Music to Write By

I tend to go for instrumental music of almost any kind. It depends on the book, though. For this year, I suspect I'm going to be listening to a lot of cello music. I actually prefer to write in silence, which I can do at home, but in coffee shops I need something that pretty much acts as white noise to drown out the conversation around me. ;) Spoken (or sung) words are far too distracting for me to write around.

Shouldn't you be writing? ;-)
Good luck.

Tara ~ Co-ML, Indianapolis

Mostly Disturbed for my story, probably a little Evanescence for my sad scenes... Hey Soul Sister for the bardic moments. Fantastic.

I have a writing playlist which runs the gamut -- classical, modern, movie themes, choral, rap, rock ... you name it, it's probably on there. You haven't truly written until you're writing a scene listening to Barber's Adagio for Strings only to have it change to Weird Al Yankovic's White and Nerdy. But like Tara, for the most part, it's white noise to block everything else out -- give me something where I don't know the lyrics inside and out, however, and I'll tune in to the music instead of the writing.

i also gravitate toward instrumental pieces. i listen to monk a lot, as well as godspeed! you black emperor. once i really get going, i tend to zone out just about anything, so i suppose it doesn't matter too much. those just seem to be the default choices.

Dance music!

Terridactile

2008 - St. Joseph's Table

I listen to CD101, an independent station based out of Columbus, Ohio, because that's where my novel takes place, and both of my characters are products of and part of a regional phenomenon called 'The CD101 Generation.'

www.cd101.com

My NaNos have mostly been written to a mix of Robert Johnson, The Pogues, They Might Be Giants, ZZ Top, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. High energy and moody type music to keep the words going and to remind me to keep the plot moving forward at a road-trip pace.

This year I've added Flogging Molly, The Reverend Horton Heat and Mojo Nixon to the mix.

I play it when I work at my basement bar, with noise-canceling headphones on, so I can't hear the TV upstairs. Ditto for when I work in public, at Starbucks or the Broad Ripple Brewpub. Writing around people can really help fuel my creativity, but noise is what distracts me the most, so familiar music helps with that.

Chris

--
NaNo 2007 - Four 'til Late - Winner!
NaNo 2008 - Sinking Down - Winner!
NaNo 2009 - Me and the Devil - In Progress!

I am also pretty much unable to focus on my own words if there are other words coming into my head, so I stick to instrumental stuff. That doesn't have to mean elevator music, though. I've been messing around with a jazz playlist, and have found that Miles Davis keeps my brain in sort of a groove where I'm open to new ideas that pop up.

That said, my super-secret trick to starting up or coming back from a break is "Guitar" by Cake. The way the lyrics of that song build a scene in my head really gets my creative juices flowing. It also has the added bonus of being about creative angst, and if you replace the word "guitar" with "typewriter" or "laptop" or "notebook" or whatever your method of choice for recording your story, it helps you move past any frustration you might have about your creation.

I listen to mostly Evanescence, Within Temptation, Three Days Grace, Disturbed, and some final fantasy soundtrack music. Anything that fits the current mood of the story, or helps pull me out of writers block.

Make your

Usually classical (Bach, mostly) with background ocean noises. I hit a bad point in my story (the *entire* last chapter) and found my self listening to Mad World, sang by Gary Jules, over and over and over again. I'm trying to lighten the mood of my story again (and calm my nerves) by listening to Enya's Angeles. And since my story has some angels in it, I felt that maybe the song would allow me to smile and not scare myself to death with the words my characters are having me type. Don't get me wrong, I love my characters (well, most of them), but what goes through their little mischievous minds sometimes scares the crap out of me. That's why I try to listen to peaceful songs. Gotta try and mellow out their crazy thought processes somehow.

Now that I've officially rambled, it's time to get back to work. :D

Have a marvelous day and write on!
-Heather

"The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

~*~

First year NaNo participant.

2009 - Tears from an Angel : Trying to catch-up and get back on schedule :o)

I listen to a lot of alternative rock (Falling Up) and electronica (Owl City). The words don't make a ton of sense, but that's what gets me going. It's always amused me how I could listen to music that the lyrics are nonsense and create a story that makes sense. Of course, it takes someone else to judge the sense of the story, though, and I haven't let anyone read mine. ;)
I also listen to punk/pop rock, an entirely different style of pop/rock (with some punk, rap, R&B and metal in there), and guitar rock. I don't know, those might all sound the same on paper, but they definitely don't to your ears. :P

"...choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward." Hbr 11:25-26

I usually write to movie scores. Lately it's been Lord of the Rings, particularly one piece called "The Bridge of Khazad-Dum." I dunno, I just write up a storm with that piece. Songs with lyrics distract me; I'm too easily distracted. *sigh*

"After all, this is my destiny... and no man can escape his destiny." -Martin Septim, "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion"

2009 - Diary of an Amnesiac (In-progress)

Having been on a Post Punk kick for a while now, it is starting to show up in my writing as one character enjoys quoting cryptic song lyrics to catch people off guard and trying to sound mysterious. So far I have listened to (and she has used):
The Talking Heads, The Smiths, The Clash, Bob Dylan (not post punk, I realize this), and The Pixies.