Does music inspire you when you're writing, or do you find it a distraction?
I'm firmly in the inspired camp. Some songs are almost a romantic novel all of their own, aren't they?
I'm slightly obsessive about it and always create playlists for my wip, and have been known to stop the car to text myself the title of a track I hear on the radio in case I forget it between there and home.
Even more geeky than that, I create playlists for my main characters, and play their songs when i'm writing in their pov. My current leading man, for instance, is a funeral director, so his playlist is quite dark and angsty, full of Muse tracks and other atmospheric stuff (and yup, I get that his profession is a hard sell in a romance novel, but he's not as bad as he sounds, I promise!)
He also happens to be deliciously Irish, so there's a smattering of old Del Amitri tracks in there too. See where I'm going? I build the character through music in my head.
Do you do similar things? Please tell me i'm not alone in this?
I'm a recent convert to Lady Antebellum (Thank you, Romy!) Their romantic lyrics and cool laid back country vibe really melts me - not to mention their extremely easy on the eye frontman. All round fabulousness.
Check 'em out, people, and then tell us who inspires you...
I'm firmly in the inspired camp. Some songs are almost a romantic novel all of their own, aren't they?
I'm slightly obsessive about it and always create playlists for my wip, and have been known to stop the car to text myself the title of a track I hear on the radio in case I forget it between there and home.
Even more geeky than that, I create playlists for my main characters, and play their songs when i'm writing in their pov. My current leading man, for instance, is a funeral director, so his playlist is quite dark and angsty, full of Muse tracks and other atmospheric stuff (and yup, I get that his profession is a hard sell in a romance novel, but he's not as bad as he sounds, I promise!)
He also happens to be deliciously Irish, so there's a smattering of old Del Amitri tracks in there too. See where I'm going? I build the character through music in my head.
Do you do similar things? Please tell me i'm not alone in this?
I'm a recent convert to Lady Antebellum (Thank you, Romy!) Their romantic lyrics and cool laid back country vibe really melts me - not to mention their extremely easy on the eye frontman. All round fabulousness.
Check 'em out, people, and then tell us who inspires you...
7 comments:
While I occasionally find a song inspirational, while I'm working I just have low key classical music in the background. If the work is going well I don't notice when it stops.
I'm with you on writing to music, Jo. The right music sets the mood for whatever scene I'm writing.
You already know how much I'm loving Lady A right now. "Looking for a Good Time" is a story just waiting to be written!
I agree. I love Evanescence. When you write while listening to a song that perfectly matches the moment, I think it helps keep the scene grounded in the emotion - if that makes any sense :)
I'm a music writer, too, although like Liz during drafting stages it's more low-key jazz/classical. When I'm revising my playlists *really* get a workout.
I'm rethinking my music choice. I like the idea of low key classical music.
I feel you totally. Music is a great inspiration when I am writing or in getting ideas. Plus Lady A provides plenty for me. In fact Need You Now is an inspiration for a story a have in the works.
Depends what I'm writing. I wrote one entire SF novel to Lord of the Dance. Go figure! But I find I really only listen to about half the first song and then I'm in the flow (if I'm lucky that day) and the music becomes subliminal. Favorite scene in a movie: Joan Wilder in "Romancing the Stone" writing the end of her novel to crashing music, weeping at the sheer poignancy of her story)! I could so relate!
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