Music and writing.
Or music combined with any other task, for that matter.
This is one of those combinations that either works awesome for you … or flat-out doesn’t. You can either listen to tunes whilst pondering your next scene (or task), or what should be pleasurable to absorb sounds on par with a swarm of irritating insects when you’re trying to concentrate.
Then there’s me.
I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. Sometimes, I have days in a row where I fire up my media player (see image) as I open my Word document. Other times, I might not listen to music for days. On the occasions I do, anyone in (VERY) close proximity will hear me warbling away to Kings of Leon’s ‘Closer’, then killing The Kooks ‘Naïve’, and then my most awful rendition of Adele’s ‘Make You Feel My Love’.
That’s only three songs out of a *playlist of twenty-eight. Only three songs before my mind becomes wholly consumed by the words on the page in front of me. Three songs before I am lost in a scene. And that’s whether I’m writing, editing, or proofreading—it’s ALWAYS the same number of songs.
I can most probably list most of the other songs I have on my play list. But the moment the tunnel vision kicks in and the deep state of zombification stakes claim, I no longer hear them.
So … what about you? To music … or not to music? What’s on your playlist?
*My playlist:
KoL, Closer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XatzX6WQ2ec
The Kooks, Naïve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkaMiaRLgvY&ob=av2e
Adele, Make you feel …: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnn9JlqqTE4
Tom Jones, Burning down …: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuFIrSLD84
KoL, Cold Desert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWkYu-hYTZs
Pink, I Don’t Believe You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26EP0ght2kI&ob=av3e
Black Eyed Peas, I Got a Feeling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tiPAvmy3eA
David Gray, This Year’s Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gNDUZZduKE
Tom Jones, Sex Bomb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KUJE2xs-RE
Adele, Chasing Pavements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwTMyjTNBM8
Alanis Morisette, Ironic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc&ob=av2e
David Gray, You’re the World: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDstr09NJ5U
The Kooks, Seaside: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8OLb1DK9HY
KoL, Revelry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sA85wMC16A
Alanis Morissette, You Learn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci5j9yQ-528
Adele, Someone Like You: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AW9C3-qWug
Tom Jones, Kiss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq3Vx28wG7Y
Johhny Cash, Folson Prison Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr0Vt7E7U7w&ob=av2n
The Hoosiers, Worried About Ray: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61GrbjeNc1E&ob=av2e
Tom Jones: Baby, it’s Cold …: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PceqPkTdYgA
KoL, Sex on Fire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUAmgkDqxTk
David Gray, Be Mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feE9OQoEzqA
Suzanne Vega, Luka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m9EWNDq9hw
Alanis Morissette, Head Over Feet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKnz3kAwRu8
KoL, Use Somebody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRgFeZa_I48
And Tom Jones/Robbie, Full Monty Medley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXsBGPorTIY wraps it up nicely.
Cheers, everyone.
And whilst I have you here, if you haven’t already, don’t forget to snatch your FREE copy of my short story, Fated Encounter:
HERE for Ebooks or HERE for Kindle.
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#1 by Reena Jacobs on September 19, 2011 - 6:00 pm
I find music highly inspiration and often glean ideas from the melody and lyrics. However, when it comes to writing the music has to go. I get so caught up in the music, it interferes with my writing. Same thing for reading… give me a bit of silence.
#2 by Kastil on September 20, 2011 - 3:04 am
Music is a must if I don’t have complete silence. Complete silence… that’s funny. Let’s just say music is a stress buster and today, when my MP3 player didn’t have enough juice, I couldn’t write a word. It’s charging now, thankfully.
I have Volbeat, Good Charlette, Seether, Flyleaf, Hollywood Undead, and others I can’t quite recall. My favorite thing to do is to hit “Play All” unless I need a particular mood.
#3 by Aimee Laine on September 20, 2011 - 4:18 am
Nope. No music for me. Whatever sounds have to get conjured in my head.
#4 by jabelfield on September 20, 2011 - 10:04 am
You must be like me, Kastil, because I don’t even hear the music any longer once I start writing.
Aimee, I can just imagine the sounds that get conjured in your head, LOL.
I rarely get caught up in the music, Reena, because it’s always only ever background noise to me–but then I write better when my family’s around me making some buzz than I do in complete silence anyway.