Music and Writing

[crystalpisces]

I listen to music when I write. It inspires me and the emotion that goes into my text. I usually listen to music that matches the mood of my story, though mostly Linkin Park, Breaking Benjamin, etc. It just helps my words flow onto the page.

Does anyone else do this? What kind of music do you listen to when you write? Does it help?

[Endovia]

Yep. I like Linkin Park and Three Days Grace, but I don't often listen to them while writing. I love soundtracks and they're the best music for me to listen to while writing because they don't have words in them. Some of my favorite composers: James Newton Howard, Klaus Badelt, Hans Zimmer. Soundtracks: The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, (I think you can see a theme there ) How to Train Your Dragon, Snow White and the Huntsmen, The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean (first is the only one that I truly love, all the others are rip-offs of the original with terrible synths).

[Raphael]

It depends on what i am writing, sometimes its Howard Shore or Two Steps from Hell, but my favorite music is definatly the Killers. For one of my short stories the main character listens to an ipod alot so i will intersperse the lyrics into my paragraphs and i use songs that match the mood, which i thought was a cool tool. It also makes it awesome to read with the music blasting when the character is listening too.

[sapphire]

I occasionally listen to music while I'm writing, but not very often. It helps if I'm not in a creative mood already, but if I am, it tends to distract me. I can't listen to anything with lyrics while I'm writing, because I end up singing along.

When I do, though, I like the soundtrack from How to Train Your Dragon. Loreena Mckennitt has some great instrumental stuff with very few lyrics. Certain songs from the August Rush soundtrack are good, too, though a lot of them have lyrics. Um, soundtracks from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Finding Nemo, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tristan and Isolde... Really, it depends on what I'm writing.

[Raphael]

So excited, because now i can use the hobbit sound track to write. But yeah if i am writing fantasy i normally like soundtracks like the hobbit or two steps from hell, and when i get more over into real world fiction i will baisically use any music. I chose a song that fits the mood of what i am writing at the moment and set it on repeat.

[crystalpisces]

I usually just listen to what fits my mood, which translates into my stories. In truth the music makes me write something more true to my life experiences, which might sound strange, but if I just write then it's less me and more someone else.

[Endovia]

I like setting songs (or soundtracks) on repeat because then you can keep that mood going continuously. Although having it broken can stem new ideas.

[sapphire]

When I'm feeling stuck, I'll listen to an album straight through and make up a story as it plays. The mood of the characters goes up and down with the lyrics, and I have to accommodate that in the storytelling. It's really fun, and loosens up my creativity so I can get back to writing.

[crystalpisces]

Sometimes if I do that, Sapphire, I end up writing the lyrics into the dialoge lol. I change it but it's definitely a curse!

One time I did that writing a paper for a school project and I didn't re-read any of it and my teacher asked me "Did you know these are the lyrics to *whatever song I was listening to*? That's plagiarism." I told her what happened and asked if I could revise it for at least half credit, as plagiarism results in zeros at my school.

[sapphire]

Ouch. I'm not sure if that's funny or awful, Crystal.
Did she let you revise it?

If I'm not sure what to write next and I'm listening to music with lyrics, I end up typing out the lyrics, too. I go back and delete them when the song gets ahead of me, though.

[crystalpisces]

Unfortunately no, but it was my fault for not checking so I can't sat it wasn't my fault xP

[Endovia]

Ow, that's painful. I feel like my teacher would let me cross out the lyrics (she is really nice though), but I know at some colleges they take plagiarism really seriously and will kick you out for it. In that case, I'd say a zero was better than expulsion.

[sapphire]

That's true - at least it was just one grade, not your future.

[crystalpisces]

It almost cost me that credit grade wise. But it's all good now. Happily a senior, and that was my freshman year.