I love music.
There’s nothing like being at a live concert. Whether it’s a favorite band or solo performer, a great symphony, or a local group starting out at a small town bar, hearing great music inspires me.
And when I need an energy boost for things like cleaning my apartment, or when I’ve had a rough day and need to relax, music is one of the first places I turn.
So why is it that when I am writing, I can’t listen to music? At least not music with words? Writing is all about words. You think that would boost my creative output.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Many writers listen to music while they work. And some even create special playlists with songs that go along the themes of their books.
I can’t do that. I’ve tried many times to find inspiration from favorite songs or groups as I write. I admit I’m a little jealous of those who can crank up their favorite songs and crank out words on their manuscripts.
No matter how many times I’ve tried – different songs, different singers, shuffle mode – listening to music with lyrics just doesn’t work for me.
I’ve learned that I am way too easily distracted by the words of songs. I find myself singing along rather than working. I even have had times where I realized I typed words from the songs rather than something that actually was supposed to go in my story.
If I’m painting or doing another type of creative work, I can listen to anything. But when I comes to writing, adding words on a page doesn’t happen when I’m trying to take in words in songs.
WHAT CAN I LISTEN TO?
As I experimented with different kinds of music, I found that there are three types of music, or sounds in some cases, that do work for me when writing.
The thing that these have in common – no words.
1. Classical/instrumental music
Being a band kid, I’ve long appreciated classical and symphonic styles of music. I discovered classics like Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart pretty early in life. And in high school and college, my CD collection included Vivaldi, Wagner, and Chopin. Additionally, I enjoy many modern instrumentalists like James Galway and Yo-Yo Ma.
When it comes to writing, listening to the sounds of pianos, violins, flutes, and trumpets blending together gives me the creative boost that lyrical music does. But, without the words to distract me from the words I’m supposed to be writing myself.
2. Movie soundtracks
The other type of non-lyric music I find helps me when writing is movie soundtracks. I definitely don’t mean Disney movies. (I love Disney songs, but hearing “Be Our Guest” or “Hakuna Matata” would not be good for letting me work. Talk about being distracted by wanting to sing along!) I mean the instrumental tracks that help set the mood for various scenes in films.
My go-to soundtracks are things like the Harry Potter movies, or something like Pirates of the Caribbean. Just like in their films, these types of songs help set my writing environment. If I’m working on a more dramatic scene, the tension-filled music from movies like Jurassic Park or Star Wars sets the stage for something dramatic in my story. Conversely, if I’m working on a more emotional scene, tracks from something like Titanic or Schindler’s List convey a subdued and serious tone.
3. Sounds of nature
While not technically music in the purest form, more authors have started turning to the sounds of nature for their background noise. I have joined in the nature party through various stations on Pandora or other streaming services. Depending on the service, tracks rotate from various water sounds like rain or streams, to the rain forest, wind, birds and other animals, and crashing waves on the ocean.
I gravitate towards water, rain and streams in particular. So some of my favorite nature sounds to have going while I write are thunderstorms and mountain streams with leaves rustling in the background. The sound of water reminds me of the creative process. While there is a set pattern to a creek bed, the water wears away at the bank. Over time, the edges changes and form a new path. While stories have familiar patterns, each author changes the pattern in subtle ways to tell her own story. And rain falls at different intervals. Sometimes light and misty. Other times heavy and intense. Just like writing a story. Some scenes are lighthearted, while others require strong emotion and tension.
**What do you listen to when you’re writing or doing other projects? Are there types of music or other background noise you can’t listen to while working?**
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