Music and characters

I have the strange quirk of always listening to a type of music I attach to my characters. For example, when I'm writing a gruff space marine type, it's always dark metal, hard rock, etc. When I'm writing about a spellcaster or dragonrider or something, I like having symphonic pieces going, or gothic metal (nightwish, etc), stuff that has an epic feel to it. When I write about vampires, it's, strangely, trance and techno, usually long vocal tracks.

So, I was just wondering if anyone else out there attached a musical style to their characters that helped them develop and write them? Or if I truly am mad and the world is just slowly spinning to a musical oblivion below me XD

 

You're not alone I put different types of music on depending on what I'm writing, and if the music I'm listening to doesn't match my writing, I don't feel motivated. It's kind of an important part of my noveling efforts.

 

I put on whatever I want to listen to and then write. But it actually works better without music sometimes, especially at night when everyone's asleep.

 

I think I prefer complete silence. I want nothing but myself and my imaginary world to exist at the time. I've tried using soundtracks, but I felt that they affected my emotions in a way so I couldn't feel what emotions were coming out of the text.

 

Personally I just round up some of my favorite songs and listen to them while writing. The only down side is I become to numb to the music itself and it just blends in with everything else. Also I begin to feel uncomfrotable with just silence.

 

I find that listening to the music my chracters like to listen to work best when i am trying to write. Although like HorusEye said sometimes you could end up projecting your own emotions onto a character.

 

I usually just play whatever music I like at the time and keep the volume down low, when it's too loud I can't concentrate.

 

The only type of music I can listen to while writing is instrumental. I can't listen to music with words, because it always ends up confusing me while I'm writing. Though I generally don't listen to music when writing, but I almost always have background noise from the television if anyone else is home. I've gotten to where I tune out all the noises around me when I write and just concentrate on the words I'm forming.

I also prefer silence when reading.

 

Whenever I begin to write, my ears don't work anymore.
Hence, it doesn't really matter for me what songs i listen to, unless they are loud, heavy metals.
However, I do have tendency to concentrate and enjoy more if I listen to some of Muse's songs. Their hypnotic voices really turns me on when I'm writing.

 

I only use music if I need to get myself into the mood.

Writing horror/thriller fiction isn't something I can do after watching an episode of Mr.Cuddle's Rainbow Bubbles, so I turn on the OST for Dead Rising to get the words flowing

 

I actually create a soundtrack to write to for a a particular story.

 

I do the exact same thing as Kacoshi. One of my latest stories has a little playlist in itunes, with each song being a chapter and each chapter inspired and written to that song. I don't usually go that overboard though.

I often listen to my music, though, and can almost see my character listening to it. It really helps with visualizing.

 

Erm, well, I just listen to everything, myself.

 

I both love and hate to have music when I write. Some stuff doesnt bother me. Like if im in the zone and im really on a roll with my writing, Ill tune the music out and when I get back from la la land, im like, when did that song start? Ususally my music goes off and I dont notice it. But then sometimes, it really sucks, becuse if I get into my music, I lose focus, and I sorta write a song-fic. So its a two sided thing. On another note, one of my characters is named Aria. Whenever i think of her i think of Pachelbel's Canon in D. She is so floaty and airy, that the song totaly fits her. And she is base on one of my friends who plays flute and is in la la land all the time.
Music rocks..

 

When I'm writing normal people I listen to Andy Mckee, Erik Mongrain and other such artists. When writing about dreamy characters, It's Jimmy Wahlsteen. For anyone else it's pretty much Dragonforce and Freedom Call.

 

I often listen to music whilst writing, but its usually just the phantom of the opera soundtrack, no particular reason but it serves as background noise without being too obtrusive, if i was listening to one of my rock/metal tracks for instance as great as they are iwould be concentrating on the song more. Havign said that when i wrote my zombie western (yes you read right) i did listen to a lot of western soundtracks to get me into the mood

 

I consider it mood music. I think it helps me stay in the world I've created when I'm writing.

 

I usually play a bunch of acoustic/ochestra songs. That way I can get in the mood to write a scene but I don't get too distracted.

 

My iTunes library is full of playlists for different projects.

I usually just can't press play and then go and write. Firstly, I have 2000+ songs, and so that would kind of fail. And I just can't imagine myself writing a kraken-esque scene with the tragedy and epic qualities whilst listening to Paramore or even the Beatles. :rollseyes:

There's a pretty healthy mix of lyrical and instrumental tracks. I don't seem to have the problem a lot of people seem to have listening to words and writing. Once I get going, I can't even hear the music, let alone the words. It's kind of creepy.