Listen to Music?
R104d asks: when you write do you listen to music? or do you find it a distraction? and if you do listen, what kind is the best?
Music is extremely important to my writing process in three ways.
1) It’s motivation to stay writing. Sometimes I find it unbearable to sit in front of a blank screen and force the words out. Music helps me stay in the chair and at my computer (now, at least entertained) and keep working.
It IS a distraction. My greatest writing output occurs when I can focus solely on the writing (or when I can entirely tune out the music as I write (more on that Zen-like state in a later article)). But listening to music is often a compromise: lowered efficiency, but I’m there writing—not doing the dishes or flossing my teeth.
2. Music provides emotional stimulus. I have playlists for different characters--songs I know can generate specific emotional states when I need to get to those places at 4 AM (when the only emotion I feel is the instinct to hibernate).
3. Inspiration. So many ideas for stories have come to me by listening to music, wondering about the lyrics (for some reason this invariably happens while I am driving, too). Okay this is a little artsy. I’m always beating the writing-is-hard-work-plain-and-simple drum, and it is, but sometimes inspired strikes. What can you do?
NOTE: some writers cannot stand to listen to music while they write; they find it too distracting. My wife, Syne, cannot listen to music with lyrics when she writes.
What kind of music do I listen to? My taste and emotional needs (see point 2) run all over the spectrum: medieval chants, classical, heavy metal, pop—you name it.
Music is extremely important to my writing process in three ways.
1) It’s motivation to stay writing. Sometimes I find it unbearable to sit in front of a blank screen and force the words out. Music helps me stay in the chair and at my computer (now, at least entertained) and keep working.
It IS a distraction. My greatest writing output occurs when I can focus solely on the writing (or when I can entirely tune out the music as I write (more on that Zen-like state in a later article)). But listening to music is often a compromise: lowered efficiency, but I’m there writing—not doing the dishes or flossing my teeth.
2. Music provides emotional stimulus. I have playlists for different characters--songs I know can generate specific emotional states when I need to get to those places at 4 AM (when the only emotion I feel is the instinct to hibernate).
3. Inspiration. So many ideas for stories have come to me by listening to music, wondering about the lyrics (for some reason this invariably happens while I am driving, too). Okay this is a little artsy. I’m always beating the writing-is-hard-work-plain-and-simple drum, and it is, but sometimes inspired strikes. What can you do?
NOTE: some writers cannot stand to listen to music while they write; they find it too distracting. My wife, Syne, cannot listen to music with lyrics when she writes.
What kind of music do I listen to? My taste and emotional needs (see point 2) run all over the spectrum: medieval chants, classical, heavy metal, pop—you name it.
posted by Eric Nylund at 7:44 AM
23 Comments:
I've been trying to write a novel, my first, and I also find music to be very important in getting started. Certain songs get me in the right frame of mind and sort of inspire me to write about certain characters. Most of the time I put just a few songs on a playlist and then set the player to repeat and when I zone out in my writing, I don't even realize the music is still playing but I know the music keeps me writing. Music is also important in my motivation to write. Since I also work a full time job, sometimes I need the extra kick to give me energy to write. :-)
BTW, I've read all of your Halo novels and so has my oldest son we both love them. We can't wait the read the next one and to read more of your already published books.
Hey, good topic.
I love to hear music when I write as well. Sometimes I can get that Zen-like frame of mind and just tune out the music, letting it affect me on a subconcious level as I churn the thoughts onto the monitor.
Other times, I'll hear a song I like and it'll just get the creative spark. I have to start writing or think of a topic to write about with little to no distraction--like I'm on a roll.
Music is very powerful any way you slice it. Be it metal, classical, pop, jazz, R & B, whatever.
I can get into all kinds, but my main flavor now a days is rock.
So Eric, what's on your plate these days? Any all-nighter writing sessions lately?
Take care.
-EMF
I've come up with a lot of story ideas after hearing a song on the radio and completely misinterpreting the lyrics. Nights in White Satin is a good example. When I was a kid, I thought it was knights and the white satin was a metaphor for a princess the knight was missing and singing about. *laughs*
When I write, I pick music that echoes the mindset of my alpha character. Failing that, I'll either put my winamp on shuffle until something pops up, listen to radio online, or listen to Tai Chi ambiance. I usually have to have some kind of noise to drown out the fact we live in an apartment with ancient howler monkeys on one side and sumo-wrestling elephants above.
Medieval chants, woo!
I think music can be either a distraction or a help to writing - if you focus on the song more than the story, that's bad - but if it makes the whole thing easier, music can be a good help.
Do you know if Ghosts of Onyx will be reprinted any time soon? For some ridiculous reason I've been waiting for about four months here in Australia for it to be published - but now the publisher says "Reprinting"... even though they said a week ago on the website that it was in stock. It's getting kind of surreal now. :P
Scott – good luck on your novel! Sometimes I repeat a single song over and over as I write; that really gets me in the grove when nothing else does – until I rip the headphones off unable to listen to the song anymore.
EMF—what’s on my plate? The MORTAL COILS novel, the GALACTICA comic, and two projects at Microsoft that I’d love to talk about...but I’m not allowed.
Nikoda – I sympathize about the monkeys and wrestlers. I have two cats trained to get me up at 4AM, and a three-and-a-half year old son (same thing). I think there are _always_ distractions to overcome.
CP – don’t know what’s up with “reprinting” issue. I do know that TOR has reprinted ONYX a few times to meet demand and correct typos. The mass-market paperback (according to Amazon anyway) is supposedly due out this Spring. Maybe that’s what they are referring to?
"two projects at Microsoft that I’d love to talk about...but I’m not allowed."
I'm salivating at the prospect that this [could] be the next HALO novel(s). But we'll leave it at that.
Just want to say that I'm finally moving on to take on a novel project of mine, and your writing has definitely been an inspiration and it's allowed me to broaden my literary horizons. Thanks.
-EMF
EMF – Good luck with your writing!
Btw, just to put any potential rumors to rest, the two projects at MS I am referring to are video games.
Truth be told, I've found certain distractions actually helpful in my writing process. Once when I had an IM screen open and was talking to someone (stupidly I had kept the internet open while I wrote in WordPad). The guy I was talking to is a.. fast talker. And just having him constantly blabbing in the IM screen did distract me, but I continued to write.
Looking at how I was writing before he started talking and after he started, I found the quality of writing was much better after he started talking. It's like I needed that distraction to better my writing in that case.
As for music, I'm more like Syne I guess than Eric. Can't have lyrics of any kind because as I'm listening to the words, I just want to sing the stuff. So orchestral stuff, the Halo soundtrack, and even this "Rain" CD I found works wonders while I write.
~Major Silva~
Thanks for the great awnser! i didnt think it was that important.
Finished A Signal Shatterd. great book. i just loved it, and i had to catch my breath at times, not realizing i been holding my breath.
In relation to the Ghosts reprinting, according to the Australian publisher a local edition will be out some time later in March, while the US indent will be out in July. Not that long to wait, I guess :/
Gears of War did certainly need a sequel. Hinted at such a deep story.
...
Don't answer that.
I can never listen to Music with lyrics while I'm working. It's too much of a distraction for me. I'll almost certainly start thinking too much or daydreaming -usually about a certain character if I'm lucky- but no writing.
On the other hand I can't stand to write without music of some kind, though I try to keep it related on some level to the mood of the story.
I'm currently writing to a soundtrack from an excellent little Anime series called Gunslinger Girl. It's a very classical and unobtrusive soundtrack with over 30 tracks. Easy to zone out to as well.
Music for me is used best as white noise. Certain bands I find that I tune out easily with. As was mentioned, distractions are occasionally nice, though I find that now when I appear online, too many people speak to me to write effectively. In the past i'd watch dvd's simultaneously when I wrote, but then it would end up taking all night to write anything because i'd take a break to go back to the dvd after every paragraph.
However, if I know what i'm going to write about, where its going to go, and all the details about it, music or no music it will get done quickly. Only when i'm still in the creative process does it take excessive amounts of time and the necessity of music/distraction is there.
I personally find songs with words in them to be extremely distracting while I'm trying to write something or even work on homework. When I listen to something with words it tends to make me focus more on the song then what I'm working on.
I listen to film/game soundtracks for inspiration, for thats the kind of stories I write, and I have playlists based on certain moods like sorrow, suspence, battle, etc. And like your wife, I find it hard to concentrate with music lyrics.
You know, I've always noticed the writing I've done at 4 am turns out better than the writing I do mid afternoon.
Not initially, it always needs massive editing the next day, but that run down state is usually when some of my best ideas come out, not when I'm trying to force them out during the day.
Yay, finally got GHOSTS - turns out it's been here for the last 4 months, and I never even knew until a few days ago. :/
Anyway, another awesome book and plenty of stuff to mull over (especially the ending :P). Some interesting Forerunner info as well.
I agree with TJ, I write better in the morning though with alot more mistakes. The creative juices seem to be at their peak then. I try writing in the evening but have a hard time getting started and have a hard time concentrating on the storyline. :-)
So, can you talk about the GOW movie? and if you'll have any part in it?
Thanks, Pinecone! Thanks, r104d!
TJ – I have to keep my mouth shut. I’m sure EPIC or their movie production company will announce something soon.
This post has been removed by the author.
I usually listen to music in the sense that I'm trying to get in the mood then turn it off and start writing. I try to imagine events for my characters, I even imagine places I want to add to my story.
Music is awesome. I'm a bit like your wife; I sometimes cannot stand writing listening to lyrics. But classical, epic scores like Batman Begins, Pirates of the Carribbean, and The Last Samurai bring a flow of images and battle scenes. :D
The only bad thing is that I forget to write it down. :/
Post a Comment
<< Home