Songs for nano

For me it really depends on the story. Because my story is based on a kids show, I'm using music from 2002/2003 era. Or at least what makes me feel like I did at 2002/03.

it does depend on the setting but for me it's usually:

Gyroscope
Angels and Airwaves,
Vertical Horizon,
The Tea Party,
Placebo,
Panic! at the disco,
CKY and
Tool

I listen to a lot of "They Might Be Giants" - they have so much content (I've got 7 hour's worth on my computer) that you don't get any repeats for extended writing periods.

To slightly derail the topic - but perhaps we should do a CD swap such as what's being organised in the Soundtrack forum at the KOP. Telling people what you think is good writing music is nowhere near as effective as giving them a CD full of it.

I find that Fallen by Evanescence is good writing music, which is a shame, because it's not actually a terribly good album. Anything fast paced works well when doing sprints - power metal is generally a good genre there. For me that translates to older Nightwish stuff and perhaps a sprinkling of Children of Bodom.

My favourite songs ABOUT writing are "Open Book" and "Shadow Stabbing", both by Cake. I've included the (slightly edited) lyrics:

Shadow Stabbing
Adjectives on the typewriter
He moves his words like a prizefighter
The man on the street might just as well be
Outside, outside the walls
Out there you don't hear the echoes and calls

I'm so nervous, I'm so tense
My heart can't forget about its self defense
The air is so hot and my breath comes fast
I thumb the cool blade but I know this can't last

Open Book
Shes writing, shes writing,
Shes writing a novel.
Shes writing, shes weaving,
Conceiving a plot.
It quickens, it thickens.
You cant put it down now.
It takes you, it shakes you,
It makes you lose your thought.

You think shes an open book,
But you dont know which page to turn to, do you?
You think shes an open book,
But you dont know which page to turn to, do you?
Do you? do you?

They're both really great songs, you should look them up. If I get a chance, I'll burn a bunch of "writing music" CDs before the Kick-Off.

I'll bring a few mix CDs as well :) But they won't be listed so you don't know what you're getting yourselves into if you want one >:D

Because I'm evil like that *lol*

im totally into a cd swap, ill bring some and we can exchange:)

I'm afraid I'm no help - the musician in me and the writer in me clash if I try and write while listening to music. It must use the same part of my brain or something...I just can't have music going in the background. Anyone else that way??

I'll rip off some CDs for a swap!

For writing in general I tend to put on some nightwish usually. They have enough :P

But for NaNo it always depends on the story. Last year I had nightwish, enya, riverdance, flyleaf, within temptation and evanescence

this year though, the story is being set around a group of people in a reality TV show that are sent back to the great depression, and since i have no music from the 30s I thought I'd use some good old aussie rock, since theyll have a modern twist on the times obviously. Barnes, Midnight Old, Cold Chisel, Angels, maybe a little ACDC

I'm sure I'll be great procrastination, going through and making my playlist when I should be writing :P

I've recently become addicted to the Juno soundtrack, I'm listening to it and Tom Waits on loop as I write my last assignment for the year.

But you listen to Nightwish for anything, writing or not. :P

Hmmm. *Thinks about ripping a bunch of songs he's recorded onto CDs and handing them out to people.* >:D

ok, since my stupid characters have decided to hijack the story completely, I'm now looking at piraty song... the only piraty song I can think of is... (take a guess here doozerdan) - the islander by nightwish! so... suggestions anyone?

Gavin (PoxyReport) has a whole CD of pirate songs, I'll get him to make you a copy.

wow awsome, thank you!

I know all about being hijacked by characters who want to play pirates. I write on a collaborative fiction blog called The Astonishing Adventures of Captain Juan and never thought for a moment I would write pirate adventure fiction ... granted there's been some interesting off shoots including and injection of feminism, goddess worshop, Inquisition intrigue ... but I can sympathise with you.

And what songs do you find on a pirate CD? I'm sure my co-authors would be very interested in that.

You can find Captain Juan and his motley crew at www.captainjuan.com

Last year I listened to Mia Dyson, Cat Empire, Missy Higgins and every time they pop up its like a moment out of November last year. I love that. 'So Many Nights' was the pump up song as I hung out the whole of NaNo for the moment when my main character and the new love of her life met ... turns out it was the very last day of NaNo - cruel cruel cruel!

This year it seems to be heading back to some good solid 60s and 70s rock - The Who, Cream etc (just because apparently that's what my characters in 2030ish are listening to - go figure?) but I've been listening recently to Gabrielle Roth and the Mirrors (its new age/world music-ish) and also really into Snow Patrol.

My fav song about writing is (and please dont hold this against me) Sheryl Crow. The lyrics that grab me the most:

“I read your book
And I find it strange
The I know that girl and I know her world
A little too well
By giving my hand
That I would be written down, sliced around
Passed around among strangers hands….

…You carry a pen and a paper
And no time and no words you waste
You’re a voyeur
The worst kind of thief
To take down what happened to us
To write down everything then went on
Between you and me”

"The Book"
Sheryl Crow

I always feel a little bad when I fictionalise or reweave something from my life into my story. I wonder if some day someone will pick up a book or a story that I have written, read and feel this way. Anyone else feel like that?

"The Goddesses used to perform miracles, now they write books and allow us to perform our own miracles" - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Co-author Reclaim Sex After Birth
www.reclaimsexafterbirth.com
Co-author The Astonishing Adventures of Captain Juan

I find that Nightwish is a definate for me... but I also love beyond all control anything by A Perfect Circle.

This thread certainly does nothing to dispel a theory an American friend of mine has that states all Aussies are metalheads...

I'll be listening to:

Emilie Autumn
Kamelot
Sonata Arctica
Dream Theater
Finmix 2004
Basshunter

If I get sick of them, I have a list of rock and pop singles that I'll run through...however, the chances of me getting sick of Emilie Autumn are pretty slim...

Music doesn't affect my writing style, I tune out mostly anyway...

Emilie Autumn is awesome!

I forgot to mention Something Corporate... They are brilliant.

I'll definitely be listening to Live - particuarly The Distance to Here, I think. I'll also have a fair bit of Oingo Boingo in my NaNo playlist....

Skin

This is someone else's story
Someone that I never knew
This is someone else's body
Am I getting through to you?

If you peel away the armour
is something underneath
if you look enough for hidden treasure
Underneath another lid
Are you hiding underneath the skin?

If you peel away the skin is there anybody there?
If you peel away the armour is it too late to begin?
Is there any body hiding if you peel away the skin?

Now a spark has passed between us now
A momentary recognition
Something lost and something gained
and something shared that feels strange
Something cold that will not go away

Aikanaro, I agree. Fallen is a great album to write to. It's the only album that I've finished NaNo to, but it gave me some disturbing plot ideas.

However, I quite like to write to the Complete Work - Jekyll & Hyde, The Phantom of the Opera OCR (mainly for the overture, which I usually end up wildly conducting at my desk, shamefully!).

But it really depends on the story. If I'm writing Hyde dialogue (I've written Jekyll & Hyde before, in a musical form), I quite like 'Alive'. For Jekyll, I LOVE 'The World Has Gone Insane'... preferrably around November 25th!

I also enjoy Matchbox Twenty's albums if I'm writing a more modern piece, particularly their latest one if I'm writing politically. Usually I stick to either Yourself or Someone Like You or Mad Season, because the musical styles are very different to each other and have great content. I based last year's NaNo off some of the songs (I still have the document and plan to finish it... sometime! XD).

Well, my NaNo is heavily celtic-inspired, in terms of the mythology and the mood, so I'm listening to a lot of KiLA, and other music without words; I love my Secret of Roan Inish sountrack, and my The Little Princess soundtrack. Oh, and the Battlestar Galactica Season 3 soundtrack is brilliant. Other than that, I mainline Rufus Wainwright (♥ ♥ ♥), Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Pete Yorn, Paul Simon and the like; the Weakerthans (♥), Bright Eyes, the Decemberists, Regina Spektor, Keane, Guster, Coldplay, and so on. Usually I listen to some slightly more, er, cheery music, but those people all figure prominently on my Nano playlist, so.

Usually I listen to a lot of musicals (a LOT--my top 5 are Les Miserables, Chess, Jesus Christ Superstar, Avenue Q, and Cabaret, but I have about thirty cast recordings), but I find them quite distracting when I'm writing fiction, because I get caught up in their story and forget my story. ;) Wonderful for academic writing, though.

I'm keen to do the CD swap thing; I'll make a few and bring them along to the first write-in. Perhaps I'll make them themed, ahaha. Also, if anyone wants to req anything off me, let me know! I love sharing music.

Y'know, I've gotta go with the basics.
It's the 10th Year of Nano, so why not "Song for 10" from Dr Who? The David Tennant introduction song?
Also, I love soundtracks, so instrumental music is the only way for me, with the odd rock song to gyrate round the house to.
Pesky words interfering in my creativity...

-James (Guitar Nero Guy from KoP)

I had written 2000 words of my first NaNo novel idea, but scrapped it after a new plot idea came to my head upon listening to the song 'It's True Love' by Forgive Durden. The song doesn't exactly relate to the novel, but it inspired the ideas, and for that I am very thankful.

ohhhhh I am so out of date with music

I had a baby just over a year ago and now all I know is "Hot Potatoes" by the wiggles, various from Teletubbies, The greatest hits of Playschool just to name a few.

I have no idea what is even playing on the radio.

When I'm writing I usually have the tele on in the background but must admit that I do get easily distracted if Oprah comes on or the midday movie is starting to look good.

Alrighty then, hope all is going well for you all

sending you all good writing vibes

Cheeky

I've found a favourite in "Vies Geveurluk" by Parkside, gets me going. Although I find music with driving beats is getting me motivated to do anything in terms of writing.
A bit of The Butterfliy Effect, Dead Letter Circus, Parkside as I mentioned, Metallica, Bad Religion, Audioslave and a few others I can't think of at the moment.

Well, I find I'm writing best when listening to Systematic Chaos by Dream Theater. Pumped out nearly 4,000 words last night.

I have difficulty writing if listening to anything with lyrics -- as I soon discovered last Saturday -- but fortunately my collection of movie scores came to the rescue. Most of my writing so far has been to the accompaniment of the scores of the four Rambo movies.

However, music is having an impact of a different kind on my novel. My chapter titles are drawn straight from the song titles on the Guns 'n Roses Greatest Hits album. In order. I've written "Welcome to the Jungle" and almost finished with "Sweet Child o' Mine"; next up is "Patience" -- which may be a little difficult to make work at this point in the novel; possibly I should think about changing the order... :-)