What Music Do You Listen to While Writing?

CeDany

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Hello, sorry to bother, I know of people who listen to music while writing their books, novels, poems and short-stories.

The most recent and popular author who said this was Stephenie Meyers with her Twilight Saga.

I'll get started and you carry on below is that fine?

I listen to ELO playlists, Halloween Compilation on-line and sometimes I have either my MP3 with everything-but-the-kitchen-sink on it or drop a CD in my PC or finally a good DVD but not watching just listening.

But ELO's a favourite!

CeDany
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Undercover

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I like alternative rock in the background sometimes, mainly when I'm researching and surfing everything and anything about writing on the net. But when it comes to my novels, reading, revising, or just plain writing, total silence but the wind from an open window and the outside sounds.
 

Justin SR

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I like to throw my custom Pandora station on. It started out as Blues Traveler radio, but I've liked and disliked so much stuff that I get a really weird mix. Otherwise if it's a weekday I'll sometimes watch Sprotscenter with breakfast and just let the same episode play all day for background noise.
 

Leedwashere

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I have a small playlist on Grooveshark that helps keep me in the right frame of mind for my WIP. It's pretty cheesy, including The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (a version featuring Yo-Yo Ma on the cello), Short Change Hero (by the Heavy), Prelude to War (from the reimagined Battlestar Galactica soundtrack), Suicide Mission (from Mass Effect 2), and Facade (From Jeckyll & Hyde) among others.

Anything that doesn't fit the narrow mold of songs which set the mental tone will only distract me, so I listen to these songs endlessly
 

kevinwaynewilliams

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Generally Spanish music, despite my Spanish being generally weak. I find it doesn't interfere with making word choices while writing in English. English language music does.
 

ZachJPayne

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Generally Spanish music, despite my Spanish being generally weak. I find it doesn't interfere with making word choices while writing in English. English language music does.

I've been having this problem myself, though since I have a basic understanding of most Romance languages, I've relegated myself to instrumental and orchestral pieces. Heh.

I miss Steph Meyer's playlists. Those were pretty cool.
 

vagough

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Most of the time, I don't have any music on. I get up early in the morning (4:30 or 5:00 or so) to write before Mr. vagough is up, so it's nice and quiet. And in the evening, he likes to read, so that's also a good writing time. (I set my laptop up in the dining room, so the living room and kitchen are pretty close by.)

But if Mr. vagough is up and listening to a recorded book or podcast on his iPad, then I'll pull out the ol' earbuds and start listening to classical music to blot out the voices. Some of my favorites are Bach's double violin concerti, Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, and Beethoven.
 
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CeDany

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Hubby's favourite in Twilight Saga

Super Massive Blackhole by Muse.

That's our favourite from the TS.

Interesting to see all of your varied choices.

Since the best time for me to write is in the night - I have trouble sleeping since my mind (& imagination) is most active at this time. Instead of fighting with my pillow, I put the buds in and type away.

I have trouble with violence so a dream the previous night (yes I end up sleeping around dawn LOL!) came and through years of practice, I recalled the whole scene upon waking, jotted down the particulars and today I'm laying it all down while watching (something kind of violent I guess - action) the four MI with TC - it's just flowing.

Typing here, playing my online game and chapter after chapter into my favourite document program.

That tune helps calling to battle...

CeDany
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Lisagh

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Mariana's Trench, Marilyn Manson, Eminem, lots of wind and snow storm sound tracks, and anything 80's.

I will listen to almost anything.
 

Chris_tine

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I am working on a sort of soundtrack to go with my novel, maybe not a song for each chapter but a list long enough to be listened while reading. It has a bit of everything as I normally like to listen to the radio, not so much for the latest top 40 hits but because of the mix of genres.

I do try to listen to songs that help me to get into the mood of the scene that I might be working on. And although I am Spaniard, I normally do not listen to Spanish music at all. I find the lyrics many times too cheesy. :p
 

Helix

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If I'm writing something set in Australia, it's Cold Chisel and other local bands of the 80s. At the moment, I'm working on something a little fantastical, so it's early Peter Gabriel (but post-Genesis).
 

Superbacon

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I've never listened to ELO while writing, but back in my World of Warcraft days there wasn't a minute that went by when I didn't have either ELO or Tom Petty crooning into my ear.

When it comes to writing, these days I tend not to listen to music.
When I was writing my first draft of my current project, I was listening to a bunch of classical stuff though. It's a fantasy novel, so I'd have regular classical compositions and some film soundtracks; the Dragonheart theme (which is beautiful it its own right) and the Lord of the Rings soundtracks.

I'm not sure of the effect these things have on the writing though. The LOTR soundtracks in particular are, for me, huge signifiers of all things to do with that particular story, and I think there are times, especially early on when you're trying to both find your own voice and the voice/tone/style of the project, that you don't want to be reminded every few minutes of a particular scene from another story.

But that's just me!
 

Birol

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That's a good question right now.
It depends on what I'm writing and my mood. Right now, I'm listening to a recording of Tibetan Singing Bowls but the range runs the gambit from Country story songs to, well, Tibetan singing bowls, and hits pretty much everything in between. Sometimes, I listen to silence.
 
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Rufus Coppertop

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I usually write in silence but if I do have music, it's pretty much always baroque organ or harpsichord.
 

RookieWriter

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I don't listen to any when I'm writing because I find it distracting. Before I start writing though sometimes I listen to hard rock as a way to get my mind fired up.
 

Velcro

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I usually listen to orchestral movie soundtracks. My current favorite is Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. It's great for spooky stories or sci-fi tales. Of course now I've listened to it so much I barely even hear it...it just becomes ambient noise as I type away.
 

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Bongo Fury by Zappa and Beefheart
Waka Jawaka by Zappa
The Grand wazoo - Zappa's jazzy milestone
Early records by The Orb
 

Bush_moon

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Depends what subject i am writing about. For example WW2 is Vera Lynn, Evelynn Kunneke, Marlene Dietrich. Bosnia, is Safet isovic, P. Kazaliste, Bijleo Dugme. Africa, Fela Kuti and local music.

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John_Wiswell

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That's not a bother at all! It's a fascinating topic.

I'm the sort who cannot listen to music with English language lyrics. For deeply emotional or psychological fiction, I usually can't even have other languages in the music. Thus I rely highly on classical music like Mozart and Tchaikovsky, and movie and game soundtracks. Most recently I've been adoring Chris Christodoulou's Risk of Rain soundtrack, which has so many subtle and evocative tracks. Uyami Hiroto and Akira Yamaoka did plenty of splendid work in this vein.
 

FionnJameson

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It depends on what I'm writing at the moment. Right now, I'm writing a historical romance so I'm listening to a lot of KOKIA, Origa, Celine Dion, and Leona Lewis. My last project, which was a bloody urban fantasy, I listened to a lot of heavy metal and goth rock. :)
 

Maxx B

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I'm in the no lyrics camp, I find them distracting. I'm listening to cello music whilst writing my current novel. When I get to action parts I switch to instrumental trance music, something with 100+ bpm
 

Trapjaw

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I'm a huge music fan, being a part-time musician, but I never listen to music while I write. I find it too distracting, as I inevitably get drawn into it as the drummer in me starts playing along to the beat of the song, and I start trying to work out the drum parts in my head, etc etc...
 

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Yay, a music thread! :D

Laura Marling, Jack Johnson, Agnes Obel, Rob Costlow, Van Morrison.. Organic, calm music is always good, and sets the mood perfectly for me.

Jazz works always, as well. Stanley Clarke, Miles Davis, James Brown.. there are plenty to choose from.

Deeply lyrical hip hop is a good source for inspiration too. The likes of Sadistik, Dessa, Sage Francis.. A guy called Bob42 makes great collection albums, and uploads great jazz-influenced songs on youtube, which is a good source.

Music is by far the most important thing for me, so I rarely do anything without it.