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What music (if any) do you listen to when writing?
I usually like to have classical music while I'm writing. I have to avoid music with lyrics while I'm actually writing a story. During editing, I like oldies, and something with a beat to keep me awake!
Mod
I listen to a lot of folk or western turned down low if I listen to anything while writing.
Complete silence for me. I love music too much. If I'd play some, I wouldn't get anything done. :p
G.G. wrote: "Complete silence for me. I love music too much. If I'd play some, I wouldn't get anything done. :p"
Same here. I'd start typing lyrics or start dancing.
Sarah, Two Steps from Hell is AMAZING! I use their music myself as inspiration during my action scenes. I began writing the first book in my series at about the same time as Evanescence released their self-titled album, so their lyrics directly influenced a lot of what my main character was doing.
When I'm actually writing, I need quiet. But when I'm posting, promoting, and updating, Pink Floyd is coming through my headphones.
Every book has a different soundtrack. I have a tendency to imagine a movie soundtrack for every book I write, so I listen to that, whatever it may be. It has included everything from speed metal to classical.
Umm...my default, go-to music since I started The Last Damsel includes video game soundtracks from:- Rule of Rose
- Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines
- Silent Hill
- Alice: The Madness Returns
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Alan Wake
- Beyond: Two Souls
- The 7th Guest
- The 11th Hour
And movie soundtracks:
- The Fountain
- Pan's Labyrinth
- Inception
I'm just gothing out and imagining how adorable I would look with fangs sometimes :{}
Mod
It depends on the piece I'm writing.
"The Asphalt Carpet" - Mostly U2 and The Cure.
"Summerwind" - Mozart
"Tink" - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin
And so on.
My current project is a novel and three short stories that will go along with it. They're set in 1985.
"Suckers & Rogues": Rolling Stones, The Who, Big Country, Billy Joel, etc.
"Ladybug Boy": Queen, Styx, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Asia, Kiss, etc.
"Party At Larry's": Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Tyler
"Let's Dance": David Bowie, DeBarge, Madonna, Prince, Berlin, etc.
So many good choices from posters above me. When I write I listen to anything I can really connect with during those few hours. It can be Extreme Music or Metallica to Bridgit Mendler or Rita Ora. Even slipping some Adam Lambert in there. But it's always specific songs that get the emotions going. Korn being my all-time favorite.My writing thrives off of really good music. Speaking of which, check out the Extreme Music on Youtube, especially Bring me back to life. They have songs for every mood, with and without lyrics, please enjoy.
The soundtrack to Last of the Mohicans, especially this one https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7B1OAtD...
Typically I don't like to listen to music while actually writing, but if I'm re-writing a scene or editing or something, it's great to have something playing in the background. Two Steps From Hell is one of my favorites too, as well as some of the other trailer music companies like Audiomachine and Fringe Element. I often listen to that sort of stuff while brainstorming and get all inspired.TSFH's new Battlecry album could not possibly be coming out at a better time too - I'm just getting to the Final Battle Phase of my third novel and have been in the market for some new music along those lines.
I also enjoy listening to movie soundtracks while writing, especially if it's something kinda repetitive. There's a half-an-our-long Man of Steel suite by Hans Zimmer that I've been listening to a lot lately. I sometimes make it sort of a game and see how much I can get done before it ends :)
I generally listen to cover versions of soft rock, often played on ukulele...Not out of choice, mind you, it's just that the coffee shop I most often write in plays this damned Sirius XM station. Very hipster.
When it gets to be too much, I put my Space Music youtube playlist on shuffle mode...my laptop's battery will run out before that does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIqFk...
I'm a huge fan of 1970s synthesizer instrumental music (Klaus Schulze, Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Ash Ra Temple, Michael Hoenig, Tim Blake...) and people inspired by them. This stuff gets labeled under a lot of different genre labels nowadays: ambient, New Age, Berlin School, Krautrock, electronica, etc. But back in the day we just called it Space Music.
If what I'm writing needs a bit more aggression, I just crank up The Stranglers.
Mod
I'm now looking around the coffee shop for you. I don't see you. That does sound like this place, though.
So, I have a lot of music in my laptop and a cheap pair of earphones to drown out the hipster stuff.
It depends upon the theme/mood/tone of the book I'm working on, I guess. My musical tastes include rock, classical, alternative, jazz, blues, old-school country (1970s and earlier) and even metal. I can't write without some kind of music, preferably loud in headphones.
Right now, working on my third book, I'm listening to a lot of Mahler, Bach, Stravinsky, and The Dandy Warhols. I'm currently freaking out on anything featuring the cello as well: Zoë Keating, various Ramin Djawadi works and other things.
While writing my previous book I obsessed over Veruca Salt, Nine Inch Nails, and Queens of the Stone Age. While writing my first book I listened to a lot of Radiohead, Miles Davis, Brian Eno, and Tool.
Linkin Park, Muse, 30 Seconds to Mars, Metric, Placebo...the list goes on. I oftentimes get story ideas inspired BY music, so a lot of times it helps to have the song/album playing that I feel inspired by. A few months ago, I decided to try writing without music to see if it improved my productivity, but I couldn't concentrate. Once I'm really into the zone, it tunes into the background anyway. I second those who mentioned Two Steps to Hell, Nine Inch Nails, and Pink Floyd!
Shell wrote: "Every book has a different soundtrack..."Same here. Really depends on the work itself, and I second the 'soundtrack' idea. A character might have a theme, or a specific scene might have a track.
For this desperate, tragic discovery and subsequent chase, I use "Come Alive", Foo Fighters.
My current work is a frotier fantasy, so a lot of bluegrass and western-tinged things.
I don't listen to music while I write. I can't say it would be distracting because I write with my girls in the background playing, screaming, singing and whatever sort of noise they can create. But I guess Disney songs would be accurate to what I listen to since that channel is on in the background:)If I were to listen to music it would probably be good country love songs. Something sweet and twangy!
Shell wrote: "Every book has a different soundtrack. I have a tendency to imagine a movie soundtrack for every book I write, so I listen to that, whatever it may be. It has included everything from speed metal t..."This is my approach too. I think of it as soundtracks for characters. There might be a few depending on POVs etc.
My music depends on the story or piece I'm writing, but I MUST have the right music. Finding my soundtrack is actually part of my writing process.
Writing a scene right now about a rodeo athlete on a space station who is trying to get out of a financial jam his unscrupulous agent and promoter got him into. I'm listening to a lot of Todd Snyder and Hank Williams Jr, a little Willy thrown in for heart.
Nope, can't listen to music while writing. It just disturbs and takes away the atmosphere and the images I see in my mind. I don't mind listening to music in between writing though, to get some inspiration. Right now, I'm listening a lot to Beatles, Postmodern Jukebox, and Bohren & der Club of Gore. :-)
Wow, just listened to some 'Two Steps from Hell' for the first time (thanks for the tip) and it's awesome! :-)
I don't usually listen to music when I'm actually writing a book, but for research or when writing blog posts, I love music!I prefer some sort of background music, no words. Soundtracks are great because they have stories built into the music. Right now, I'm especially enjoying the soundtracks from "Lincoln" "Return to Snowy River" and "BBC North and South."
I'm a musician and usually create a "soundtrack" for the stories I'm working on...a song or two I like to play and which sets the mood of a scene or "shows" a character. It's fun!
I'll listen to all things Hans Zimmerman and Clint Mansell
I need radio silence while writing. I might take a break and blast something with a serious beat! Clears my head!
I listen to country music really quietly because it reminds me of growing up in the country when I was a teen. My characters are teenagers growing up in the same type of environment I did so it really helps.
A.E. wrote: "Wow, just listened to some 'Two Steps from Hell' for the first time (thanks for the tip) and it's awesome! :-)"
Isn't it? No problem, I love sharing Two Steps from Hell. They are such a good composer-team. They should be more well known!
Isn't it? No problem, I love sharing Two Steps from Hell. They are such a good composer-team. They should be more well known!
Adrian van Zeigler is another composer with albums on YouTube - fantasy, horror, action, Celtic and all really good.
While writing Poetry, I listen to Reggae,Jazz or Symphony. Fiction, rain or nature sounds as background noise.
I like a website called grooveshark. I just set it to 'random' and veg out on anything from Bob Wills to Rage against the machine.
Mod
Yes! I just love their (along with Puddles) take on "Royals".
I have a whole playlist for every novel I start. Each character has a theme song, and each situation mood music. It's mostly hard rock because I have ADHD and the music helps drown out distractions and keep my mind from wandering.
For the writing itself, I prefer no music. But while I'm looking things up, or reading, or outlining, I might listen to classical and Baroque—partly because I like it and partly because there are often long periods between breaks.
Dwayne wrote: "A.E. wrote: "Postmodern Jukebox"Yes! I just love their (along with Puddles) take on "Royals"."
Oh, yes! That's an awesome version. :-)
I've put together albums for each of my books, storing them on my IPhone. It really helps me get into the right frame of mind. It's also great when you're chugging along and hear a song that's perfect for the album; I've discovered several new favourites this way.
I make Spotify playlists which work as 'soundtracks' for each of my books which I listen to while I'm writing the particular book to get me in the right headspace. I also make the playlist available to my readers in the lead-up to release so that they can get the feeling of the story as well.
WEll DANG-IT! Just launched Grooveshark and they have a message up that they are out of business as of the 30th of April. Looks like I listen to NO music while writing. Personally, I blame V.M. I'm sure it was his 90 playlists that pushed them over the edge.:)
Clare wrote: "I make Spotify playlists which work as 'soundtracks' for each of my books which I listen to while I'm writing the particular book to get me in the right headspace. I also make the playlist availabl..."That's an awesome idea, Clare.
I put something on my I-pod that puts me in the mood for the speed I need to write at. I'd love somebody to put an audio book together that can help the story come alive in the same was as a sound track can within a movie. The book I've just finished writing ends with a question about how the horse became called Counting Stars and I would love it if Counting Stars by One Republic would just come to life in the story at that point. Right the way through the tale I can hear that tune and if ever it makes it big or even bigger into a movie I'd make sure that song got played at some point in the film.
For me, it kind of depends on what I'm working on but I can get really distracted by song lyrics! I've been listening to a lot of K-pop lately, since I don't speak Korean it's a lot easier for me to zone out and still really enjoy it in the background ^.^ One of my favorite songs has been I love you by Akdong Musician
I love Kpop! T-ara is probably my fav.
I have a playlist for each book. But a few songs crossover:Bright lights and cityscapes by Sara Barreilles
Last Love Song by ZZ Ward
I will wait by 2Cellos
My love (piano solo) by the Captive Forest
And ....
Big Battle from the Despicable Me soundtrack
;)
When I get to big fight or dramatic scenes it's the Narnia soundtrack on repeat.
Winter Desiree
Though when I am writing one of my characters, who is egotistical and hilarious, I put on some Kanye West. It inspires my characterization.
Anyone else have some possibly weird music preferences when writing?