Do you listen to music when you write?

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Shellby85
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Re: Do you listen to music when you write?

Post by Shellby85 »

I've never really thought to listen to music I may give it a try it might help me get into the groove better! Thanks!
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zifranka
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Post by zifranka »

Normally your mood tells you what to listen to. If you're in the mood to write, your mind just kind of dictates what's good to listen to. I think what's more important is the ambient noise you're trying to drown out while you're writing. It won't matter if you've got headphones on, for instance, when there's a bunch of noisy kids playing in the background or your roommate's on the phone too loud. Depends on the kind of environment you find stimulating. In the end, at least in my case, it won't matter much what kind of music you play in the background as your brain eventually tunes it down as you get more and more engrossed in writing.
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Post by obiebookworm »

zifranka wrote:Normally your mood tells you what to listen to. If you're in the mood to write, your mind just kind of dictates what's good to listen to. I think what's more important is the ambient noise you're trying to drown out while you're writing. It won't matter if you've got headphones on, for instance, when there's a bunch of noisy kids playing in the background or your roommate's on the phone too loud. Depends on the kind of environment you find stimulating. In the end, at least in my case, it won't matter much what kind of music you play in the background as your brain eventually tunes it down as you get more and more engrossed in writing.
Drowning out ambient noise is for certain!
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Post by jazzybear »

I do listen to music when I write because I normally have writer's block, which makes it harder to keep writing. The mood and tone of the music gives me ideas, depending on the genre, which varies in my playlist.
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JessiFox
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Post by JessiFox »

I'm very inconsistent with this...sometimes it seems that I *need* music in order to get writing, other times I can't deal with it. Sometimes I meet in the middle and choose music without lyrics. Vitamin string quartet has some amazing musical covers of a whole range of songs, and sometimes I'll go with them for a music sans voices to distract me.
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kiwes
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Post by kiwes »

That all depends on what it is I'm writing. When writing a love scene, or doing some type of romance writing, I like to listen to slow music to help me feel what I know my characters would be feeling at that time. But usually, I prefer complete silence. I don't mind the background noise of children playing outside, or cars zooming by the house, but inside the house, while I'm at the laptop, I need silence, and usually, if I do not get it, my family has hell to pay! So, when I'm in "writer's mode," my hubby will take our daughter and be gone for the entire day so I don't have any distractions. When I'm reading though, I listen to soothing quiet music and that makes the book that much better, although Scott, I realize that wasn't your question, but thought I'd throw that out there.
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ConorEngelb
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Post by ConorEngelb »

I usually listen to music when I'm writing, at least if it's at my laptop. It's usually classical music or music from soundtracks to movies/games/tv shows, but with some rock type stuff thrown in as well. Basically stuff that blocks out the rest of the world without overwhelming me.
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Post by thebookworm4ever »

Yes I often do, I usually change it up to match the scene im writing about it makes me feel like I'm connected to the scene. Music is like words they can make you feel things and be inspired to create new work.
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avatarofrozein
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Post by avatarofrozein »

I have an entire playlist of instrumental and classical music just to listen to while I write. It acts as a background noise which helps me concentrate on my writing. Music with lyrics distracts me while writing, so I try not to listen to any music with words while writing.
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Post by DiDi »

Dear Scott,

I prefer not to have any music playing when I am writing. My mind would jump to the music and sing/hum along to whatever is playing in the background. It is too much of a distraction for me.

I do however, enjoy the sounds of nature while I am working, such as the crickets chirping in the middle of the night right now.

Warm regards,

DiDi
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Post by WriterBLAlley »

Lyrics are definitely distracting. When I do have music to calm and center myself, I will put on KBAQ (the PBS Classical Music Channel in Arizona) in the living room at a lower volume while I work in my office. Being in a different room seems to eliminate the distraction and allow me to focus.
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Post by MatthewAlexander »

I listen to music that I feel fits the mood of what I'm writing at the time. It helps me get into the story.
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debbie smith
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Post by debbie smith »

I write best out on my deck or at a park where there is a background of nature: birds, wind in the trees, squirrels, distant lawnmowers or traffic (keyword is distant) However, I don't often get the opportunity to sit long enough in this environment to write much. I can listen to soft classical, or teaching/lecturing voices as long as they are fairly monotone and write. Quiet also works for me.
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Post by R_H_Ali »

I prefer silence to write. However, that luxury is not always a reality, so I'd put on music in order to block out other distractions and get me to my zen place.
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Post by db3hr »

Complete silence is distracting in itself. My solution so far has been instrumental music. Lyrics are distracting for me, but actual music is just inspiring and helpful to hear. Ratatat and RJD2 are old favorites, along with Explosions in the Sky and Four Tet. Recently there's been a lot of Tycho in my life, and Enemies. Do Make Say Think also has some great stuff. Interesting enough technical patterns going on in the music to stick with you on some level, but chill enough to not be distracting.
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