The right music gets me into a desired emotional state for writing. It helps me stay in the “zone.” Staying focused and writing for longer. Tracks without vocals are best for this purpose, as most lyrics distract me. But there are exceptions. If I’m down, and the writing is not really flowing, or if I’m sick, I always use music. I put on nostalgia tracks or music which are fun to listen to. It helps me relax and get some work done.
The “melodic” voice of my cat Mr. Muffin I can’t recommend as a writing-aid. His cute little face and "Meow, entertain me!" or "I'm hungry, feed me now" do the opposite :-) The same is true for some genres. I have trouble focusing on writing when I listen to most rock, jazz, and classical tracks, or any track I have never heard before.
My MOST listened to
I use specific tracks to channel my emotions in the desired direction, like sadness, fear, or desire. Some tracks are so “pure” I can listen to them over and over again.
I listened to popular music from the eighties and nineties. Likely as writing fantasy puts me right back to my youth when I first discovered the genre and dreamt of becoming a writer.
I have quite a long list of tracks but the ones below were the place I began each time I sat down to write, to try and get into the same mental state. Thanks for the assist!
What else?
I don’t always listen to music while writing or imagining, most times I “listen” to the sound of silence. I also use silence when brainstorming new ideas, like at the beginning of writing a novel. There I really don’t need distractions.
Great deals
