I can have music, but it must be instrumental only or the lyrics must be such that I do not understand them. I listen to a lot of "world music" in languages I do not understand. This music is fine.
I listen to groups like ISIS and Explosions in the sky and Electric Wizard are my background music at the moment, great stuff!!!! But i managed to get my fingers on the sound track Nick Cave had done for the movies 'Proposition' and 'Assassination of Jesse James'. Really atmospheric stuff and sends my imagination (which is raging about at a thousand mph anyway) flying.
I concur completely. With my thinking hat on, music helps me find that emotion I need, but when I'm putting the thoughts down on paper, I find it distracts me too much. And whether I can stand background noise is related to how smoothly the writing is going that particular day. Although writing in the same room as my husband who is playing COD4, is just not working, but we're working on getting me that nice separate room with a view. The music I listen to when I need to think, or go over the picture, is mostly Radiohead, Placebo, Iron & Wine. Something with not so much vocal and a lot of emphasis on the music itself. Even classical music does the trick, as long as its not louder than the voice of my mind.
I like listening to music while writing, whether it has lyrics or not, because my dad never learned how to use his "inside voice", and never stops talking, ever. So it helps to drown him out. I can't write in total silence, because then my mind wanders, and I run out of steam.
second that I write fantasy, late at night with only the sounds of the city drifting in through the balcony door... but when I'm thinking about a story, I max out my mp3 player and put on my favorite pagan metal band they are called 'Heidevolk' and they create exactly the atmosphere I want in my story ^^
When I have music on I find I can't concentrate on my writing. Although I can sometimes become so immersed that I tune it out, I find not having it on is the best solution. Saying this though I do need background noise in order to keep me focused. Usually my birds moving around or low voices in another room works well.
Usually I write in silence. That way I can hear the sounds in my story. Otherwise, I listen to trance or classical music because they get me in the right state of mind and they don't have lyrics to distract me.
It depends what I'm doing. When plotting, planning, creating, etc, I'll listen to anything. I might have a DVD on in the background, because the plot might just help me get the feel right, or something. But when it comes to sitting down and actually writing, I have a dedicated playlist of classical and soundtrack pieces, ranging from Gladiator to Star Wars to Terminator. Big range just in those films (and I really need to pull my finger out and get BSG season 4's soundtrack, come to think of it) and more is on the way to that playlist, which is about 120 tracks and 8 hours in length.
I listen to music that ellicits a fitting sense of emotional qualia of a scene or situation, and then begin writing while i'm still in that mentality. music while writing is optional, but i'm not usually capable of doing both, so i end up not listening to anything. that and i have a horrible habit of getting burnt out on songs, so i try to only listen to anything when it has my undivided attention. same with writing in someways i guess
I usually put my ipod on shuffle and flip past songs that are too loud or distracting. But I have just about every genre of music on there.
Music is good for coming up with ideas, because I always find it easier to daydream to music. But it's easier to actually write with silence, or at least with only instrumental music (Eg: Mono, God Is An Astronaut type stuff)
You know, I used to be like this. But things have changed for me...I listen to my Hans Zimmer radio station on Pandora now--and sometimes the Breaking Benjamin station too. I tend to see the story unfolding like a movie--a movie in my head. So having Hans Zimmer, James Horner, John Williams et al in my head helps bring a sense of drama and intensity to my writing. I think this is mostly because of the way it makes me feel, and then I am able to write out of that feeling for a more realistic and better piece. A good friend of mine said a few months ago that my writing suddenly took a drastic turn for the better. One of the things I had started doing at that time was listening to Pandora while I write. I do agree though, if I am in the wrong mood music with vocals can totally distract and detract from what I am trying to do. That's when Hans and the boys come in very handy. Just my .02 Yitz
For as long as I can remember, music has inspired various ideas I've had. While sometimes the ideas are too similar to the songs, the inspiration can give me a good and excited feeling. As for writing with music playing, I'm actually the opposite of a lot of people here, because I find most instrumental music more distracting than lyrical, and I can't imagine myself writing anything but Star Wars if I listen to the Star Wars soundtrack while writing.
It depends on the mood of my writing. "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" is good for melancholy scenes, whereas "I'm Yours" has more of a happy-romance vibe. But when I'm strapped for ideas, I mostly listen to Fall Out Boy. Their awesome instrumentality and nonsensical lyrics speak to me.
I'm one of those that writes rather non-traditionally. I've been known to stop whatever I'm doing to write a scene out as it comes to me, so distraction is not a major issue for me. Sound is comforting, silence is not productive. Anything from noisy chitter chatter in a crowded dining area to gloriously over-chorded 90s music.
Either something to do with the characters/scene I'm writing, smooth jazz or calm classical. Anything with too many lyrics distracts me because I'm constantly trying to catch the words or interpret the lyrics.
My thoughts exactly! When seeking inspiration I'm partial to Frank Sinatra or Michael Buble. :redface:
If I can choose ... peace and quiet. I love music, it totally distracts me from other things -- especially from writing, it seems to occupy the same part of my brain. Anyhow, during the day I have to hear whatever my daughter wants to hear. "Yummy yummy yummy, I got bugs in my tummy" doesn't help much as such if you are just trying to write a romantic scene. What inspires me for my writing about music is not the music as such, but, e.g., the way Verdi uses music to illustrate character traits; so efficiently, so in a nutshell -- you know the character's main character traits after a few bars (Act I, Scene I, Rigoletto, e.g.). What else can be derived from music for me, is -- it is never so much important what is said, but how it is said. "Every breath you take," or "Man in the mirror," without music? You wouldn't probably even read the lyrics more than two times.
I write with either complete silence or with iTunes playing at a meduim-ish volume. I created a playlist entitled simply "writing music". I'd just let it loop through and play over and over unless I was in the zone with a particular band. If that was the case I'd repeat certain songs until I got sick of them. My novel is set in the early 90's and I've always had an imaginary soundtrack for it before I even typed anything. Usually what I'd listen to when working on it was old-school thrash or grunge with some "alternative" mixed in (I hate that label, "alternative"- way too big & vague). Metallica, Jane's Addiction, Tool, Nirvana, Nick Cave, Quicksand, Gern Blanston and especially Anthrax. Their album, Persistance Of Time, helped me through about half of the book and I hadn't listened to that in about ten years. I downloaded it on a whim. I also listened to newer, more contemporary stuff as well as classics when writing. I listened to Pink Floyd, the Stones, the Stooges, Joy Division and Fugazi for the most part, but I've got just about every Sinatra album out there as well... Johnny Cash too!
I find listening to soundtrack music that works with the scene really helps when I'm writing. For example, when I'm writing an action scene I might listen to a fast paced track.
I can't write in a certain tone without appropriate background music. Well, I can, but I don't really like how it comes out, then. Lyrics and other distractions tend to get tuned-out by me. But if I'm writing something very dialogue-heavy, I need to turn the volume looooow.
