I find it difficult to do. I usually get too carried away with the lyrics/music that I forget what the hell I was trying to write/read. I usually write in complete silence, just me and my thoughts.
It depends on the music. OFTEN I'll be listening to jazz, if anything. Recurring music for me: Miles Davis (especially 68-75 electric period) Weather Report Mahavishnu Orchestra Keith Jarrett John Coltrane (Love Supreme onwards until his death) Can Genesis The Soft Machine My Bloody Valentine Pink Floyd Sonic Youth King Crimson Gustav Holst - Planets Suite
I tend to listen to classic music, turned down real low I can hardly hear it, I find it helps me go into a relaxed state and helps me read large chunks at a time. When I'm writing I sometimes listen to audiobooks, also turn down low also. I find it helps the creative juices flow and can help me out when I'm stumped for a word.
Reading while listening to music had an unintentional consequence for me once. I listened to the Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack when I finished A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man, and thus, I always hear "The Grid" when I visualize Stephen Daedalus's hallucination on the shore in chapter 4.
The only thing I can listen to while doing anything that requires brainwork is Bach or other baroque stuff.
I can't listen to anything with lyrics. I used to but now it is too distracting. Generally I listen to techno/ trance. A bit strange at my age, but it gets me into a 'zone'.
seems to be a popular thing these days for authors to have a playlist printed in the back of the novel of the music they listened to while writing it.
I listen to orchestral type stuff when reading or writing. It really gets your mind flowing. Also, it helps block out all the craziness around me.
Sometimes death metal helps me write, because most of the time the lyrics aren't understandable and end up sounding like pure noise if you focus on something else.
Yeah, I find it very helpful in concentration, for anything really. I think it's a good way to boost the creativity.
I may be odd but I almost alwasys listen to music. But it has to be my own playlists, music that I pick. A lot of times I use music to help me express my emotions or at least get my emotions rolling. I can do music with lyrics and music without lyrics, although instrumental usually helps me get on a roll while writing.
It depends on the type of music, if it has an interesting lyric I find myself listening to it rather than reading. Also I find that I can write while listening to classical music but it can't be too loud. If I start grooving to the tunes too much, it shuts down my thought process.
My preference is silence, but some whitenoise is fine, and I can't have too much distraction infront of me like when there's people walking in and out of the room.
Music for me is an escape FROM my mind...it helps me complete mundane tasks like cleaning and exercise or takes my focus from stress to pure rhythm and lyrics. Writing is my escape INTO my mind where I completely let go and allow creativity free reign. The two together just do not mesh.
I usually write while listening to music. I like ambient stuff, like the music of Boards Of Canada or Aphex Twin.
Sometimes I try to do it, but most of the time I end up drifting away with the music, away from my thoughts. But I always wear headphones, music or not.
Yes i like to but sometimes if one of my favorite songs comes on it distracts me. I just have to be wise in choosing which music to listen to while reading or writing.
I can write either way, but I prefer to write with music on. I some times listen to only instrumental music, but rarely really. I usually construct a playlist that I can listen to over and over again and listen to it until it starts to bug me. It does help me focus on my writing though some times through the themes of the music but often because it drowns out other distractions more. I used to be a html coder when I was a kid and i spent hours coding with music on so if I am writing using an electronic medium its almost preferable to have music on.
Usually music can be hugely inspirational for me, and it helps me get in the 'zone'. Every once in a while, though (especially if life has been particularly crazy of late) I just need SILENCE.
This is somewhat difficult to answer. It all depends on mood, which character or story line I'm working on, and what other noise is going on around me. If it's dead silent I usually have no problem writing and will do without music but if there are distractions (the TV is on, my husband talking on the phone, etc.) I have to have headphones plugged in and turned up just enough to block out the background noises. And even then, I have a preference for what music it is. Usually Sublime, Everclear, Against Me!, Modest Mouse, or some other similar alternative Rock sound. While reading, it is the same: It depends on the book, how invested I am in it, and what other noises are going on around me. If I'm in a crowded place or high-traffic area, I'll put headphones in without music just to filter what my ears hear. But if it's dead quiet, I can get so absorbed in what I'm reading the house could fall down around me and I wouldn't notice. Mostly I prefer to read without music, if it's avoidable. Silence is my favorite way to immerse myself in the book.
To me, it's not the question of whether or not music playing is alright, ut what kind of music fits my mood. If I'm working on a fantasy story and am not trying for combat, I opt for musicians like Howie Day, "Rain Rain" by Breaking Benjamin, or something else that is slow and soft. For some reason, it helps my creativity. For my realism practice stories, I generally opt for silence. It's ok to have the tv going downstairs, too, but nothing really helps me there. I've not developed any talent in that area and it seriously takes concentration. My novel is as far from that as possible - I typically play Igorrr, some filthy dubstep, We Butter the Bread With Butter, Oomph, or some of the harder Rammstein (the last 3 being German metal, and my lack of being able to understand much helps). My novel is so different from anything else I've ever written (from the music choice you can tell it isn't pretty), I need an extra push to put me in the frame of mind. Though, research for it has had me watching/reading/listening to Coppelia. XD
Yeah, I work with music always. Keyshia Cole and Mary j blige for romance, muse for everything, innerpartysystem by defualt because its sci fi, Dido and A.F.I for drama, hard rock and metal for action.my default love song is heaven sent by keyshia Cole, and crush by pendulum and map of the problematique by muse are my default action song s .I do this because. Music helps to set the mood a lot.
I used to not be able to, at all. I still can't read comfortably with music or any sort of background sound, but I've gotten into the habit of writing while listening to music. I try to choose something that goes with what I'm writing. For instance, the last short story I wrote was a dystopian piece with bit of a horror atmosphere, so I listened to dark ambient stuff for that. For my fantasy story, I tend to have some folk music, epic scores or melodic metal in the background. Sometimes it helps my imagination, sometimes it's just distracting.
