Writing Soundtracks?

[kitty_fic]

Do you have certain music that you listen to and use to inspire you while writing?

Do your music choices vary depending on what you are writing? Are there songs that you use as inspiration for certiain scenes? Do you listen to sexy music for writing smut? Or maybe you prefer something less distracting that you can tune out?

Please share some of your most inspirational music!

Comments

[bleedforyou1.livejournal.com]

I don't listen to music WHILE writing (unless it's quite instrumental in the low background) BUTTTTTTTT I do listen to a lot of music before, to get me into the mood. sexy music (like adam lambert & kesha) make me write smut and dance!club fics xD and slow, soft indie music makes me write fluff & flangst!

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

I find music entirely too distracting to listen to while I write. I know this sounds odd, but I write best when I've got BBC comedy shows playing in the background (the best ones seem to be Black Books and The Mighty Boosh). IDEK. I wish I could listen to music, though!

[lordhellebore]

Music while writing means no writing. It drives me insane. That said, there's a wide variety of songs that have inspired me over time. Entirely too many to list here.

[undrsomestairs.livejournal.com]

Listening to music usually distracts me too much to write. I did get inspiration from Johnny McGovern songs when I was trying to write a club scene, though. Particularly 'A Song for the Fellas (Who Like the Fellas)'. It's fun and has a good beat.

[nimielle.livejournal.com]

It entirely depends on my level of concentration, when I have trouble concentration I might end up with earplugs in and no music or sound at all, otherwise I've found the following incredibly conducive to writing:

Classical music, especially Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Ravel's Bolero and Mozart's piano concerts, especially #7 and #21

Soundtracks that worked really well for me in the past are "The Hours" by Philip Glass, "Spy Game" by Harry Gregson Williams, "Gladiator" by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard as well as "Winged Migration" by Bruno Coulais.

As for albums that worked, "Something to Remember" by Madonna, "Wind in the Wires" and "The Bachelor" by Patrick Wolf, "Heartland" by Owen Pallett, "Detunized Gravity" by De-Phazz (sort of loungy stuff, really good to concentrate) and last but definitely not least "Empathy" and "Instinct" by Mandalay (they always make me write and I use them especially if it's something sort of haunting or dark that I am trying to write).

But yeah it depends entirely, one of the few things I've been avoiding completely has been putting my playlist on shuffle, because there's enough songs on there that I've never heard and they can be incredibly distracting, because if I need to, I can't tune them out.

As for the choices, sometimes, when I am especially bouncy but need to write a sad scene, I will get myself some music that'll make me sad, but usually it don't usually need mood music.

[mijeli.livejournal.com]

I absolutely NEED music for writing! It will distract me, yes, but I need those moments to achieve some distance from what I just wrote.

Aside from my usual black metal - which I'm not sure you'd like to be recced ;) - there are a few bands that always help, such as Muse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZjxskTrSz0), Johnossi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcM7lbsnAr4) or Slut (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_U_MlyJvPw).
At the moment, I'm also pretty big on Athlete (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDZI_IgRtE) and Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh63TiME_eI). Oh, and this song by Empire of the Sun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YN2lsrWN34).

(I linked you to one song I enjoy from each of them, in case you want to try!)

Generally though, I find sad music much more inspirational, no matter what I'm writing. More emotionally stimulating.

[kinky-kneazle.livejournal.com]

I listen to whatever is on my playlist (helpfully named "Stuff Wot I Liek") or I listen to the television. The TV really is distracting, so as I've become more serious about my writing, I've turned the TV off, but I still can't bear to sit in silence. My playlist includes such gems as Abba, the Beatles, the Indigo Girls, Robbie Williams and a lot of Glee. I'm also into Sara Bareilles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_hEbu92HYY) at the moment. Love this song!

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

*swoons for that song* I love her music!

[herumtreiber.livejournal.com]

I like listening to baroque music when I start to write, something soothing like Handel or Pachelbel, I love oboe concertos.

Sometimes I'll listen to upbeat music before writing a particular scene, like Bon Jovi or soundtracks.

And always Tony Bennett.

[deirdre-aithne.livejournal.com]

I have a harder time writing without music, so I pretty much always have it playing when I write. But which playlist I use (or what Pandora/Yahoo Music station that I tune into) depends heavily on what I'm writing.

For smut, I tend to gravitate toward songs like: Come Up and Try My New Parts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg2o6dOtDKM) from REPO! the Genetic Opera, and, strangely enough, Take It Off by Kesha.

My ultimate go-to for angst is things like Love the Way You Lie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U).

And romance winds up a mix of just about anything. But most of the genres I go for, no matter the content I'm writing, are alternative, country, or rock. I just throw in a few other things here and there when the song works for me.

[meglw0228.livejournal.com]

I can't seem to write without music playing, and I'll listen to almost anything to get my muse flowing! I have a fave playlist that I listen to when I'm writing in general, and it includes country, pop, rock, alternative, classical, instrumental, and hip hop by varying artists.

If I'm writing angsty or troubling scenes I always listen to my moody playlist which includes Fuel (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGHnYD2y-44), 3 Doors Down (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPBzTxZQG5Q), and Nickelback (http://www.youtube.com/user/nickelbacktv#p/u/9/3E7_8FWqY9o).

If I'm writing smut or even some romance I almost always listen to any Adam Lambert song.

[sordid-humors.livejournal.com]

I always write with music. Sometimes I use music with a sound that evokes a certain mood or reminds me of the character I'm writing. With my husband around playing video games or bugging me, I often need the emotion from the music to keep me focused on the feel of what I'm working on.

Often, I'll listen to several different versions of the same song to maintain a feeling while I write--an acapella, a live recording, a cover. Right now I'm really into Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver). I actually prefer his live riffs to his studio stuff. He's rather brilliant. Others I like are Basia Bulat, Regina Spektor and the late Mark Linkous. For neo-classical, I adore Arvo Paert and Mark Summer of the Turtle Island String Quartet (2 Tony awards and he's a friend of mine).

I have a couple playlists specifically for writing smut. It's a lot of Bjork, Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, Soundgarden, Clarence Greenwood, Gotan Project and Bajofondo Tango Club. Probably not what most people would expect, I think. But if you've read what I do, I think it makes sense for the mood and feel.

[sordid-humors.livejournal.com]

I always write with music. Sometimes I use music with a sound that evokes a certain mood or reminds me of the character I'm writing. With my husband around playing video games or bugging me, I often need the emotion from the music to keep me focused on the feel of what I'm working on.

Often, I'll listen to several different versions of the same song to maintain a feeling while I write--an acapella, a live recording, a cover. Right now I'm really into Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver). I actually prefer his live riffs to his studio stuff. He's rather brilliant. Others I like are Basia Bulat, Regina Spektor and the late Mark Linkous. For neo-classical, I adore Arvo Paert and Mark Summer of the Turtle Island String Quartet (2 Tony awards and he's a friend of mine).

I have a couple playlists specifically for writing smut. It's a lot of Bjork, Death Cab for Cutie, Postal Service, Soundgarden, Clarence Greenwood, Gotan Project and Bajofondo Tango Club. Probably not what most people would expect, I think. But if you've read what I do, I think it makes sense for the mood and feel.

[thisgirl-is.livejournal.com]

I prefer to have music on when I'm writing, but it has to be instrumental - if there are lyrics, I tend to end up typing them out which is... not terribly useful. :oP