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What music (if any) do you listen to when writing?
message 51:
by
Lori
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May 12, 2015 08:00PM
I have Direct TV and put it on the Zen or New Age music channels because they are just instrumental with no words to distract.
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I typically listen to Lord Huron or Sarah MacLachlan when I write, but I do historical fiction, so I'll do some period music as well to get myself in the zone. When I wrote my chapter on the battle of Bunker Hill I had fifes and drums playing "The British Grenadiers" and it was magical.
The other day I was listening to the karaoke version of "Stairway To Heaven" just so I could hear the music without the singer. While listening to it, everything I wrote sounded epic, even if I just copied the phone book.
Just discovered Halestorm a few days ago while searching for a new 'action scene' soundtrack. Rad, hard covers of sweet songs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WK2si... was the song that ended up getting me through a particularly mean gun-fight on a train. Bless them Pennsylvanian rockers.
That reminds me. I need to put on Thin Lizzy's "Opium Trail.":)
Goth, metal, 80s etc to write to. From U2 to Metallica to Annie van Giersbergen. Uptempo tunes don't distract me at all. can inspire me and make me more happy to be writing.
Mod
U2 works for me, too, for almost any kind of story.
Mod
Which was pure genius. You can't hear that song anymore without thinking of that scene, I'll bet. I know I can't. And it makes me want to see the movie again.
While I was writing plays a number of years back, I listened to a lot of Hans Zimmer scores. I can't write when someone is singing. It has to be instrumental only.
Dwayne wrote: "Nick wrote: "Goth, metal, 80s etc to write to. From U2 to Metallica to Annie van Giersbergen. Uptempo tunes don't distract me at all. can inspire me and make me more happy to be writing."U2 works..."
Yes U2 are good, i like their early albums just now for the more basic sound to write to.
Mod
Bowie.
Lots and lots of Bowie.
And it's all flowing well again.
I love Vortex by John Carpenter (Lost Themes) for a spooky feel. I have so many on my iPod that I relate to my book Black 21, like Bring Me To Life, Dangerous, Dark Horse, E.T., The Hanging Tree, Like A Prayer, but if I just want instrumental, I go with Vortex, especially for my hayride scene. Now onto other songs for my new story!Nancy
Depending on the project, I compile a playlist with music that relates to the story. When I wrote Tallis' Third Tune and Scarborough I made lists out of the music referred to in the stories. I have no idea what the music sounded like in 1066, so I'm using the music of the Crusades.
I have an instrumental playlist, a metal playlist, and a playlist that's little more than a bodge-podge of random songs. Which one I listen to depends on my mood, but I always have one of them playing while writing. I cannot write in absolute silence, and having a playlist on in the background is ideal for me.
Add me to the silence list.Music has too strong a pull on me even playing softly in the background. My favorite is any classic 1970's stuff (what I grew up with) mixed in with some easy listening, rock and roll, and Damn, I just got dumped again songs.
As I'm writing, I'm trying to play the dialogue in my mind to ensure that it is believable (real people) talk. Also struggling to "listen" to the narration to keep it tight and moving.
If I had my favorite music on, I'd be hoppin' and boppin' to the tunes and not getting much writing done.
I have a mixed playlist that consists mainly of soft/indie rock with hints of a few random other songs that I love. I have not yet found which genre or artist inspires me.
This playlist is my writing music. It really gets my mind going.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
Paige wrote: "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 t..."I'm pretty much the same, I definitely can't listen to anything with comprehensible vocals. It's usually either classical, or modern instrumental, if any music at all.
Here's some "newer" music others may want to check out, if they're in the same boat:
Sunless Sea - Soundtrack
The Last of Us - Soundtrack
This War of Mine - Soundtrack
Anything by the artists, Amadou and Mariam
Anything by Arvo Part
Years ago I moved into the wooded mountains of North Carolina for the soul purpose of losing my self in Nature and writing. (That spelling of soul, and the separation of myself into two words was intentional)I intentionally have no internet access at my cabin, no tv, no radio, and do not play cd's. The music I listen to is the stirring of trees, the sigh of breezes, and occasionally the songs of the stars.
Hi guys hope someone can help. I think I'm close to getting a deal for my book Counting Stars from a publisher however and its a big however they have got back to me after getting to the end of the story, which is a god sign, to say they have an issue with the use of some lyrics from a song by One Republic. They either want me to agree to take the hit of any lawsuits over copyright issues, get written permission from Ryan Tedder or change the ending. I've messaged Ryan Tedder on Facebook, I know possibly no hope of a reply, don't want to risk being taken to court so what else can I do? The two or three lines make everything come together at the end of the story, any ideas?
Mod
First, you might get better responses if you ask this in the "Author Help" section instead of in this thread.
Second, that's a great song.
Those things aside, I get where you're coming from. I wish I could have used lyrics from various songs in The Asphalt Carpet and Very White Jesus - as well as most everything I write.
But, you do need to understand that no matter how great a song is or how well the lyrics fit your story, they do belong to someone else and if you want to use them, you do need to do it properly. You're going to have to get permission from whoever owns the right to the lyrics. You might get better results by sending a letter directly to the publishing company instead of messaging on facebook. Doing so will tell them that you are professional and you are serious. Besides, you're going to want written permission. Why not give them the same courtesy of approaching them through the mail instead of social media?
And from what I've come to understand, it could take a long while to get a response, if you get one. And it could cost you in royalties.
Now, if you're making a thousand times more than I am from your writing, you still probably can't afford a lawsuit. I'm not sure what the royalties would be, but I'm guessing they will want a good chunk of change.
So, it might be in your best interest to move on without the lyrics. There must be another way you can tie your story together instead of relying on a song written by someone else. Maybe write your own song?
Steve wrote: "Hi guys hope someone can help. I think I'm close to getting a deal for my book Counting Stars from a publisher however and its a big however they have got back to me after getting to the end of the..."I know there's a thread on this very topic somewhere here. It had some useful links. The basic answer (as I recall) was that if you don't have permission for lyrics, you can't use them in fiction. (Non-fiction is a different story.)
I love listening to the soundtrack from Titantic and pretty much anything by Sarah McLachlan.
Any and all classical music, unless I'm trying to get in a whimsical, stream of consciousness, extra weird state of mind; then I turn to Tim Burton soundtracks.
Any and everything by Sam Smith! It's like his melodic voice unlocks the door to my soul and the words just pour right out! :)
Depends on the book. Each one has their own genre soundtrack. For example, an action adventure police procedural has disco, the teen urban fantasy has bubblegum pop (despite it being dark af), a dark paranormal fantasy had industrial and a science fiction Mecha military has techno and electronica. While im editing I listen to the jacksons (j5, Mj, Janet, jermaine and latoya) since I wont be distracted with thinking hard .I listen to a wide variety of music except Christian country and classical....
Been switching back and forth between The Pretty Reckless and Jim Croce. Depending on what I'm trying to do in a chapter, the music is really important to me to set the right mood.
The Rolling Stones. Always, the Rolling Stones. They have so many songs in their repertoire I'm never hearing the same thing over and over and it always seems as though the right song comes on to inspire me. Yes, I'm a huge fan.
Sarah wrote: "Usually I pick something thematic, such as Two Steps from Hell. Great to write fight scenes to. Right now I have been trying out Nujabes and it is pretty relaxing...Though when I am writing one o..."
I can only write if it is instrumental music (techno, classical, funky jazz...) Any words by some singer just mess up the words I already have dancing around in my head.
I absolutely write to music. I have a number of playlists I use, depending on the mood of what I'm writing. I match the music to the scene I'm writing. The music really puts me in the right frame of mind... I find it very helpful.I use everything from pop to hip hop to blues to classical to movie sound tracks...
April
I quite often have a film or some TV show on the background as I write. More often than not it's a period drama or if I'm being honest something like The Addams Family. Usually it's more about having background noise than anything else. If it is music its a mad mix of 80s power ballads and sad folk/indie stuff. Ray LaMontagne played next to Bonnie Tyler :) if it's too quiet I can't seem to get the words out of my head onto the page :)
Sarah wrote: "Right now, I'm especially enjoying the soundtracks from "Lincoln" "Return to Snowy River" and "BBC North and South."completely random but I adore the BBC adaptation of North and South including the soundtrack. I just listen to it to relax :)
I usually can't listen to anything with lyrics so I usually go for movie or TV soundtracks. Recently I put together some of my favorite pieces to write by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6SnV...
Baroque music, especially Vivaldi. Baroque music has been shown to stimulate creativity.Blessings,
Dr. MaryAnn Diorio
I listen to some lyrical jazz by Miles Davis and various piano trios. Keeping the volume down.
Wide variety - even an ocean wave track. Currently Constance Demby, "Aeterna" CD
If you have Amazon Prime and like classical music, they have a great station called Classical Focus. I've been listening to it all day.
Mod
Bowie.
Lots and lots of Bowie..."
Ha ha. Not anymore. For the third Happy Clown Burger book, I've taken to listening to... a very odd mix of music with stuff like Duane Eddy, Al Hirt, Lawrence Welk, Quincy Jones and Ray Conniff. I imagine this stuff playing in the background if Happy Clown Burger were ever made into a TV show or movie.
Depends on the story that I am writing - anything from ABBA to Zen Meditation pure tones - it seems to help to write to music, then I always did my homework to music.This is a nice hour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAs74...
Alp
On my first attempt to write a novel I listened to Rachmaninoff's Piano concerto #2 on repeat. It didn't go so well.The novel that I just finished I listened to Led Zeppelin while writing certain parts but because Led Zeppelin songs are sprinkled throughout the book. Otherwise, I enjoy the sweet sound of silence.
Mod
One is quite whimsical with a ton of references to Alice In Wonderland.
The other is one of the most serious pieces I've ever done.
Neither came out anything like King Lear, oddly enough.
You really should check out Explosions in the Sky's album called The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place. Its an amazing album to right to. Really every single one of their albums is amazing start to finish and perfect for writing. If you don't like the album I suggested check out another one. You'll get a different writing tone to each of them!
Mod
(I'm odd like that)
However, with my short stories I have started to write while listening to the soundtracks of the games I am parodying. The music has influenced the stories more than I thought.
I think I will keep doing it.
Generally when re-writing I don't listen to music as I need to focus on what I'm doing. However when I am creating a story I do listen to music. If I am writing a fantasy adventure I will listen to music of that nature. though I won't listen to anything to iconic. For instance I would never listen to star wars music if I was writing sic-fi fantasy because I would only be able to think of Star Wars. I use music to get in the mood of what I need to write wether it's a fight scene, humorous, emotional, secretive and on and on.
Mod
Total opposite here. Music helps me focus. It's almost as much a must as having fingers.
My iTunes goes on random but I have to start every writing session with Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen. Gets those creative juices flowing.
I've only just started listening to music while writing. I found I couldn't have background music on at all or it would distract me. Couple of months ago I discovered that if I wear headphones it's a different experience altogether. Headphones wrap me in a mental bubble which blots out whatever else is going on in the house, and the music interacts differently with my mind, helps me focus, not distracting at all. I go for music that is upbeat, loud, and not too demanding. Currently Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, and Mumford & Sons.
Mod
Since I do roughly half my writing in public, headphones are a must. And that's part why I like to have the music. Sometimes the coffee shops can get loud. The library used to be loud, but they've made some changes and it's not quite as bad. Still, headphones and music help drown out the little noise there is.
I listened to a little Mumford & Sons today.
