Go-to Songs for Writing

[Eric]

Hey gang. I figured I'd toss out this topic to see if there were any others in this group similar to myself. Music has always served a reliable source of inspiration for me and, although there's a lengthy list of songs I'll regularly enjoy, my top three writing songs are as follows in no particular order:

-Toad the Wet Sprocket: Stories I Tell

-Editors: An End Has a Start

-Tracy Chapman: Telling Stories

There's my top three. So, what are my fellow writers listening to for inspiration?

[Angel]

Anything by these artists:



ZZ Ward

Gin Wigmore

Evanescence

Sia

Elle King

Daughtry

Maroon 5


Just to name a few.

[Joe]

I generally don't listen to music while writing, it actually distracts me. But I take a lot of inspiration from across the musical spectrum for my writing, from gospel to heavy metal and just about everything in between. Musicians are just writers with their own language...

[Eric]

Angel wrote: "Anything by these artists:



ZZ Ward

Gin Wigmore

Evanescence

Sia

Elle King

Daughtry

Maroon 5


Just to name a few."

With all due respect, that tells the rest of the class VERY little. Your top three favs, as a writer, if you'd be so kind.

[Charles]

I just started listening to Elle King a couple weeks ago. Some good songs on her album and I really love her style and voice.

Oh, sorry. I have entire albums dedicated to chapters, shorts, povs, ambiance, etc. If I want to write something dark and fast paced, I throw on death metal. If I need to write something character driven, I find something I think that character would listen to.

Sorry that wasn't of more help.

[S.J.]

Ellie Goulding
The Script
Linkin Park
Katy Perry
It all depends on what I'm writing and what I'm in the mood for. Linkin Park is my go to for the tough stuff-either emotionally tough or the action scenes.

[Morris]

I like the theme songs from movies. I will stop to hear them all the way through.

"Star Trek Deep Space Nine"
"The Titanic"
"The Last of the Mohicans"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"
"Chariots of Fire"

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

Morrissey. Viva Hate.

I listen to all kinds of music: the blues, rap, alternative rock, bluegrass, metal, opera, etc. But, many years ago I lived alone in a huge apartment and would stay up all night on my nights off and write. I fell in love with the video for "Suedehead" first on MTV and bought the album. There were many nights I listened to nothing but this album over and over as I wrote.

I find it's still the best album when I really need inspiration to write. I do not know why. I like Morrissey, but would not call myself a huge fan.

[J.C.]

I agree with Dwayne, there are a lot of things I listen too while I'm writing, but to keep with the spirit of the thread my top three are:
Amaranth's - Skyline
Linkin Park's - In the End
Metallica's - Some Kind of Monster

[Andrew]

I listen to long compiled multi-genre tracks while writing. When it comes to inspiration, I often find that in folk music.

Something like Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans.” If perchance you’ve never heard the song, it’s about people on an amtrak train ride from Chicago to New Orleans.

Maybe someone like Liam Clancy's antiwar song, "Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

The list is virtually endless throughout genres.

[April]

I use music all the time to set my writing mood. I have several different writing playlists, depending on what genre I'm writing and what mood the story is in at that moment (happy, sad, powerful, hurting, etc...).

But here are a few go-to songs:

- Set Fire to the Rain - Adele
- Bailando - (English version) - Enrique Iglesias
- Say You Love Me - Jesse Ware
- Take Your Time - Sam Hunt
- The Scientist - Coldplay

Also Seether, The Black Keys, and Muddy Waters. Soundtrack from Pitch Perfect and Fifty Shades of Grey.

[J.N.]

The soundtrack to the game "Medieval Total War: Viking Invasion" is pretty awesome. Listening to the Viking march on a loop is excellent when writing battle scenes.

[Ginger]

With the book I just published I mostly listened to the soundtrack from The Hours by Phillip Glass, and the Porcelain Album by Helen Jane Long. But now that I'm writing a kind of gritty short story collection I've been listening to the Eurythmics and Natalie Merchant. Cool topic - I'm interested in other writers' favorites.

[Ty]

April wrote: "I use music all the time to set my writing mood. I have several different writing playlists, depending on what genre I'm writing and what mood the story is in at that moment (happy, sad, powerful, ..."

I am the same as this, when I listen to music at all, which is not a sure thing. But music with a similar mood or tone to what I hope to write often helps get me in the spirit, as it were. (Though truth be told, more often than not I listen BEFORE the writing session, as opposed to during.)

[Julia]

I like to listen to things in already familiar with, so I don't actually have to pay attention to it.

There's a particular album I find myself listening to as I work, and it is "Brand New Eyes" by Paramore. Three songs from it, Turn It Off, All I Wanted, and Playing God.

Other artists I often listen to while writing are Ellie Goulding, Matchbox Twenty, Within Temptation, Anuna, Lindsey Stirling, and Fireflight.

[Edward]

I write at the library a lot, so I have to have something continuous in the earbuds to blanket the kid racket.
Anything with lyrics is too distracting, so I mainly stick to Jazz. Anything by Chick Corea, Weather Report, David Sancious, Jan Hammer, stuff in that vein.