Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Fun with Polls Music to Write By

Finding myself in the luxurious situation of children in bed and husband out of town, I sat down tonight to pound out some serious pages on my latest WIP. As I put my "writing" CDs into the CD player, I wondered how other writers put themselves into the proper mood. Low and behold - a poll was born!

I don't really need music. I really need background noise. Whether it's music, the TV, my roommate talking on the phone, or even a professor droning on and on, doesn't matter. I just can't write in silence.

- Laura

I can't listen to music while I write. I can't concentrate. I start singing along and it just distracts me. Silence works best for me.

If I start listening to classical music, I will keep being distracted by the piano- I tend to abuse it whenever I hear something I want to know how to play.

Julie

Oh, good question, Lynn! I listen to music. I even have a file on WMP that I tend to open when I am writing fanfic. It mostly has love songs. I usually listen to that file when I am writing. It mostly has country (my music preference in general), but some pop too. Definitely gets me in the writing mood.

Jana

This mostly applies to studying and papers for me since my fics are usually a five or ten minute goof-around, but I almost can't do a thing in silence! It's too quiet! If I'm just reading over something, I'll put on this Hawaiin guitar instrumental I found off the Lilo & Stitch soundtrack. If I have to read something heavy, though, I do have to 86 the music and read in absolute silence.

JD

Generally speaking, I'm an I-need-silence type of person. This doesn't just apply to writing; it applies to reading, too. I find that music often pulls me out of my concentration and, while I might be able to get things done with background noise, they will take me about three times as long and be full of errors.

Having said that, there are exceptions to everything. I can copy type to music; in fact, I prefer to have music on when I'm doing that. Even then, there are certain types of music that I will favour, classical being the main one. Something more popular, but gentle in mood, might work, too, but soundtracks from musicals or strident rock almost certain won't. (Not that I go in for much strident rock, anyway, but there might be one or two CDs somewhere in my collection.)

The radio usually is a distraction rather than a pleasure, if I am trying to concentrate. Even a nice middle-of-the-road classical station causes problems because there are distracting announcements and adverts between the pieces of music.

Worst of all, though, in terms of my maintaining my concentration is television. I can't even knit to that. (I think I stopped pretending I could do homework with the TV on when I was about fourteen.)

I had a friend when I was a student who was the exact opposite of me, though. She came from a very large family and was used to lots of noise. She found she needed as much background sound as possible, and couldn't concentrate without it.

Chris

I tend to go through periods of wanting both, depending on my mood of the day.

There was a spell - back when I was writing my nfic romps - when I played the same CD on a loop. <g> Eternal's Greatest Hits. Don't ask why because I have no idea. It drove Stuart insane. <G>

If music helps me write it must do it on a subliminal level, because once I get started on the pc I'm gone - dead to the world. Not just when writing but when doing anything. So it wasn't unusual for me to be four songs into the CD and not have heard a blessed word.

LabRat

Great question, Lynn! I replied No, I need silence to focus - which then produced an error, because I didn't answer the next question (If you replied Yes...). So I picked 'other' for the second question.

I used to listen to music all the time when I wrote, but for the last two years or so, I've found that I need silence for serious thinking tasks like writing. I can read to music, so long as I'm not expected to then make intelligent comments on whatever I'm reading (so I can't BR to music, for example).

Strangely, I'm quite happy to have the radio on at work, so long as it's not a classical channel playing music I really like - then I get distracted by the beauty of whatever I'm listening to. However, if it's classical music I don't like or am indifferent to, or pop/jazz music I like or don't like, then I don't have a problem. Does this mean that I don't think seriously at work?

BTW, I hadn't realised that people might pick classical music so as not be distracted by lyrics. Interesting!

Yvonne

Oooooh, I'd forgotten this qualification to my previous post until you reminded me, Yvonne.

Isn't that strange? Stuart maintains that when I'm sitting at the pc a nuclear bomb could go off or we could be overrun by invading hordes and I'd be completely oblivious...but I simply cannot bear music on when I'm beta reading because it distracts me and breaks my concentration. Only instance where it actually makes it through the barricade.



LabRat

I need music in the background so that I can tune it out. Isn't that weird?

I don't have any set music I play to get me in the mood, but if it's silent...I get distracted. Up the wazoo. I will hear the hum of the computer, I will hear the ticking of the clock, I will hear the dog's nails click on the floor three rooms away and suddenly wonder if she has enough water....

However, if I have music on, it drowns out those noises. But I don't necessarily hear the music itself. There have been plenty of times when I will look up from my writing/reading/homework, and realize that this is song twelve. And I missed 2-11. And I really wanted to hear number seven! Darn it.

Oh, and Chris, I did homework in front of the TV all the time. But I couldn't do all of it -- only the concrete stuff, like math and science. The kinds that had right or wrong answers that I could check in the back of the book. English stuff, reading and writing essays and things, I couldn't do because they took more creative/intelligent thought and then I'd miss my TV show.

My sister, otoh, needs Silence to do her homework. Good thing we were suitemates instead of roommates!

Bethy, who should probably go vote, now that she's explained her answers.

I actually answered "Yes" but then I realized that there are several times, after I drop my kids off at school, that I actually enjoy the complete silence ringing through the house. But for the most part, I like to listen to a few choice CDs when I'm writing.

Because these CDs are favorites that I've listened to over and over and over, I don't get distracted by the lyrics or music, unless of course it's to perk up my ears to say "Oh, yeah, I love this song." I'm the same with certain movies on DVD - I can put the movie in like background music and go about my other things, popping my head up on occassion to say "I love this part."

Currently, in my writing CDs stack are the following CDs. Now, I'm admitting to these knowing that you have all raised your right hand and sworn not to laugh at me <g>.

Abba Gold (residual from seeing Mama Mia)
The Very Best of Cher (I belieeeeve...)
Celine Dion's Falling Into You (Stop laughing)

OK, off topic - has anyone seen the movie "How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days" where the Kate Hudson character tells the Matthew McConaughey character that she has "front row tickets" to what he thinks is a New York Knicks basketball game but actually turns out to be a Celine Dion concert? One of the funniest movie moments ever. Sorry. Back O/T

Bare Naked Ladies - Gordon
Genesis - Abacab
Loreena McKennitt - The Book of Secrets
A half dozen 1970s and 80s music anthologies

Yes, now I've been dated. But hey, anything that helps me write <g>.

Lynn

Yes, very interesting question!

I've always found it much easier to concentrate on work - of whatever type, be it studying, writing, reading, etc - if I have some sort of music in the background. As long as it's music I like, it doesn't matter what it is; as Yvonne can testify, I can and will play the same old CD over and over again - poor Yvonne, on one visit, had to ask me to change the CD because having it repeated was driving her loony!

Once I'm actually working, I'm near-oblivious to what's playing; I just know that there is nice soothing music in the background.

And it really does help. At work, I have my own office (ie not shared) and so I can play CDs on my computer. I'd got out of the habit, though, for a while - until last semester when I was marking a large batch of essays (80 of them, as I remember) and, as it frequently does, the marking was making me tired and stressful. Then I put on some music and before I knew it I was getting through the essays faster and with less of a feeling of tension while doing it.

Maybe I'm just used to it and so the music helps me to relax! But it does drive my husband mad sometimes. He quite often works at home, but he needs silence to work, so no music then. And at other times, he really doesn't like hearing the same CD repeated over and over... so we tend to compromise on a radio station we listen to over the Internet.


Wendy

Great poll, Lynn!

Although I have to write in silence, or with ear plugs in when it is noisy in the house, I have a whole file of mp3s labeled Muse-ic. It's mostly love songs that I associate with L&C, for example, some of the songs from the music videos are a favorite to get in the mood. And often songs like 'Starwood in Aspen' are added because I've enjoyed the story so much.

But after the mood is achieved, it's back to blessed silence.

Missy

Great idea!!

On topic, I have to agree with Wendy <g>. Ever since I was a kid, be it English, Irish, Maths or Art, I always found it easier to concentrate with music in the background - that is, when doing written stuff. Things I had to learn, commit to memory, I could only manage in perfect silence. I don't *need* to listen to music in order to write, but it definitely is a fantastic boost.

Favourite CDs?

Fallen, Evanescence.
Talk on Corners, The Corrs.
All the Way, Celine Dion [Lynn, I even sing along. Go ahead, mock me at will!!!! <g> I have every one of her CDs ]
False Smiles, Amy Studt.
Innocent Eyes, Delta Goodrem.
The Mamas and the Papas - Best of.
Life for Rent, Dido.
Daniel Bedingfield's album - can't remember the title for some reason. My brain is freezing <g>
Savage Garden - the first one and Affirmation

OT, yes, Lynn, I adore that movie, and that scene is just... Think the only thing that topped it was the 'love-plant' and, of course, that card game

Slinking away now to try and write...

Sara

I waffle back and forth. I was raised in a big, noisy family, so I learned early on how to tune out anything. I also have an extremely obsessive personality - so whenever I'm really focused on something (be it writing, reading, studying, watching a movie, etc) there's not a whole lot that can distract me. Silence doesn't bother me at all, but I like music, so I tend to put music on a lot. Sometimes I get in a zone and totally ignore it, other times I really listen as I write. I guess I'm just lucky to be able to really focus on two things at once.

My selection varies a lot. Some stories have very specific inspiration - for instance, when I was writing Standing at the Edge and All Alone I listened to Standing at the Edge and Sand and Water (the songs the stories were inspired by) continuously. I just put them on repeat and let it go for hours. It helped me really stay in the mood. Other have more general inspiration. When I'm writing a sad/angsty scene, I listen to melancholy music (Enya, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones), when I'm writing a happy scene I listen to country music or 80s music, when I'm writing a nfic scene, I listen to dance/pop music (Justin Timberlake's Rock Your Body has been the inspiration for many of my nfic scenes - unsurprising as one of the lines is "I'm gonna have you naked by the end of this song." <G>) I have a huge variety of music on my computer - everything 80s hits to classical to country to dance to soundtracks to comedy. If I'm looking for a certain mood and need help getting into it, I'll make a playlist that fits the mood, but most of the time I just let it play randomly.

On a semi-related note, my choice of music bothers no one as I listen through headphones - even when no one else is home. Wearing the headphones drowns out all outside noices and creates a cocoon effect. I'm totally wrapped up in the world of my computer and oblivious to anything else that is going on. Also I listen to my music very loud, no subtle mood music for me. That's another reason for the headphones since I do most of my writing in the wee hours of the morning - my roommates is understanding, but no one wants to hear Christina Aguilera full blast at 2am. And I don't think I'd want to explain that anyway.... "But I NEED this loud music because I'm writing a NC-17 scene about Superman." My roommate would have me committed. <G>

Nice poll, Lynn. The answers have been really interesting.

Annie

Annie

This was a question I hadn't thought about, and when I did, my answer surprised me. I listen to music almost constantly, but I realized that I usually don't when I'm writing. Sometimes I'll listen to classical, espcially Bach or Vivaldi because the precision and purity help me get my mind in order. When I'm really into the writing, though, I'm so deep inside my own head that I don't hear anything around me. I just go to my Lois and Clark world. Anyway, for the poll I had to answer both yes and no since there was no selection for 'sometimes both'. Thanks for a self-enlightening poll.
:)Jude

I cannot write to silence. I need something to help me get in the mood and picture scenes in my mind. Silence just doesn't do that; silence isn't atmospheric, waffy or angsty. Actually, ever since I was a teenager I couldn't work in silence. I used to listen to radio talk shows while doing my homework! I don't know why but I always felt I could concentrate better on something when doing something else at the same time. Paradoxical, huh? So whenever I'm in a completely quiet environment (library or exam room for example), I find that there's a song running around in my head to make up for the lack of music.

As far as inspirational music goes, I remember when I first started associating music with fiction. I was 14 or something, and reading a French classic (Au Bonheur des Dames, by Emile Zola), and there was that song that I played over and over and over and over again. Funnily enough, it was a very bouncy dance song called Get Away, by a group called Maxx (hey, I was young ). And even these days, whenever I fetch the CD from my collection and play this particular song, bits and pieces of the novel come back to me.

So that's how it started. Actually, I wouldn't say I play the same *CD* over and over and over. No, I play the same *song* over and over and over. These days it's Evanescence's My Immortal, but before that it had been Daniel Bedingfield's If You're Not the One (which played over and over for about two months ). Off the top of my mind, and just for the sake of recommendations to other music-crazy authors out there , here's a list of songs that have been used in this particular way (and are still occasionally set on repeat in my CD player):

• Little by Little, by Oasis;
• Travelin' Soldier, More Love, Without You, and You Were Mine, by the Dixie Chicks;
• L'Amour Heureux and Aimer, from the Romeo et Juliette musical;
• Virgin State of Mind, by K's Choice;
• Full of Grace, by Sarah McLachlan;
• Eternal Flame, by the Bangles;
• It Only Hurts When I Breathe, by Shania Twain;
• To You I Belong and Oh Mr. Postman, by B*Witched;
• Here Is Your Paradise, by Chris de Burgh;
• Donne-moi le Temps and Je Garde, by Jenifer;
• Never Had a Dream Come True, by S Club 7;
• Falls to Climb, Find the River, Parakeet, and I'll take the Rain by R.E.M.;
• Canto Della Terra, by Andrea Bocelli;
• I Don't Have to Wonder, by Garth Brooks (very, *very* BaTP/THoL-ish!);
• I Need You, by LeAnn Rimes;
• Only When I Sleep, Don't Say You Love Me, Runaway, No Good For Me, Hurt Before, Closer and Heaven Knows, by the Corrs;
• If I Don't Stay the Night and I'm Not So Tough, by Mindy McCready;
• If You're Not the One and Never Gonna Leave Your Side, by Daniel Bedingfield;
• Not Me, Not I and Lost Without You, by Delta Goodrem;
• J'y Crois Encore, by Lara Fabian;
• Si J'm'en Sors, by Julie Zenatti;
• Ordinary World, by Duran Duran;
• Sang Pour Sang, by Johnny Halliday;
• Une Etincelle, by L5;
• Two Become One, by the Spice Girls;
• My Immortal, by Evanescence;
• The Last Resort, by Eagles;
• On n'oublie Jamais Rien, On Vit Avec, by Helene Segara and Laura Pausini;
• E Ritorno Da Te, by Laura Pausini;
• Where the Wild Roses Grow, by Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue.

That's all (ahem!) I can think of right now.

Kae-I-warned-you-I-was-an-addict-thel

I listen to music with almost everything I do. It starts when I wake up, and when I'm trying to sleep, there's always a CD running in the background. So whenever it's possible, I turn on music. It's mostly my albums or the collection (ever growing <g>) on my computer.

So I do listen to music when I'm writing. If I'm stuck, it sometimes helps me to get out of that corner. But in most cases (if I even have time for it) my music will help me with writing, I can go on like a train and produce a few pages in a very short time. Of course there are moments I start singing along, very distracting, but the songs are just so good.

I can also play some songs over and over. At the moment (more like the last five months ) I listen to Delta Goodrem, and in particular Lost Without You. Some songs from a Dutch singer. And many more, actually.

I'll just list a few of my favourites:

* Delta Goodrem - Innocent Eyes, Born to Try, Butterfly, Not Me Not I and Lost Without You
* Marco Borsato - Lopen op het Water, Dromen zijn Bedrog, Je Hoeft Niet Naar Huis Vannacht, De Waarheid, Binnen, Afscheid Nemen Bestaat Niet en De Bestemming
* Britney Spears (cd's 1-3)
* Dixie Chicks - Travelin' Soldier, You Were Mine, Tortured Tangled Hearts, I Can Love You Better and a couple more I can't remember the title of
* The Corrs - too many to mention
* Mickey Harte - We've Got the World
* B*Witched - To You I Belong, C'est La Vie
* Pink - Don't Let Me Get Me, Get The Party Started, Family Affairs, Just Like A Pill
* S Club 7 - Neve Had A Dream Come True, Don't
Stop Movin'
* Bangles - Eternal Flame and Manic Monday
* Jewel - Intuition, Foolish Games
* Wham - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
* Boyzone - No Matter What, Words
* Toni Braxton - Unbreak My Heart

I think that's enough now. I love many more songs, but I'm good at forgetting names and titles.

Saskia

In the first question, I voted for yes. It's true that sometimes there are difficult scenes that need a lot of concentrating. In this case, I turn it off, and, as everyone is sleeping at this hour, I have no problem at all But generally, I do listen to music when writing or doing anything else in the PC (unless, of course, it's a game that has its own sound efects).

As to what I listen to, I voted for other. I have a list of 247 (so far) songs I've downloaded from the Internet, listed alphabetically by the artist's name, and I listen to them (every day beginning from where I stopped last night). I use CDs rarely, because I keep them in my room while the PC is in another room and I don't want to have to go bring another CD when the one I'm listening to is finished.

I listen to various kinds of music. There are few times when I'm feeling REALLY melancholic and then I only want to listen to 'slow' songs. But usually I listen to everything available, whatever kind (well, not 'whatever', but I do have a wide range) and whatever language. You may find me listen to Spanish music while writing in English (or other combinations).

Today I've been writing. Let's see, what have I listened to so far?

- Marcela Morelo (20 out of the 37 songs I've downloaded)
- Mariah Carey (My All)
- Mary J. Blige (Family Affair)
- Michelle Branch (All You Wanted)
- Mis-Teeq (Scandalous, Style)
- Natalia (the 9 songs I've downloaded)
- Nena (99 Red Balloons)
- Nickelback (How You Remind Me, Someday, Too Bad)

From latin to a ballad, then r'n'b, pop/rock and back to r'n'b, latin again, 80's pop and rock.
Right now I have Nirvana's 'Nevermind' on. That's me.

Interesting poll, Lynn.
See ya,
AnnaBtG.

Okay, since everyone decided to post their favourite music, I'll add to that. My favourite singers are:
Thalia
Paulina Rubio
Natalia Oreiro
Spice Girls

And then there are loose songs I like. Some are in Spanish:
La Intrusa (Emmanuel) - theme song
La Usurpadora (Pandora) - theme song
Are You Happy Now (Michelle Branch)
Wasn't Me (Shaggy) - cracks me up every time
One in a Million - from the Miss Congeniality soundtrack - forgot who performed it
Head Over Feet (Alanis Morisette) - I blame Pam
Hey Mickey (GoGos) - Bring It On Soundtrack
Perfect Day (Hoku) - Legally Blonde Soundtrack
Wild Child (Enya)
Ocean Gypsy (forgot the artist)
Kids In America (No Secrets)
Mi Chico Latino (Gerry Halliwell)
I Think I love you (Kaci)

I also like musical soundtracks - My Fair Lady, Camelot, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, Hair, The King and I, Grease, Victor/Victoria, South Pacific (etc).

And then there are the songs that Trenna's videos introduced me to:
Sometimes When we Touch
I Can't Be Your Friend Anymore
You Light Up My Life
Not a Day Goes By
Words
Baby Can I Hold You
And there's more I can't remember right now...
Thank you, Trenna!

Julie

I find that "Trailer Park" by Tank Wilson a good CD to write to. The songs are bland and unremarkable so they don't offer a distraction, but it is noise in the backround.

Tank (who generally likes to have backround noise when he writes but occasionally needed quiet when working out a more difficult part... back when he was a fic writer)

Continuing the trend of wandering off topic onto a simple list of favourite music, here's a random selection of artists/music from my CD collection:

Sting, The Corrs, Annie Lennox
Doris Day (do not laugh, she's better than you might think!)
Gerry Rafferty's latest CD (but there's only one track I actually like)
Harvey and the Wallbangers (hands up anyone who's heard of them )
Oscar Peterson, Alanis Morissette, The Beatles, Norah Jones, George Michael, Queen, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass, Pink Floyd, Billy Joel, Tears For Fears, Genesis, Sinead O'Connor
James Bond Theme Tunes
Love Songs I and II (compilation albums)

Then there's the other stuff:
Mahler 2 and 8 (oh, and 5, but I only ever listen to the totally sublime 4th movement, which was used in Death In Venice)
Bach Partitas for Violin
Rutti Choral Music
Rachmaninov 24 Preludes
Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet
Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Grieg, Brahms Piano Concertos
Dvorak Violin Concerto
Britten A Boy Was Born
Poulenc Motets and other stuff
Granados Goyescas

etc, etc, etc...

Yvonne
(who suspects that 'pop' list dates her somewhat )

Tank said:

That's funny, I have that album too - on tape, not on CD. And, yes, I like it.


Wendy

I guess I should know I'd find someone who likes this kind of music too, but somehow I'm really surprised. I'm not used to it, I guess.

AnnaBtG. (big fan of latin music and Mexican soap operas, especially 'La Usurpadora' )

LOL, I'm sort of surprised too, actually. But surprises are good.

Julie

Well, I've just begun writing again after a very long work-induced hiatus. I voted yes to the first question and 'other,' to the second, so here's my explanation. I do choose music that reflects the mood I'm trying to create in a story, but often this will mean listening to one song over and over on endless repeat. I know this would drive most people absolutely insane, but for me, the music should create an atmosphere without being distracting and a song I know really well can definitely fit this role. (Incidentally, listening to a song with which you are very familiar and listening to a song you've never heard before are two very different processes for your brain. A new song will get your full attention and will distract you from other things, whereas with a song you already know well, you're brain really only tunes in to something around 10-15% of it and it fills in the rest for you. The brain is so cool :p )

If I'm trying to write angst (and these days, when am I not? ) I can listen to Coldplay's "Warning Sign" on infinite repeat. Previously, when I was working on a non-fanfic project and I was trying to write a secondary character's reaction to a main character's death, I had Third Eye Blind's "Background" on infinite repeate because the song's bridge, "The plans I make still have you in them...," to me, captured perfectly that time when death isn't real and the person isn't really gone; when you're still completely in denial and your brain can't imagine tomorrow with that person not there, and so it doesn't. If I hadn't already sworn up and down not to write a TOGOM re-write, I'd definitely have this same song on infinite repeat while working on it.


Rac

Depends on what I'm writing. Usually I like silence. Once in a while, I'll put on something soothing like Yanni, Enya or David Arkenstone in the background. I've been known to listen to movie soundtracks like the LoTR or Star Trek soundtracks as well. I just can't have anything with distracting lyrics when I write. About the only artist with lyrics I can listen to while writing is Enya, and I also like James Darren's CD of Sinatra's music (he played a hologram on DS9).

I voted yes, because silence sometimes creeps me out. I get really nervous when I'm alone and trying to write something and there's no background music.

I tend to listen to a lot of varied artists. I have lately had my Chris de Burgh moods whenever I would write. Whenever I listen to 'Carry Me (Like a Fire in Your Heart)', I tend to write more sappy (not romantic) but tear jerker scenes. Chris de Burgh's music is a bit of genius for me. I could listen to it 24/7 and never grow tired of it.

I also like musicals, so when I get something like 'The Lion King', 'Cats', or 'Beauty and the Beast', then I can generally write pretty well.

Josh Groban, Cliff Richard, John Denver, Phil Collins, and Rod Stewart are other artists I can listen to while writing.

I've never been able to work in silence and I have the hands-down, absolute best CD to write LnC fanfic to...the LNCTNAOS Soundtrack. I bought it a few years ago and I do actually pop it in to the walkman when I know I want to seriously sit and write. It'a all instrumental background music from the show and it really does help to set the mood.

Cool poll! I do miss a lot of good stuff.

I write much better with music on, because it helps me to concentrate. It isn't for mood-setting, though (but I still picked the "yes" answer for the first question.) I also find I get interrupted less often when I've got something playing - weird. Maybe the rest of the family just stays well away from my favourite music?

It has to be something that isn't going to distract me, so nothing I haven't heard before. I work best when I have songs I practically know backwards - I'll sit warbling away, but it's all totally unconscious. I did some of my best writing listening to a set of three CDs on a loop - Sting's Mercury Falling, Sting's Brand New Day and Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick (yes, I *can* sing every word of that without paying attention. Scary. )

I've been collecting Al Stewart CDs recently and listening to them in the car. If I get familiar enough with the lyrics, they might form my new playlist.

And while I'm on the subject, does anyone else think Sting's All Four Seasons in One Day is a perfect description of S1 Lois?

Mere