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Music That Helps you Write?

Whenever I write, I tend to listen to music as I do it. The music usually relates to whatever I'm writing so it can help me get in the mood. Anyone else do this? If so, what are some of the music you listen to?

Here are some stuff I listen to whenever I write fantasy. It's mostly soundtracks to movies:

(for happy scenarios or the beginning of a character's journey)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pGaz_qN0cw

(I'd recommend the whole soundtrack for this one, but I can't find the whole soundtrack on youtube, so here's a 'best of' moments. I'd recommend the soundtrack for any emotional page turner suspense scene or any emotional action scene.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBfk37Fa3H0

(Character discover something great or the realizes something important)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwoqmbpV4-g

I can post more if anyone is interested. I'd also recommend to not listen to any 'fun' music that you regularly listen to when it doesn't fit with what you're writing, it messes up how I write, but that's just me and no one writes the same way. I'd love to hear others who do this and what kind of music they listen to.
 

Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
Whatever is playing at Starbucks helps me write.

No, seriously… I had to write a paper the other day, and I left the house and went to Starbucks so I could finish it with no distractions. I've written stories at various Starbuckses and Pacific Coffees, especially back when I lived in Hong Kong. The Pacific Coffee near the school I worked at in Kowloon Bay played the White Album a lot, so for a while I liked writing to the Beatles.

For me, fun music doesn't mess up writing, but if I like a song for the lyrics and am in the phase where I'm trying to learn the lyrics (a thing I do), then I can't listen to that song or it'll pull me out of my own story. Boring music might mess me up if I feel compelled to skip the track.
 

Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
Like LS, I spend quite a bit of time in cafes (and also in pubs) writing, and I tend to enjoy what they play there. It's more about the overall atmosphere than the music as such though.

As above, I like music that fits the mood of what I'm writing.
I write fairly laid back stuff, low on action and high on atmosphere so I'm listening to a lot of stuff that supports that. I'm also interested in electronic dance music and how that can be used to stimulate emotions and imagination so I'm listening to that a lot.
This also includes chillout music such as this:
https://www.mixcloud.com/johnny-blue/johnny-blue-boom-festival-2014-chill-out-gardens/

I also put my own mix-sets together (see signature), and as they're done by me, they often reflect back on what I'm writing in one way or another.
 

Kobun

Scribe
Two Steps From Hell is awesome for writing sci-fi and fantasy :D
I love Two Steps From Hell!

Honestly, I'm a little iffy about writing with music. I use it for brainstorming constantly but not much for putting down words. I started to notice scenes lacked the impact I thought they'd had originally because upon later reading information wasn't listening to the music I'd had while writing. Basically the music made me think my stuff was better than it actually was.

On the other hand if I've got a scene I just can't make happen despite my best efforts, music is a good story laxative to fix it. lol
 

SugoiMe

Closed Account
Anything epic, like Two Steps from Hell or Epic Score. But I don't need music to write. I use it more to visualize certain scenes while I'm out for a jog or travelling.
 

This puts me in the mood to write more lore and storyline information regarding Osyrica, the desert empire and oldest human remnant of the ancient world, liberated from the first continent on Earth when it was shattered in order to save mankind. It's culture is a combination of Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt and pre-Islamic Arabia.
 
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Svrtnsse

Staff
Article Team
I started to notice scenes lacked the impact I thought they'd had originally because upon later reading information wasn't listening to the music I'd had while writing. Basically the music made me think my stuff was better than it actually was.

Ooops...
This is a bit of a concern. I hadn't even thought of that. I guess I'll have to make sure to re-read my stuff without music at some point - or at least re-read it in a different setting.
 
Honestly, I'm a little iffy about writing with music. I use it for brainstorming constantly but not much for putting down words. I started to notice scenes lacked the impact I thought they'd had originally because upon later reading information wasn't listening to the music I'd had while writing. Basically the music made me think my stuff was better than it actually was.
That's a pretty good point. I edit and reread my stuff without music (I write with music, cannot stand to read with music), and so I feel I have a good idea on how good my writing is but now I'm second guessing. I already have the epic music already intertwined with scene I wrote and thus I'll have a biased look on it, and that's adding the to bias that I was the one who wrote it. It's wasn't something I thought about but it makes a lot of sense.

I also use it for brainstorming. With brainstorming, I surround myself with stuff related to what I'm writing. I read relevant stuff, I watch relevant movies, I listen to relevant music, and I look at relevant art.
 

Kobun

Scribe
I also use it for brainstorming. With brainstorming, I surround myself with stuff related to what I'm writing. I read relevant stuff, I watch relevant movies, I listen to relevant music, and I look at relevant art.

I do the same. I'm currently wrapped in a thick blanket of Martian colonization and giant robots. :D

Truthfully what works for some won't work for all. It's good to keep in mind the pitfalls of using music but is it really works for you then just keep doing what works for you.
 
I enjoy listening to two steps and also tycho and other mellow music. Sometimes I like having extreme metal bands like Nile or Amon Amarth just in the background playing quietly. But most of the time I don't listen to music while I am writing.
 
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