What kinds of media help you engage in your writing process?

[happyyy_]

Hi!

I was curious how helpful you find other kinds of media in your writing process? (mood boards, maps, playlists, landscape/character art?) I think erotica is a bit of an interesting topic because most people probably aren't writing full length erotic novels.. Whenever I am writing novel-length I like making big story maps and have art work made. But for shorter erotica I find music and mood boards way more inspirational, and they help me when fleshing out scenes. I was curious if anyone else had the same experience.
Would you agree, or do you think novel length and genre have nothing to do with it? What kinds of media are you most drawn to when story crafting and writing?

 

[Erozetta]

Music. Novel length, short story, poetry, erotic, non erotic... Always just music for me. If I have earbuds in, I'm writing.

 

[StillStunned]

No music with English lyrics, that's for sure. It distracts me from my own words. A bit of light classical music will work sometimes. Mostly, though, all the inspiration comes from inside.

 

[Erozetta]

No music with English lyrics, that's for sure. It distracts me from my own words. A bit of light classical music will work sometimes. Mostly, though, all the inspiration comes from inside.

I'm just the opposite. Music with lyrics distracts me from outside interruptions as long as I only have the earbud in my right ear. Left ear and I'm focused on real world stuff while shutting out creative stuff. I have no idea why it works like that.

 

[happyyy_]

No music with English lyrics, that's for sure. It distracts me from my own words. A bit of light classical music will work sometimes. Mostly, though, all the inspiration comes from inside.

Personally I like putting on one of those 3-hour "scifi noises and thunder" youtube videos at full blast while my partner watches family guy in bed beside me.... Maybe that's just me though? I can't do any lyrics at all, I think even lyrics I couldn't understand would be distracting. If you do listen to lyrical music is there a specific genre you choose, or is it usually classical?

 

[MillieDynamite]

Ditoo on music. Before I write erotic horror, I like to read horror stories with a sensual vibe. I've written a Science Fiction story for the Halloween Contest on another site. Due to the rules at that site, I can't mention the name of the story, put it anywhere else, publish it for sale, or promote it until after the contest. It is a blind contest restricting the voting to paid remembers who aren't authors, and they didn't even let our cover go on the story (with words Author's Name Hidden) as it might influence readers to vote it higher for the cover quality. So all the covers that show (when you open the story) are done in a solid rather blan color and plain text of the title.

So not realizing I couldn't put the story here simultaneously, I have nothing to post for Halloween here.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

Ditoo on music. Before I write erotic horror, I like to read horror stories with a sensual vibe. I've written a Science Fiction story for the Halloween Contest on another site. Due to the rules at that site, I can't mention the name of the story, put it anywhere else, publish it for sale, or promote it until after the contest. It is a blind contest restricting the voting to paid remembers who aren't authors, and they didn't even let our cover go on the story (with words Author's Name Hidden) as it might influence readers to vote it higher for the cover quality. So all the covers that show (when you open the story) are done in a solid rather blan color and plain text of the title.

So not realizing I couldn't put the story here simultaneously, I have nothing to post for Halloween here.

Can you at least PM those who might be interested the link to that site?

 

[AlexIce]

Podcasts & ambient music are my go to. Occasionally I'll do my writing at one of my local coffee shops as a change of scenery do wonders for my creativity sometimes.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

If no guys in this thread say porn, then we know there are some liars.

 

[THBGato]

playlists,

This. Though it can be very distracting. I was writing a story (I got 12k words in) set in Bristol in the noughties. Around that time my wife was quite involved in the local music scene, so I was having fun tracking down all the bands she used to go and see then, creating a you tube playlist. It got very distracting!!

But music is such an inspiration for me. My story Thirty basically came from the lyrics to this song:

Meanwhile, Love is a Place took it's name from this song:

 

[MillieDynamite]

No sooner requested than done, my sweet, sexy authoress.

Can you at least PM those who might be interested the link to that site?

 

[MillieDynamite]

When I write nasty stuff, I put on Sexy Brown Sugar and play all their music in a loop for a while! While it's pretty pornographic, it isn't porn (no images). I'm more auditory than visual any-ole-way.

 

[Erozetta]

Spotify Playlist: Demons and Daydreams

This is what I play when writing lately.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

When I write there are zero distractions, no music, no phone calls, no nothing. Go away, writing, grrr! : P

 

[Otto26]

I want complete silence while I'm writing. Phone off so there are no interruptions.

When I'm working on brainstorming ideas I frequently throw some atmosphere music up and I nearly always 'create' reference art or seek out reference art. The art is usually bits and pieces rather than detailed compositions. I want to know what kind of knife Flayer the goblin uses, not find a complete picture of him.

 

[happyyy_]

When I write nasty stuff, I put on Sexy Brown Sugar and play all their music in a loop for a while! While it's pretty pornographic, it isn't porn (no images). I'm more auditory than visual any-ole-way.

I made a playlist recently with some lyrically graphical songs that I find inspirational, I will have to check these artists out too! My favorite song personally is Rule #34 by Fish in a Bird cage- I think maybe because its pretty kinky, and I wasn't expecting it to be?? Its interesting how impactful music can be.

 

[ElectricBlue]

If no guys in this thread say porn, then we know there are some liars.

Video porn is negative inspiration for me, it's so stupidly inane. I vaguely got interested in Bellesa several years ago, and found Arabella Danger curiously hot in a strange kind of way, but that was the last time, years ago.

Having said that, I went to see The Substance last night. Now there's movie that turns a few tropes on their heads .

 

[StillStunned]

Personally I like putting on one of those 3-hour "scifi noises and thunder" youtube videos at full blast while my partner watches family guy in bed beside me.... Maybe that's just me though? I can't do any lyrics at all, I think even lyrics I couldn't understand would be distracting.

I can manage with other languages. French, Spanish, German, Medieval Latin, Icelandic. It's just English that gets in the way.

If you do listen to lyrical music is there a specific genre you choose, or is it usually classical?

Just classical. A bit of Vivaldi, Beethoven's chamber music, Handel. It drowns out the noise from the neighbours without distracting me.

 

[Rustyoznail]

If no guys in this thread say porn, then we know there are some liars.

It makes for good research material.

 

[lovecraft68]

If no guys in this thread say porn, then we know there are some liars.

Porn can inspire a story idea, and being I detect some "dumb men overtones" in your comment (I am an expert and fluent in the insulting of my own gender) Porn-and sex workers involved in it, can be beneficial as fantasy, inspiration, catharsis, and exploring curiosity and doing so in a safe manner in the privacy of your home.

I generally agree with a lot of your thoughts, but you tend to cross the line into elitist snob at times. This is one of those times. I think you and EB are a good match. Similar air of superiority.

I think you're a bit out of context as well, because I took the thread to mean while writing. Not what makes you want to write.

 

[lovecraft68]

Hard rock, heavy metal, death metal. Anything loud and chaotic because my mind is chaotic and for whatever reason that music enables me to focus. I think it drowns out all the other noise in my head other than the muse.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Porn can inspire a story idea, and being I detect some "dumb men overtones" in your comment (I am an expert and fluent in the insulting of my own gender) Porn-and sex workers involved in it, can be beneficial as fantasy, inspiration, catharsis, and exploring curiosity and doing so in a safe manner in the privacy of your home.

I generally agree with a lot of your thoughts, but you tend to cross the line into elitist snob at times. This is one of those times. I think you and EB are a good match. Similar air of superiority.

I think you're a bit out of context as well, because I took the thread to mean while writing. Not what makes you want to write.

LC, you're a smart guy. You'd be a lot smarter without that massive chip on your shoulder. That's probably why you're so angry. I'd be fucking angry too walking around with a half-ton of hate on my back. Lighten up - literally.

 

[WhiteTailDarkTip]

Music. Music's been the backdrop to my life, either listening to it or playing it. One of the benefits of being a bit older is that there's quite a lot to choose from. Popular music that is. My father was pretty much non-stop with the classical when I was growing up and by the time I moved out in my late teens I was all classicalled out and have hardly listened to any since. Much of the stuff after 2005 leaves me cold, mainly because it feels assembled rather than composed.

 

[NightPorter]

White noise. 8 hour YouTube video of a crackling fireplace and a blizzard howling outside a house.

 

[MillieDynamite]

I use green noise to sleep by. I never tired of writing to it, though.

White noise. 8 hour YouTube video of a crackling fireplace and a blizzard howling outside a house.