Mayday Parade

Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off-Panic! At the Disco
I'd Rather Make Mistakes Than Nothing At All-Mayday Parade

Bruised and Scarred-Mayday Parade

Miserable At Best-Mayday Parade

Stay Away From My Friends-Pierce the Veil

Tough Love-Forever the Sickest Kids

Trade Mistakes-Panic! At the Disco

Still Breathing-Mayday Parade

She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty-Pierce the Veil

It's Not A Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Am Thinking it Must Be Love-Fall Out Boy

Bokura no mirai. -LM.C



There's a ton of Mayday Parade... But what can I say. Good music is good music. I feel like when I listen to these songs in order it's like they're telling the story of my two MC's. :)

Oh and these aren't on my playlist but both "Sanctuary" (or Passion) and "Simple and Clean" (or Hikari) by Utada Hikaru are beautiful and make me think of my MC.
 

flarue

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Currently, it's this. I'll probably be adding more as time goes on, but this is what I have so far :


MyWIPPlaylist.jpg
 
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Carissa

my day, your day, lovely day
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Most of the time, I don't write to music with lyrics (or at least not lyrics I can understand). Some of my favorites by artist/album:

Mum - Finally We Are No One
Little People - Mickey Mouse Operation
The Future Sounds of London - Lifeforms and Accelerator
RJD2 - Deadringer
Sigur Ros ... Anything by Sigur Ros
Four Tet
Explosions in the Sky


My playlist for getting in the mood to write is different. Right now, my Spotify playlist is:

Silvia - Miike Snow
Satellite - Guster
I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li
I Drive Alone - Esthero
Heavy in Your Arms - Florence + The Machine
Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine
Boy with a Coin - Iron and Wine
Tired of Being Sorry - Ringside
Struggle - Ringside
Wonder - Dan Black
Breathe - Telepopmusik
Desert - Emilie Simon
Breathe Me - Sia
They - Jem
Sundrenched World - Joshua Radin
The Hill - Marketa Irglova
 

Arclight

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"She's Lost Control" - Joy Division
"My Revenge on the World" - Ayria
"Save Your Serpent" - Ego Likeness
"Hill" - Hungry Lucy
"It's the Fear" - Within Temptation
"Endless Reverie" - Azam Ali
"Stupid Girl" - Garbage
"Control" - Poe
"Second Skin" - Ego Likeness
"Sophia" - The Crüxshadows
"Kingdom" - VNV Nation
"Mofo" - U2
“Joy” - VNV Nation
"Damaged" - Assemblage 23
“Bloodlines" - The Cruxshadows
"Stand My Ground" - Within Temptation
"Silence" - Assemblage 23
"Dead is the New Alive" - Emilie Autumn
"Standing" - VNV Nation
"Behind the Crimson Door" - HIM
"Enjoy the Silence" - Depeche Mode
“Hanging by a Moment” - Lifehouse
"Horrible Dream" - Ayria
"Monsters" - The Crüxshadows
"Mad World" - Gary Jules
"Hemorrhage" - Fuel
"Demon Days" - Gorillaz
"Coming Undone" - Korn
"Out of the Shadows" - Sarah McLachlan
"Angel" - Sarah McLachlan
"Temptation Waits" - Garbage
“If I Was Your Vampire” - Marilyn Manson
“Living Dead Girl” - Rob Zombie
"Binary" - Assemblage 23
“The Wanderer” - U2
"Winter Born (Club/Radio Edit)" - The Crüxshadows
"Save Your Serpent" - Ego Likeness
"Human Behavior" - Bjork
"The Farthest Star" - VNV Nation
"Ground" - Assemblage 23

When I'm writing, I don't usually listen to music with lyrics, because the lyrics can be distracting. I listen to a lot of instrumental music when I'm writing.
 
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gambit924

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Right now, listening to a lot of Malice Mizer. I love Gackt, I think he's awesome. I also listen to a lot of game soundtracks and I listen to Green Day, Ramstien, Juno Reactor, and a whole slew of other people. I love music, it can be inspirational. It can be distracting though.
 

M.E.

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It's kind of depressing in a good way......hopefully that makes sense

make me wanna die- pretty reckless
video games- lana del rey
rumor has it- glee mash up
think about you- frank ocean
swim good- frank ocean
heavy in your arms- florence & the machine
 
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thebloodfiend

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The Juno Soundtrack.
Paradise, Yellow, and The Scientist - Coldplay
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Various other stuff that I'm too lazy to type out, so the above should give you the main gist.