Inspiration music

[TheEarl]

Have you got a particular song that you listen to when you first start writing. I always find it difficult to start writing and for some reason it gets a hell of a lot easier if I listen to Never Again by Nickelback. I was just wondering if this happened to anyone else or whether I'm just being strange.

The Earl

 

[agezinder]

I almost always listen to classical or new age when I'm in the mood to write.
Rachmaninoff and Enya are a couple of my favorites...although I've written poems listening to Pet Shop Boys..I like the lyrics to their songs.

 

[karmadog]

John Coltrane's 'Lush Life' or Thelonius Monk (anything).

 

[wildsweetone]

Does the dishwasher and the oxygen pump on the goldfish tank count?

 

[English Lady]

hmm any music really, i do like something in the background whilst I write. Actually no not "Any" music, it has to be something I find at least tolerable and preferably not amazing. Why? Well if the music is that good I'll getdistracted from my writing.....obvious really!!

 

[Guest]

something I know really well...

I'm with English Lady here... It has to be something I know really well, otherwise I find myself following the music instead of writing.

I, like KarmaDog, like jazz... Michael Franks is a favorite. His lyrics are sexy and the music is fun. I will do any jazz except scat when writing... again, as long as I am very familiar with it. Peel Me a Grape by Lyle Lovett and Blossom Dearie is a favorite.

I am embarrassed to admit that I also listen to country music while writing... as a poor joke I could say that I only do so when writing incest, but I will refrain... I use it for an energy boost and when I am trying to be "fun" in a story... although, JoDee Masena's Bring on the Rain is a sexy song from a sexy album.

I took the time to load my CD's onto my computer with Real One Player, and now I'm totally spoiled with absolute and infinitely refined control of my listening.

Sometimes, though, I just turn on my white noise machine so that I can focus on the images and emotions I am trying to capture.

b

 

[deliciously_naughty]

I just like having music on in the background. But because of the contents of my cd collection, this generally means broadway

 

[Angeline]

Jazz/Classical Yes!

Billie Holiday and/or Lester Young make me thoughtful; Bill Evans, wistful, and if I'm feeling especially quiet I go for classical guitar. For some reason, I often want to listen to Segovia in winter (and the Roderigo Concerto for Guitar)--maybe because the sound of acoustic guitar feels warm to me.

I love other kinds of music, too, but it doesn't seem to work so well for writing. Actually, I often finding myself reading before I write to get motivated...anyone else do that?

 

[ronde]

I almost always write in quiet, but sometimes listen to classical, big band, or jazz. It has to be instrumental only or I'll start listening to the words instead of thinking.

BK, CW music is great, but please, let's get our facts straight. Not all of us CW fans love our sisters. Well..., we love 'em alright, but stump-broke cows don't go tattling to your Mom.

 

[TheEarl]

If I read before I write, then I end up making a strange parody of the style of the author who I've just read. It's not intentional, but if I've been reading Brookmyre, I write like Brookmyre, if I've been reading Tom Holt, then I write like Tom Holt. As I'm nowhere near as good as them all that I come out with is a diluted copy. So I tend not to read before I write.

The Earl

 

[M.A.Thompson]

I almost always write to music. Because I find music so moving and emotional, I always listen to the type that reflects the feelings I am trying to put on paper. Seeing I usually write sad love stories, my Winamp is filled with tearjerkers.

 

[Wicked-N-Erotic]

I almost always listen to music when I write. I have a list of songs I listen to in order when I start. First I listen to Type O Negative's Love You To Death, it's very erotic.
Wicked

 

[Guest]

lol

BK, CW music is great, but please, let's get our facts straight. Not all of us CW fans love our sisters. Well..., we love 'em alright, but stump-broke cows don't go tattling to your Mom.

LOL
Ronde-
I wonder how many non-southerners followed that...

And I did say it would be a poor joke...

Actually, one of the most romantic songs I listen to now is Tim McGraw's "Unbroken".

-b

 

[ronde]

BK, you're right about those romantic CW songs. I love them myself. If I could only paint the pictures with my writing that those song writers do.

Uh, those cows will just be our little secret, OK?

 

[Whispersecret]

When I'm writing an intense sex scene, I often put on the soundtrack to "Gladiator." There's some really great pounding rhythms that inspire me.

I dig soundtracks. If the music has words, I get distracted.