Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about music. Namely, the affect it has on my writing. That tune that plays while you write is essential, as I’m sure many of you know. It can set the mood for a particular scene or story, or it can provide inspiration when ideas are running low. I’ve had whole short stories and, once or twice, whole scene or novel ideas spring from lyrics in a single song. I’m sure people can relate.
What music gets your muse working? What kinds of tunes send you into the writing mood? Answers are as varied as genres in literature. Some people will tell you that they can’t stand music while writing – only silence will work for them. Personally, I find it difficult to write without something playing. I never actually pay much attention to the lyrics or whatnot, but it creates a nice kind of background noise that I can’t do without.
Some people prefer classical, some jazz, some rap. Confession time – I listen to dance and techno while writing. Something about the fast pace really gets my author aura flowing. I find that the beats in such songs form a nice rhythm to type to and keep me going strong when otherwise I would probably grow lethargic. In the past I’ve also found that symphonic metal (preferably without screaming, which I can’t stand) works very well for epic battle scenes.
Then there are those tracks that just seem to have been born specifically for you and your characters. We all know that movies have soundtracks, but I believe that most books have soundtracks as well, even if most people never get to listen to them. You know the ones – when a song will come up and you freeze, because you know the artist is singing about your character or book. I love it when that happens. Here are a few of mine:
The song for the first two characters I ever had fall in love, who are still one of my favorite couples (Natalie and Jaden):Everytime We Touch - Cascada
The song for another couple in a newer story, who probably are my favorite by now (Alice and Cael): Not Strong Enough - Apocalyptica
The song for the last battle scene in the last book of a trilogy I did (same main character as the first love song above): Moondance - Nightwish
Those are just a few. One of my goals is that if I ever get a book published, I want to come up with a full soundtrack for it and have it somewhere people can find it – a website or something, I suppose.
Also, here’s a helpful link, since I said I’d be putting them up. Pandora Radio – free, easy to use, and my best friend for having writing music playing in the background: Pandora Radio
What kinds of music do you like to listen to while writing?
