One of the best tools writers have is music, for many reasons. One of them is something to listen to while we write – squashing intrusive background noises. And, more particularly, to put us into the right zone.
That, to me, is one of the strengths of ‘music to write to’. It can help create the right emotional space – perhaps the same emotional space as I’m trying to evoke in readers. For me, it shouldn’t intrude to the point of killing the words and ideas. Usually I’ll pick instrumental music, often chamber music, which is able to set a mood without being too intrusive. That, in fact, is exactly what it was written for (Mozart wrote muzak…get over it…)
There is an exception. If I’m looking to write high fantasy I’ll select Epica or Nightwish (the pre-2005 stuff) at planet-crushing volume (several notches up from “11”).
Do you find music helps you write? Does it set your mood? What music works best for you – and when? And does anything with spoken word kill the words you have in your mind? Do share!
Copyright © Matthew Wright 2013
I love music. I think that’s why I find it difficult to listen to it and write at the same time. I get too immersed. Instrumental music can work from time to time, but definitely no lyrics. Yikes! I’d start singing along… bad news for any hard-core writing.
Absolutely. I have the same problem. I cannot actually sing…but it doesn’t stop me trying, much to the horror of my wife…and the neighbours…
I like to use music to set the mood. If I have to write a scene, let’s say a breakup scene between a couple, I will listen to sad love songs until I’m just about ready to slash my own wrists. Then I’ll sit down and write the scene. By doing that I am trying to feel the pain the characters are feeling, and I hope that translates onto the page.
For a violent scene I might listen to rock music, or anything with an energetic beat.
Sounds excellent! It’s amazing how much we’re affected, as writers, by what surrounds us – sounds, colours, environment. And great to be able to harness that to the strength of writing. Good stuff.
Typically, I don’t listen to music when I write. However, when I do it’s something like soundtracks to “Conan the Barbarian” or “LOTR”. I can’t work with someone else’s words bouncing through my head. Too easily distracted. Also, Wagner is good for action scenes. images of the Valkrye riding above the battleground gets me going.
I’ve got ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ going through my head now! Wagner’s material has phenomenal emotive power – and is the 19th century equivalent of metal. The genre’s filled today, I think, by various European bands doing ‘symphonic metal’ – not just the sound but also the ideas in their songs. Most of the ones I know of are Dutch, partly because my relatives there keep pointing me at music I might like. (Coincidentally, they live in the same little village as about half the members of one of these bands).
What I’ve always thought kind of weird is the way this musical genre so closely relates to modern fantasy writing – especially Tolkien, whose own legendarium was, effectively, the English expression of the same legends that had got Wagner going with his Ring cycle. I guess it’s to do with the common emotion all these things invoke, coupled with epic scale.
Yes, I agree with you Matthew that spoken words do interrupt my thoughts but background music is nice. However, a radio or TV is on a lot while I am writing at home. I am learning to block most of the sounds out when I get into my zone.
It’s good you can block them out – other peoples’ words definitely interrupt. I try, every so often, but it’s too hard for me to maintain the ‘block’. Sometimes I’ll grab the headphones and listen to instrumental music, just to stop the ambient voices outside my writing office from intruding.
I never used to be able to write with music playing in the background. I’d end up singing along instead of paying attention to writing. Until I realized that I could write to Good Charlotte and Green Day without getting distracted – which is strange because I love both the albums I own. This was a recent discovery for me and I’ve since moved on to Lindsey Sterling (more about her coming to my blog next week) and the Pirates soundtracks. Looking to add some more soundtracks soon. I’ve been eyeing the Jurassic Park one in particular. Classic!
Cool – look forward to your post next week. The ’soundtrack advantage’ is true for me too. I suspect it’s because these things are written as mood pieces to complement the visual side of a movie, and as isolated audio do the same for a writer in other contexts…but this experience may well be different for everybody. Any thoughts?
That makes perfect sense to me!
Yes! Oh, Matthew I thought we were kindred spirits before but now I KNOW it. I don’t mind noise in the background. Jackhammers and busy coffee shops don’t bother me. Instrumental music can be very useful to block out people talking. But I cannot have any kind of words in my ears when I’m trying to listen to the words in my head. The only exception is some songs that I know so well that my brain doesn’t need to engage with the words. In my copywriting days I went through a period where I had the Fiddler of the Roof soundtrack on endless repeat. I don’t know why, except that it’s all about making the best of things and surviving, which isn’t a bad metaphor for copywriting sometimes!
Yes! Noise is OK – voices not. Totally true. Have to say – I can’t help thinking, given the hard realities of what writing actually earns, Tevye’s lament about being rich is true for writers as well.
Same here for me: no lyrics I know, just music, and my preference is classical. The only lyric exception is opera for while I can write through aria after aria, sometimes, a Puccini opera will pull me into the story so can’t always listen to Puccini when I am writing. Am quite fortunate to have a classical musical radio station broadcasting 24/7 so no matter when I write, there is music.
Karen
A 24/7 classical station sounds brilliant – we don’t really have one in NZ, largely due to government cut-backs. The commercial sector hasn’t filled the gap (and won’t).
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