The Ultimate Writing Music
There are many aspects that help make writing possible. Quiet surrounding, not too hot, not too cold. Coffee, blankets, that favorite pen, enough time to make you feel that it is possible to write something. A clean desk, a cluttered desk.
Many of these things are very personal. There is not a specific magic formula that makes you write better, or that makes you write good well.
Doing what works
Lately I've been using a nice bot (thanks @pengo!) in the Discord channel of @thewritersblock which helps you do short sprints. You can decide on the length, 5 minutes when you want to wake up, 10 minutes if you actually have to leave but still want to finish that one chapter, or 15 minutes when you're on a roll. Sprinting is only part of the writing process, obviously, but as I'm finishing writing a manuscript I've clearly plotted already, it really comes down to just sitting in front of that screen and writing it.
And what I've realized, is that depending on the music I have put on, the better my sprints go. And the less I am distracted to do other things, the music helps me to stay focused on the writing.
But... did you feel it coming?
What really works for me, is having good writing music. For years I've been using soundtracks for this, as there is no spoken words and it can go on for hours without you noticing the passing of time really. And you can repeat it, forever. Some of my favorite composers to write to are Mychael Danna (Girl Interrupted, Breach, Water), Jeff Beal (House of Cards), and Alexandre Desplat (Imitation Game). Often I have not even seen the movies, but know that music so well, that when I do end up looking at the movie, I have a very weird feeling, as if it's already known, but still new. What the Germans would call unheimlich.
So yeah, music...
My number #1 favorite composer is Max Richter. He makes incredible music, the first album I heard was 'Vivaldi Recomposed'. An amazing project in itself, as it took Vivaldi's original music score of the Four Seasons, and using only those notes, he truly recomposed it... the result? Much better than Vivaldi, and in a way it's also unheimlich when you hear both versions... none can exist without the other, for me at least.
Some months ago Max Richter completed a new amazing project called 'Sleep'. Music to listen to while you sleep, it accompanies the different phases of your sleep. So beautiful, that you actually don't want to sleep--although there have been some concerts where you're invited to bring your own bed. So far only the first part was released, but yesterday I found out the whole sleep-cycle is now available on Spotify. With a total of 204 tracks!!
Happy me!
So, now on to writing.
What is your favorite music to write to?
Thanks for sharing this @nobyeni. I do listen to music sometimes when I'm trying to write something. However, I usually listen to favorite songs with words which can be distracting sometimes. I'm going to look up the ones you mentioned and check them out.
Let me know what you think :)
I've always needed music to get in the zone, be it studying or writing something. I quickly found out that instrumental music worked best. Lyrics distract me too much. A few years ago I found the genre post-rock, which is instrumental music with mostly electric guitars and a drum. Sometimes there's a piano involved as well. I love playing music of "Explosions in the sky" or "Mogwai" while writing, for example. You should look them up! :)
Yes, I know Mogwai!
I guess I'm partial to piano music, combined with electronics and small orchestra-things like violin, because I play the piano myself (a little). Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who found out this works :)
@nobyeni music and writing go hand and hand for me a lot of the time. I think for each of us the tune of the story is probably reflected in the music. I listen to Two Steps From Hell radio. They are a video game composing orchestra.
I'm the total opposite: I cannot have any music in the background while writing, I find it too distracting. When I'm doing 3d art however, headphones are on full blast. I guess music affects different sides of my brain.
I had that too. that I couldn't actually listen to music while writing (or studying). But it changed, perhaps I found the right music for it after all? Or perhaps my brain changed... who knows :)
My writing and work music is Cryo Chamber; ambient dark music with minimal vocals, very non-disturbing.
I like the non-disturbing part of that sentence.
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