# Do you listen to music for ideas?



## Devora (Feb 1, 2014)

Before you misconstrue the title, my question is whether or not you listen to music to unlock you imagination.


Does it help generate ideas for you? Does it inspire you to write a story? How exactly does it unlock your imagination?


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## Feo Takahari (Feb 1, 2014)

I've mentioned before that the only story I've published was based around this song. In addition to some imagery taken directly from it (the "plastic blue invitation" became the plasticky texture of polluted water), I followed the song's pattern of abrupt shifts between peaceful and violent, and created a character who had reason to shift in such a way.

In larger stories, I usually match a song to a character rather than to the story as a whole. For instance, I have one incomplete project that revolves around two powerful spirits and their respective human representatives--the more protective one maps to this, the more destructive one maps to this, and the difference between the songs is pretty much the difference between the characters. Again, I used elements from the songs as inspiration for aspects of the characters, some little (one refers to his conscripted follower as "kid"), some huge (the other envies humans for their free will.)

I should note that the book I'm currently trying to publish had NO musical inspirations. It was influenced entirely by comics, video games, and other narrative works. In other words, I don't necessarily need music to create--it just gives a little direction when I'm not sure how to define the edges of a character's behavior.


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## Hagan (Feb 1, 2014)

I do listen to music when I need a little push to write  particular scene of theme, sometimes I just need that little stimuli to get the mind working.  But its got to be relevant to what I'm writing.  A little Alice Cooper when I want some characters or stories that seem rather bitter or moody, some Del Amitri when I'm writing anything to do with romance or just general day to day (They have a wide array of music that seems to cover almost everything), to some Meatloaf or Rockabilly when I have characters relaxing or in transit and I need a scene and some dialogue.  There's more but that's the general gist.  Keep the music relevant.

When writing fantasy, I tend to stick with random selections of classical music and polka music.  Don't judge, it works (kinda).  When I'm planning stories however I just switch on the radio and listen to whatever is on at the time (god bless digital radio and a 'random channel' button) which can be good if there is something on you've never heard before that may strike a chord (pun intended) and inspire you.


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## Xitra_Blud (Feb 1, 2014)

Yes. Definitely. Evanescence, Theatre of Tragedy, Nightwish...there's an endless list. I'd like to thank music for the majority of my inspiration.


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## Svrtnsse (Feb 1, 2014)

I've not gotten around to it yet, but I've got a pretty good idea for a story (probably a short) based on Covenant's song Call the Ships to Port (Covenant - Call the Ships to Port - YouTube). 
It'll be about lighting signal fires on the cliffs above the shores to call the fishermen in their boats back to safety on the evening of the last day of autumn. It'll be an old traditional ritual and there will always be one or two boats missing that never come back in that evening.
It'll probably be a rather sad/moody story.

I also try to pick music that reflects the mood I want for my story. It's easier to convey a mood through writing if I'm in a similar emotional state myself. Throughout writing Enar's vacation I've been listening to a lot of plain and simple rock and pop music: Sarah McLachlan, Basia Bulat, Simon & Garfunkel.


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## TWErvin2 (Feb 1, 2014)

No, I don't listen to music to open ideas or inspire my imagination.


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## MVV (Feb 1, 2014)

I do it all the time. It helps me in a very abstract way. When I write, I need to get to a certain mood. Certain atmosphere. Generally, listening to atmospheric black metal and dark folk helps me with it a lot.


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## A. E. Lowan (Feb 1, 2014)

Constantly.  There is always music playing when I write - songs for characters, songs for mood, songs for the overall tone of the book or even the series.  Each book has its own playlist.  When I hear a new song that reminds me of a character or a situation, or inspires me to a new idea, I'll obsess about it and listen to it over and over while thinking and taking notes about the idea it planted in my mind.  We have had whole storylines inspired by music videos.  I'll listen to a very wide range of music while I'm working, and will change things up if I'm having a slowdown to spur myself along.  My music collection is massive and eclectic, and I find movie soundtracks to be especially helpful for achieving a certain mood over a long stretch of time.


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## kayd_mon (Feb 1, 2014)

No, and I am more of a musician than I am a writer.


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## CupofJoe (Feb 2, 2014)

I've started listening to Radio 3 [a classical music station]. I don't get much inspiration from pop/rock/metal etc but the longer forms of classical [and maybe the lack of intelligible words in the operas] lets my mind wonder and wander. The music can var from 15C English choral to a 20C Russian Sonata via 18C Italian Opera and 21C film score within an hour. Or if you are lucky you get 90+ minutes of a concerts with little or no speech...
For example, if I'm writing a battle scene, then there isn't much better than _Mars_ from _Holst_'s _The Planets_ or if you are a bit more reflective, _Elgar_'s _Enigma Variations_ [especially _Nimrod_].


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## Ghost (Feb 2, 2014)

I do it with poetry because it's easy for me to translate music to words if it's more about meaning, impressions, and connections, and I can worry about narrative at a later stage of the process.

I can't think of a single story based on a song, although I create "soundtracks" for longer works I want to write. It's one shortcut to a predefined mood rather than the sole inspiration. I also keep in mind works of visual art because they achieve the same effect.


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## TheMirrorMage (Feb 2, 2014)

I do actually, to classical music. I like playing video games so some of the scores on those are also good for "writing with", such as _Battlefield 3_ and _Halo_. I guess it provokes certain types of dialogue and vocabulary typical of fantasy and medieval settings. It also means I can drown out background noise and just listen to what I want to. It's funny because I don't normally like classical music, but in terms of writing, my usual musical taste doesn't work as well.

If you're looking for music, I would suggest _Howard Shore_, who did the music for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and _John Williams_, creator of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Harry Potter scores. _Thomas Bergersen, Nick Phoenix_ and _Two Steps From Hell_ do similar work, some of it being more like rock music merged with classical.

The Game of Thrones title score is probably one of the best, as are _"Battle of the Heroes"_ and _"Anakin vs. Obi-Wan"_ from Star Wars Ep. III and _"Requiem for a Tower"_ from the LotR: The Two Towers trailers (I think).


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## Chessie (Feb 2, 2014)

I love listening to music when I write! The type depends on what I am writing and the mood/tone of the piece, but most of the time I listen to ambient or classical when I'm working. It helps me feel relaxed so I can think more clearly.


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## SineNomine (Feb 3, 2014)

Hmmm, somewhat.  I can't stand to listen to music while I am writing simply because I find it too...overpowering, but there are definitely songs that have inspired scenes or plot points.  Nothing as all encompassing as an entire story plot though, or a complete character based just on the inspiration from a song.

For example, part of the romantic relationship between two characters in my current WIP developed and was modified by listening to this song Nilu - Sing For You (Live) - YouTube


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## Hoff (Feb 3, 2014)

I listen to harsh noise for ideas.

Regardless of whether or not it can be considered music, it puts the most interesting ideas in my head.


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## LeoWolfish (Feb 3, 2014)

In general if I need to get my brain working I will listen to bands such as Skillet, Night wish (especially the orchestra side of things), Rhapsody of fire, Breaking Benjamin, Meat Loaf and some of the older Linkin park songs. Though not so much anymore as I used to.

Failing that or if I am over thinking something I will turn to pan pipe music, Celtic themed instrumental music such as that done by Llewellyn and Howard Baer or just what would be considered chill out music in general. Especially if it involves flutes or Japanese and Chinese instruments. It does have to have a slight beat to it though I can't stand anything that is too drifty.


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## buyjupiter (Feb 3, 2014)

Yes. Before I write though, not during. I'm actually needing peace and quiet to write these days.

But when I was really listening to a bunch of music before writing my novel-in-a-month-in-the-wrong-month-for-that (aka last September), it was all women performers. So, Florence + the Machine, Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Suzanne Vega, Traci Chapman, KT Tunstall, that sort of thing. I was dealing with women's relationships for the majority of the novel, so it made sense to listen to women singing about women's stuff.

It's hard to listen to Florence + the Machine or Suzanne Vega without coming up with a whole bunch of ideas, so I kind of keep them to the days where I'm not very "inspired" (or excited) about what I'm writing.

I figure when I get back into novel writing mode, and I pick up the story idea about doom metal, I'll be listening to a lot of Swedish/Norwegian metal right before I write. Which is good/cool, as I like it a lot. I just hope it doesn't make my writing super depressed. Or really disturbed.


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## taiwwa (Feb 3, 2014)

Yes.

All the time.

I use it...as inspiration for the rhythm and texture of the writing.


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## Helen (Feb 4, 2014)

Devora said:


> Before you misconstrue the title, my question is whether or not you listen to music to unlock you imagination.
> 
> 
> Does it help generate ideas for you? Does it inspire you to write a story? How exactly does it unlock your imagination?



Sometimes I'll look at a picture to trigger ideas for a scene.

Then I may add music to it. And then different music. So it's a form of recombination to come up with ideas.


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## Jabrosky (Feb 4, 2014)

I love to daydream about my stories while listening to music, which can also help set the mood depending on the piece. I don't think I've ever written a story based on a song though.


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## Aidan of the tavern (Feb 14, 2014)

Oh yes, definitely.  Music gets right to heart of emotion on a level that is kind of instinctive, below words, so I listen to a lot, get heavily inspired, then try to communicate the same nuances and feelings in my own way by distilling them into words.  Or something like that .  Actually that's the main reason I've started listening to soundtracks, especially game osts, after all, its their job to capture the mood of a place in music.  Assassin's Creed, the Arkham themes, the Fallout themes (to name just a few), all of them inspire me in the sense that I think "that's it!  I want to create that, that's what I want to communicate" (albeit in a different medium).


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## Shreddies (Feb 18, 2014)

Music sometimes helps me get into a creative writing mood. But it's mostly going for hour long walks that get me thinking of fun ideas. (Though I do listen to Two Steps From Hell while walking, so I don't know if that counts or not)


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## Telcontar (Feb 18, 2014)

SineNomine said:


> Hmmm, somewhat... Nothing as all encompassing as an entire story plot though, or a complete character based just on the inspiration from a song.



This reaction is close to mine. I gain inspiration from music all the time, but it is never as grand as whole stories or characters. What I'll pull from music - from a particularly sublime musical phrase, or an incredibly evocative lyric - is an emotion or a sentiment that perfectly fits some part of a story. I then use that to further my understanding of (and therefore my ability to write about) a certain emotion or... state of being, I guess. Music inspires moments within a story, not the entire story itself.


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