Do you listen to music while you write? I tend to listen to music most of the time while I write. Most of my main characters even have their own theme songs. I find it helps to the set the mood for certain scenes in my books. Some days I prefer silence, or if I can I listen to the rain outside. There is something about the sound of rain that I find amazingly relaxing and inspiring. But mostly I love searching for the right songs for the scenes that I’m writing, songs that help spark my imagination and help me dream up the scenes perfectly. Do you listen to music while you write? What do you listen to?
My favourite music to listen to while writing:
E.S. Posthumus
Sonata Arctica
Nightwish
Poets of the Fall
Charon
Enya
Entwine
Shamrain
Ah, Enya. She’s great for inspiration. Soothing music that sets your mind at ease and lets the words fly out from under your fingertips.
I tend to listen to quite a variety of music when I write. Gorillaz, Pink Floyd, Muse, Bach, Salsa, 80s songs. Just anything that I’m familiar with and can hum to as I write.
However, sometimes, as you mentioned, certain songs are best suited for certain scenes. Whenever I have conflict going on between two characters, I like to play the “duel” music from A Fistful of Dollars. It really captures the tension between two rivals.
As for rain, it is the absolutely perfect weather to write under. It’s like nature’s lullaby, a natural muse if you will.
Thanks for sharing.
Muse is another great band! Listening to them right now, in fact. Any music that helps my inspiration and helps me write is awesome. Thanks for commenting!
Everything from Miles Davis to The Ramones to Otis Redding to… and lots of electronica. Groove Salad on Soma.fm. Good trance-y stuff for the left brain.
I haven’t listened to a whole lot of electronica before. I should definitely give it a try!
http://somafm.com/groovesalad/
Thank you!
I love to listen to music while I read. And of course, nothing beats the sound of rain in the background.
There is something so soothing about the sound of rain. I love it.
Yes, the sound of rain is the best background music. Somedays I’ll write at an open window so I can hear the breeze through the poplars, the cardinals in the holly or the neighbor’s dog barking across the creek.
Depends on what I’m writing as to what I listen to. Matchbox 20 and Rob Thomas have a big part in the inspiration for the third book in my current series.
Exactly! You have to match what you’re listening to to what you’re writing. Really helps with the inspiration.
I love instrumental Celtic music. For some reason listening to music helps me focus as I write. My favorite album is done by David Davidson called Celtic Fantasy. It is very deep, kind of haunting music. (In Itunes store, by the way)
I had also decided a long time ago that when I build my house, I am going to put on a metal roof for the express purpose of listening to the rain.
I am definitely going to look David Davidson up. I love Celtic music, too. That is an excellent idea! I once lived in a house with a metal roof and I slept in the loft. The sound of the rain was amazing!
I’ve been listening to a lot of 90′s geek rock and alternative. Happy beats, hard core sound, just what I want!
Music from Radiohead to Ottmar Liebert to Cowboy Junkies used to be inspiring background music. But I’ve noticed more and more I write without the use of background music.
Gotta love Radiohead! Yeah, I don’t write with music all the time. It depends on the mood.
I’m with CJ. Growing up, I listened to music all the time while doing homework and doing my own writing, but these days, I find writing harder to do with background music, especially with freelance ad writing. I think it’s from becoming an old fart. LOL
Haha! Sometimes it can be really distracting to have music playing while writing.