What do you listen to when you write?

I listen to a lot of celtic stuff, usually stuff without lyrics. I also listen to Classical or other instrumental music.

 

Now, this is a topic I can get into!

I listen to music quite a bit when writing... But even more so for idea generation and brainstorming. I have a huge collection of music and I use songs that match whatever mood the particular scene I'm writing has...

I use a lot of soundtrack music as backgrounds. I love a lot of anime soundtracks or atmospheric, high-tech ambience. John Williams doesn't do much for me, but I like Hans Zimmer.
For action scenes I'll switch to something fast-paced or heavy sounding.

Actually, I've had whole stories or long sequences of stories base almost entirely upon listening to a single track of audio. For space conflicts, Christopher Franke's Babylon 5 soundtracks are second to none.

 

Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Staind, and Metallica.

 

Hi, I don't hang around here quite as much, but...here goes.

I listen to very meditative stuff when I write, music that can fade into the background and just weave in and out of my brain. Nothing overly distracting, but you know it's there.

Pachlebel's Canon in D
Sandbox
Hayden
The Tragically Hip
Any choral music I can come across, preferably madrigals or older stuff.

Cris~

 

I usually listen to film soundtracks, of which I own a bunch. The Gladiator and Gattaca soundtracks are probably my favorite.

There was an evening back when I was writing Refuge that I just have to mention here. It was during a thunderstorm, and the power went out. I was upstairs in my room, writing as I do in bed around 10:30 at night. It was a Sunday, and Hearts of Space was on NPR, to which I am a faithful listener. That night was meditative music I guess, and they were playing Yo-Yo Ma's Appalachian Journey (a CD I'm desperate but unable to find). I had this battery-powered light deal that only illuminated the paper, the pen, and me, and it reminded me of floating in space somewhere with this beautiful tragic music all around me. This all translated rather well to paper, serving to support the most emotional scene in the story.

 

I enjoy Christian contemporary, really weird music like Celtic or Yanni, or hard rock. Depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Rebecca St. James and dcTalk work wonders for me. Some songs calm your head, and others send you into a frenzy. I'm also a HUGE fan a Creed, and I love the song "It's been awhile" by Staind. Older stuff rocks, like Aerosmith's old songs and Van Halen.
Often times, it's the songs that give me the inspiration. Oh yeah, my little siblings love Ed, Edd, and Eddy. I swear, that is the craziest show, but the insane antics provide odd yet creative ideas. PLEASE don't ask, LOL.

 

I rarely listen to music when I write; I save music for things like painting, drawing, or cleaning (physical activities). Usually when I write, I have the tv on Comedy Central, MTV (which doesn't count as music anymore, as is known by anyone who was able to watch during the glorious years before 1996), or CNN (not Headline News, you start noticing that you've already heard things). However, since James Earl Jones started doing Verizon voiceovers, it's been disconcerting to leave it on CNN. Not only do you hear "This is CNN" but then you get asked what you'd do with 1500 more minutes and then you're out of the writing trance.

But when I do use music for background noise, I like music which suits the voice I'm writing in. Right now, that voice is an isolated young woman, so I'm heavily into Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Blur, Joan Osborne, and Alicia Keys.

 

For writing slow and/or "mush" scenes:
Smash Mouth, Savage Garden, Lifehouse, Green Day, Everclear, Sugar Ray, 3 Doors Down, Linkin Park, Creed, dcTalk, Newsboys, two mixed cds, many others.

For writing action and intense scenes:
Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down, Creed, (a little) Limp Bizkit, (a little) Korn, Papa Roach, Blink 182, many others.

It's surprising, I have NEVER listened to any of the SW soundtracks while writing SW fanfic. Funny, don't ya think?

 

womp_rat208 I completely agree with you on the not listening to SW soundtracks while writing SW fic. I just can't do it! B/c I always start thinking about the scene being played and I can't really write anything new.

My personal listening list:

matchbox twenty : this group ranks number 1 with me and writing SW fic. I can listen to them in the car and think of new post ideas. The lyrics, the songs, all just inspire a lot out of me. I'm a big fan in case ya can't tell.

Cider House Rules Soundtrack : Rachel Portman's music is very heartugging. It's really good and perfect for writing angsty scenes. Which I tend to specialize in. MUHAHA!

Savage Garden : All I can say is here's hoping they do make another album before going their separate ways for good.

Turandot & La Boheme : Both operas by Puccini. This is my current writing soundtrack b/c the arias and songs just go really well with my current story. They're both beautiful operas too by themselves, of course.

 

Lets see....
Oh, whenever I am writing Sadistic Obi-Torture, gotta listen to track 12 on Moulin Rouge Soundtrack, La Tango de Roxanne. Heartbroken McGregor is great for making Obi-Wan all wrenching...

Right now when I'm writing, alotta Lizst (Libestraum (sp?)), Some Rachmaninov, Debussy.

And Lifehouse (Mostly just the song "Everything"), Radiohead, Dido, Vertical Horizon, REM.

La Boheme, TPM, ROTJ (Luke and Leia!), and Chopin (sometimes)

EP

 

Whenever I'm writing fanfiction, I always listen to soundtracks from my favorite composers, who consist of:

John Williams
James Horner
Basil Poledouris
Danny Elfman
Hans Zimmer

 

I try not to listen to anything when I am writing, but all too often, I am treated to the Evening Hitparade:

"Mom, I need a drink!"

"Mom, I have to go pee-pee!"

"Mom, I can't sleep!"

 

I usually don't listen to music while I write, but if I do it's usually Rebecca St. James, the TPM soundtrack, Rebecca St. James, dc Talk, Rebecca St. James, any kind of Celtic music, or Rebecca St. James. Especially Rebecca St. James.

 

This is some of what I listen to:

Braveheart: James Horner's soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful. The Uileann pipes are great. Great for romance and battle.

The Last of the Mohicans: Trevor Jones and Randy Edleman's soundtrack has a different setting than Braveheart, but is equally beautiful in some places. Also great for romance and battle.

Titanic: James Horner. Not as great as the above, but still lovely.

Any Carmen albums: I love this dude. He doesn't try to imitate others when he writes his songs. I love "Addicted to Jesus," "The Standard," "Revival in the Land," "The Absolute Best," etc. He's got a lot of them.

 

It depends. Sometimes I'll listen to Star Wars, other times I'll listen to any of the following CD's

Memphis Belle
2 Cd set of Gettysburg
Jumanji
Victory at Sea
More Victory at Sea
Winds of War
Patton

I know there are several others that I might not listen to often while I'm writing, and I almost never watch tv while writing.

 

Oh man, I listen to so many things including: Lifehouse, Matchbox 20, Creed, Stained [a little], Smashmouth, Sting, REM, John Denver [stop laughing], Weird Al Yancovick [HELL YEAH], Broadway show tunes,and much more.

 

I always listen to music. Whether I'm writing, or at the computer surfing around, or driving in the car, or studying in my room, the radio or Winamp is always blaring. The rest of my family frequently complains. I have a pretty electic taste in music, I'll listen to very nearly anything. But from my personal collection, especially while I'm writing, some bands and groups get more play-time than others, mostly rock and alternative.

- Dave Matthews Band
- Blink 182
- Three Doors Down
- Incubus
- Dido
- Bare Naked Ladies
- Stone Temple Pilots
- Metallica
- Godsmack
- Pink Floyd
- The Beatles
- Billy Joel

I almost always have to listen to music with words. Classical music or pieces from movie soundtracks don't go over too well. And like others here, I never listen to any SW music while I write. How ironic!

 

Depending on what kind of mood I'm in I listen to the Star Wars sound track, skip to the song that most fits the scene I'm working on and play it over and over. I also like Celtic music, and the radio always has at lest one good station to listen to.