Inspirational Music for Writing?

[Trip Williams]

Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what music best brings out your creativity/ingenuity?

For me, I like to listen to Two Steps From Hell (an epic music instrumental orchestra that plays music similar to LOTR/Pirates of the Caribbean/etc. type music), though sometimes soft choral music, like Libera (a European boy's choir) works well. Depending upon the scene type I am working on.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I have a massive music collection, all in service to the writing. Love Two Steps From Hell. I also love trailer music, and pop, and rock, and metal, and K-pop, and J-pop, and some country, and some rap. I love indies who fall in between and indies who are breaking out. I love musicals. I flipping love Hamilton: An American Musical. "Non-Stop," am I right?

I'm working on the final battle in our (very late) third book and have had this playing on loop for days.

 

[ladyander]

I can listen to music while writing. It's not something I need all the time. I'm equally fine with silence. I don't listen to vocal, I like instrumental music. So I'm a huge TSFH fan though I argue I'm more of a Thomas Bergersen fan though. I like Marcus Warner, AudioMachines, Lindsey Sterling, The Piano Guys, etc. Not a big fan of soundtracks anymore. I guess I just don't like movies associated with a specific movie/scene.

 

[CupofJoe]

As I write I listen to BBC Radio 3 at about half my usual listening volume, just enough for me to be aware that it is there and break me from the sounds outside. Radio 3 is mainly classical [in all it's forms], though the odd jazz and show tune drift in from time to time. There is little talking and no adverts. The music is unchosen by me so I am not aware of what is coming next. Okay, when they play something Holst's Mars, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, or almost anything by Copland I have to stop for a while and really listen but most of the time it lets me float.

 

[Lynea]

I've found that listening to music while writing doesn't really help my process, but I love going to music for inspiration because it can be a fun literary and fantastical platform in itself. I craft playlists that fit into my world and my characters to listen to outside of writing. Pretty fun stuff.

 

[Chasejxyz]

I have ADHD so I NEED music while writing; my brain is chronically understimulated, so I need a lot of stuff going on in order to get work done, whether that's playing a game, listening to music, having the tv on... Anything that requires has dialogue to pay attention to like a show/movie or podcast won't work with writing but music with lyrics is fine. I like epic metal, synthwave, lots of different stuff.

 

[cak85]

Yes. I love music while writing.

I grew up on heavy metal, so I think that is probably where I get a lot of my inspiration from. Recently, been listening to a lot of The Sword. Very old school and with cool epic/fantasy style lyrics!

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Enigma and soundtrack to Game of Thrones Season 6 aremy white noise go-tos, then throw in the random Led Zeppelin, Legendary Pink Dots, or whatever strikes my fancy, heh heh.

Oh! I also have a piece of music I paid for to go with a couple ads and audiobook, that can wake me up as well.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I prefer silence. Anything with lyrics in there will distract me from writing (often when I've just thought of the "perfect" sentence, driving it from my brain again).

I will use instrumental music (or just rain falling) as background noise when I'm in a busy environment (like when my wife is watching TV...). My go-to then is the lord of the rings soundtrack. Though I must say that A. E. Lowan 's suggestion sounds great as background to those epic scenes. I might just borrow it

 

[skip.knox]

Definitely no lyrics. I favor chill, downbeat electronic music. Repetetive and not intrusive.

I don't know how music would inspire me. I love music and listen to plenty of different kinds when I'm not writing, and am easily moved by music. But those move me in the direction the *music* wants, which wouldn't coincide with whatever scene I'm trying to write. If inspiration here means ideas for plot, character, setting, music feels even further removed from the business at hand. I know other folks say they find inspiration in music but haven't been able to make that work for me. Makes about as much sense as saying what sculpture or architecture inspires my writing. Different media, different arts.

OTOH, other *writing* definitely influences and inspires me.

 

[cak85]

I personally love the connection between music and writing. Before I got into creative writing, my dream was to be a guitarists/vocalist for a metal band. That didn't work out (my rhythm and timing is kinda off, unfortunately). Long story short - I got into writing as another way to translate some of my lyrical concepts/ideas into written words.

And I don't really need to worry about keeping time with other people now!

I could probably make a BIG list of all the rock and metal bands that have inspired me over the years.

 

[Pyrite Pen]

I've spent hours of my life creating playlist inspired by stories, settings, and characters I'm working on, but during the writing itself I need silence. Maybe some Jorane (Canadian alt music cellist) or Baroque music, but definitely no lyrics. There are usually enough sounds in my mind as it is!

 

[Fox]

Music usually helps me focus. Of course, one potential downside is that the music might influence what you're writing when you don't want it to. So one ought be mindful of that.

I would say that I brainstorm best when I listen to music.

 

[mannersmanners]

Though I don't listen to music while writing, I do listen to a lot of music when I'm thinking of what I've read or written. One of my favorite pieces for this is Lazar Berman's Le ma dus pays (

). Yes, I found out about this piece through Haruki Murakami's "Colorless Tsukuru." Murakami translates the title as "a groundless sadness called forth by a pastoral landscape," which i find deeply beautiful.

 

[Miles Lacey]

I do the vast majority of my writing in bed before I go to sleep so I don't have any music playing. On the rare occasion I am writing elsewhere I tend to listen to music that reflects the stuff I'm writing. If it's my work in progress then I listen to jazz, swing, blues and other music from the 1930s as the world I've created is (loosely) based on that of our world in the 1930s. The music helps set the mood.

 

[NRuhwald]

I used to listen to soundtracks while writing, like many of you I found lyrics too distracting. These days I like "dark ambient music" mixes on youtube, different ones depending on what I'm writing. If I'm writing the climactic moments of the story though, I sometimes go back to soundtracks for something more dramatic.

 

[The Dark One]

I mostly need silence (although most of my work is done on a commuter train and I simply don't notice the noise of other commuters).

I do love music though and will often put it on at home when writing, but it has to be something I know so well there is nothing to shock me out of my reverie.

Favourites are Floyd, Bowie, Tull and Rush...that probably dates me. Here is a link to a great writing song...

Rush - Red Barchetta (Live (1981/Canada) - YouTube

 

[marcmizz]

Not something that I do often, but when I do plug my ear-phones, I always throw some uplifting trance—Andy Blueman, Simon O'Shine, or Aly & Fila. Reading this thread, I just realised I should do it more frequently...

 

[Nighty_Knight]

I listen to a wide variety. Depends on my mood. I even listen to a lot of video games soundtracks, some of those are great for setting the mood. Another I like to listen to are guys like Adrian Von Ziegler, Ean Grimm, Brunuhville, and a few others

 

[Andrea Pelleschi]

I find music too distracting usually. However, I like some backgrouns sound, so I listen to Nature Sounds on Pandora. I like the way the sounds of peaceful music and babbling brooks calms me.