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Hey! Does music inspire you or help you in the writing process, or does it distract you? If you have any music you like listening to while writing, let me know, because it's always fun to listen to new things. The Twin Peaks Season Two Soundtrack really sets the mood for me while I write stuff.
Personally, something like white noise or the Silent Hill 2 soundtrack are what I use. The former I use more often for work, and the latter I use when the former isn't doing the job right. I use my regular playlist when editing so I get in the mood to spice things up. Other times, of course, I can't listen to music, so I just listen to the ventilation systems of whatever building I am in (usually a hospital or lab with loud air) to get started. This does, of course, work for writing only — if I am doing coding, I listen to metal or rock; if I am speedrunning, I listen to fast-paced video game soundtracks; if I am wanting to listen to music alone, I listen to a variety of orchestral tracks… you get the picture. Cheers.
-Styg
What is life if not the contrast between what has been and what will become?
I'm too small-minded to listen to music while writing or reading without getting distracted, but I'm into alternative rock (namely Cake, Primus and Beck), hip-hop (primarily MF DOOM/KMD and Tyler, the Creator), Afrobeat (especially (Fela Kuti), and prog rock (mostly Gentle Giant and Pink Floyd). In the past, Afrobeat has been the genre that's helped the most as a focus aid. Most of Fela Kuti's songs and albums are very long, feature long instrumental breaks, and have steady, driving beats that really help me get into a good working rhythm.
Almost forgot to mention Steely Dan. Steely Dan is great. So are Chali 2na, Ozomatli, Bob Dorough and Roots Manuva.
I mostly listen to ambient music while writing. However if we look at my author page and the song assignments, I take a lot of inspiration from bedroom pop songs like those from The Scary Jokes. These carry a lot about the queer experience as well as having a particular vibe I'd love to be able to capture in writing. A lot of my reasons for writing boils down to communicating the way certain music makes me feel.
Other artists I like include Hozier, I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Red Army Choir, Erich-Weinert-Ensemble, and The Happy Fits
Oh what a fun question!
Listening to music while writing is too distracting for me; however, I do listen to music while drawing or designing. I have specific playlists I listen to depending on the theme of the art I'm working on. Generally those playlists have music that spotify so helpfully describes as dark, modern rock, spooky, and indie rock. Don't know how accurate that is! But some specific artists include Goodnight Texas, Dead Man's Bones, Bones & Beeker, Sir Sly, Koda, and Low Roar.
But the time flies, irretrievable.
Low Roar my beloved. Goes very well with many works.
What is life if not the contrast between what has been and what will become?
I really like stuff like Marika Hackman, Liana Flores, Moses Sumney, Mitski, Daughter, Sir Chloe, The Crane Wives, and Son Lux when writing. Stuff that's not too distracting. Idk. just kinda normie melancholic indie music?
I can listen to anything while writing, as long as I'm focused, but mostly I like to listen to bedroom pop or indie/alt stuff, because it's pretty unobtrusive when I'm tryna formulate a story. My go-tos are Men I Trust, Crumb, Skinshape, Liana Flores, Cassandra Jenkins, Jaguar Sun, Sufjan Stevens, Far Caspian, King Krule, and others. I also occasionally listen to ambient music but those are mostly from game soundtracks.
Oh and also, I tend to get writing inspiration from all kinds of genres and songs, but those ones I specifically listen to when writing.
I personally find music a integral part of my creative process, and when I write I typically would hammer it out to the tune of a song. I belong in the camp where one listens, chooses, and strings out their songs individually from multiple artists instead of listening to a album or pre-made soundtrack, and as a result my playlist is all over the place. Country, popular music from the early 2010s, small time-recordings, stuff currently making the airwave circuits and such are all lumped in together. Lyrics, for some reason, don't come off as distracting to me. I've noticed, more often lately, when my brain enters the state of writing it focuses more on the tune, the way the music undulates in time and such, rather than on the content itself as a catalyst for creativity.
I don't have favorites, but I do find myself repeatedly enjoying artists/bands such as: Big Head Todd and The Monsters, Tom Petty (and The Traveling Wilburys), Jimmy Buffett, Blues Brothers, Blues Traveler (not related to the Blues Brothers), Jim Croce (bless his heart) and Sara Bareilles.
Well, I usually listen to either anime themes or anthem of nation or music related to political parties. This usually motivate me to write.
Usually I find music takes away from my writing process, but in the rare moments when I do listen to music for inspiration, it's usually one of these albums. Otherwise I listen to The Oh Hellos, Coldplay, They Might be Giants… A few others that don't come to mind.
Fires rage just below the surface of the ice.
