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Music while Writing

Seranda

Seranda

Wait! They don’t love you like I love you…
Joined
Jan 20, 2013
Location
Lost Lover’s Island
I find music really helpful sometimes when I am writing, sexy scenes, action sequences, heartfelt moments, and everything in between. Right now I am enjoying Synthwave style music that really relaxes me. I feel it’s good for summaries and sometimes for posts pertaining to the passage of time. Dunno just babbling. Any of you listen to music, does it affect your writing? Do you get more motivation?
 
Absolutely I listen to music while I write. It's not necessary mood-setting music, but it does help me settle my mind and get into the proper space for it.

The sort of music I listen to is (should be) pretty clear: I've been posting my favoured tracks to the what are you listening to? thread on BMR. :)
 
No, it doesn’t set the mood, I guess it might, but like you said it gets me in a space for writing effectively. I can play out my scene in my head so clearly, and sometimes a track can amplify that. I don’t ever really listen to what anyone else posts, to be honest.
 
It depends on the scene. If it's a story-oriented or combat scene, then yes. It plays out like a visual novel.

If it's an erotic scene, then no...Tends to actually be counter-productive.
 
I think music soothes the soul, so to speak, and can definitely be extremely helpful when writing no matter what type of scene it is. So, yes, I nearly always listen to music and oftentimes find it very useful for help to relax, stimulate or inspire me as a I write.
 
I must admit as someone who can't write while listening to music, I am envious of yall. Music is so damn distracting to me that I can't write with it on. So I'm just kinda here lurking to see if maybe there's some way to steal some of your powers.
 
I understand what you mean, @Revelations. Music with lyrics can be very distracting when you're trying to focus on things, especially writing - I find myself focusing more on the lyrics than what I'm doing (or trying to do).

It's why my musical tastes focus pretty much on instrumental music and tracks. For me (and, I suspect, many others), the music just sits in the background like the score from a film of game - it's there, you're aware it's there, but it's not intruding.
 
Haha even lyricless music leaves me too distracted. I wonder sometimes if it's perhaps due to being on the autistic spectrum.
 
I listen to a lot of ambient bands while I write, If you listen to a lot of ambient you start to realize that it still is just as complex as any other genre, but focused on setting a mood more than anything else.

Other than that, I listen to a lot of Warren Zevon during action sequences.
 
I have no idea why but my productivity unironically spikes up by 300% whenever I listen to the EarthBound and Cowboy Bebop OSTs.

Cats on Mars perfectly represents my headspace.
 
I can't write with music going on. Lyrics or not. Now, I can write with a show playing in the background for whatever reason or some youtube video. But when it comes to music I guess I just focus too much on it.
 
I always use any chance to listen to music, so listening to music while writing is something I do, but it has to be a certain type of music.

Some genres that I do listen while I write include black metal (usually atmospheric, post/avant-garde or blackgaze-variety), ambient/dark-ambient, drone, trip-hop, retro-electronic stuff (synthwave, vaporwave, future-funk, dark-synth etc.), shoegaze, jazz/jazz-esque music, doom/death-doom metal or post-rock/metal + OSTs for anime and games every once in a while. As to why it's these specific genres it's because most of the time these are instrumental, or feature vocals that you don't have to pay too much attention to or blend into the soundscape, for example in case of atmospheric black metal the vocals usually just blend into the soundscape and enhance the atmosphere they create.

If I'd put on some progressive rock-epic or thrash metal-banger my attention would greatly shift from writing to listening, and there have been a few times where I've just dropped the writing, fetched my guitar and have started to learn a song because "Hey! That riff was kinda sick"... Though that has happened with black metal and post rock/metal-stuff too, but extremely rarely especially if I'm familiar with the record already.
 
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Since I basically do exclusively fandom plays these days, I just listen to the music of whatever fandom I'm writing. If I was writing in a Pokemon RP for instance, I'd be listening to relaxing compilations of Pokemon music. Not only helps me get in that 'mindset' of whatever fandom I'm in but it's just easy to focus on music I've heard many times and sets the stage. Video game soundtracks in general are just magical because they immerse you without even realizing it and I feel I'm so much more productive with that in mind!
 
It honestly depends on my headspace at the time. Most of the time when I listen to music I can build a scene around it, lyrics or not, and when I write I can channel the music into my writing. There are some days though (rare ones) where I have to have complete silence to write. Though with my head fuckery I usually need to multitask to focus on anything. I'm the person that will have music playing in the living room on the computer, while I'm in the kitchen cooking lunch listening to an audiobook and somehow keeping up with all of it. If I were to try to do those things one at a time I would get distracted and keep walking away. Back when I wrote comics, I would listen to albums and turn an entire album into a story.
 
I do the same thing with drawing, the music gives my mind something to focus on, so i stop over thinking every tiny little detail and just...Draw. Doesn't much matter what i listen to, as long as it's not grating on the ears. So far i've gravitated towards listening to a selection from the Dynasty Warriors 5 OST. Keeps the mind surpressed while keeping the heart pumping. I doubt listening to music would assist my writing however, i have little subconsious flow, it's all deliberate thought. To write "from the heart" as one might say, would result in me turning whatever project is being produced into a blood and tear soaked nightmare, and not a very coherent nightmare at that.
 
Personally, It depends on my mood and the type of scene i'm writing.

I'm one of those who have a Spotify playlist for every mood so I find them pretty handy. I change them depending on the scenes I write as it helps me write in a certain depth that I wouldn't be able without music, helps me portray more emotions. I like to have a "theme song" for each of my characters as a way to get into their shoes but I understand how it's not beneficial to everyone and may even be very distracting to some.
 
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I find it difficult to write without music, although it is possible for me to do it without. I typically listen to anything EDM-like during any time I'm using the computer, work or leisure; over-ear headphones and typically repeating a single track until I get tired of it, then switching to a different track and repeating that one. I'm currently listening to synthwave as I write this, specifically Essenger - After Dark.
 
I find that it can definitely set the mood and enhance inspiration, but it has to be the right kind of music for the scene that I'm writing. For example I listen to a lot of very heavy dubstep, and listening to that while writing a softer scene, or one set in medieval fantasy, or really anything that doesn't match the same kind of energy, would make it more of a distraction. But the right kind of music for the scene that I'm writing, can be just perfect. Thank you Spotify playlist search :)
 
i have to listen to music when i write, otherwise i get distracted as hell. i have to create a vibe for myself, especially since i'm a novella writer and will hit my partners with walls of text, so i have to have a whole mood established, since i really can spend ~an hour/ hour & a half on a single response.

my go-to is always sexy metal. bad omens, dayseeker, sleep token, etc etc. also dark and dreamy hip hop and r&b. majid jordan, chase atlantic, the weeknd, etc. if you have suggestions, send them my way!! i'm a huge music nerd, and love hearing things that i have never heard before. =D
 
I try to grab genre relevant music whenever I need to inspiration - but it usually ends up with ambiance because whenever there's lyrics in it, it ends up distracting me too much.
 
Synthwave helps me relax and set some scenes, though they would have to be modern or somewhat futuristic. I can share some tracks with my partners and tell them it gives me vibes for this couple or this event we have planned or this part of their past.

It’s a little corny, almost like themes, but it does give some characters even more identity.

I don’t need music, but I feel like it helps.
 
I usually write with music going. Usually not music with lyrics because that distracts me way too much, but a lil something' going in the background to bop to always helps. It gives me a rhythm to write to, I think?

Anyway, my usual go to's are Boards of Canada, Burial, and Jonny Greenwood. Maybe Aphex Twin's more ambient stuff.
 
I wish I could, generally writing with music for me distracts me and it makes it harder. Maybe if its purely instrumental, but even then honestly it can become more of a distraction unless it's like very quite in the background where it becomes more like white noise to me.
 
I'm kind of the same way! I can't do any kind of music with words, so while I like writing with music, I can't put on the stuff I'd normally listen to.
 
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