Sometimes I find myself in a quiet room alone with my computer. In those quiet moments, it is so easy for the story to find me and the characters to speak. There is no distractions. There is nothing that is calling for my attention. It is just me and my computer. I would love to say that those times exist everyday. Unfortunately, those quiet moments exist once in a blue moon. For the most part, I find myself in the living room with one or two people talking to others, cats knocking something over or fighting among themselves, machines running in the background, and general neighborhood noises punctuated by loud, rumbling sound systems that need a lot of work.
Because writing is important to me, I have to balance my life and surroundings with it. That is a hard task when you add everything into the mix. So the perfect way that I have found to drown out the distraction and noise is to listen to music. I am not talking about Soft Rock or the Top 40. I am talking about classical, no vocal music that invokes emotion and thought. There is no distraction beyond the conscience reaction to the emotions or the recognition of a song. It leaves me to focus on the story in an almost mindlessly way that does not exist for me in any other way. Even writing without music comes with some sort of distraction.
Distraction is an enemy of all writers! So with that in mind, here are my tips for picking music to write with. Remember, these tips should be taken like any other tips for writers. You need to find what works best for you. It will not be the same as me or any other writer! Experiment and find what works for you.
1. Pick music that you enjoy, but do not chose any that have vocals. You are less likely to stop writing to sing the song or find the words of a song within your writing.
2. Take breaks with different types of music. I switch from cello music to piano and then to classical.
3. Choose a medium that works best for you. I go in between Pandora and the music channels that come with my cable package. Pandora has ads, but I can skip a song I do not like.
4. Use music to create emotion inside yourself and in turn your writing. I find that I prefer intense music when writing intense scenes or romantic music when writing romance.
5. Do not be afraid to experiment. You might surprise yourself with your musical choices.
Remember, your characters are human (maybe). What type of world are you writing if you do not include music? Music is essential to all culture, even if it is just the beat of a drum or a song belted from deep inside of us.
Because writing is important to me, I have to balance my life and surroundings with it. That is a hard task when you add everything into the mix. So the perfect way that I have found to drown out the distraction and noise is to listen to music. I am not talking about Soft Rock or the Top 40. I am talking about classical, no vocal music that invokes emotion and thought. There is no distraction beyond the conscience reaction to the emotions or the recognition of a song. It leaves me to focus on the story in an almost mindlessly way that does not exist for me in any other way. Even writing without music comes with some sort of distraction.
Distraction is an enemy of all writers! So with that in mind, here are my tips for picking music to write with. Remember, these tips should be taken like any other tips for writers. You need to find what works best for you. It will not be the same as me or any other writer! Experiment and find what works for you.
Top Five Tips for Writing with Music
1. Pick music that you enjoy, but do not chose any that have vocals. You are less likely to stop writing to sing the song or find the words of a song within your writing.
2. Take breaks with different types of music. I switch from cello music to piano and then to classical.
3. Choose a medium that works best for you. I go in between Pandora and the music channels that come with my cable package. Pandora has ads, but I can skip a song I do not like.
4. Use music to create emotion inside yourself and in turn your writing. I find that I prefer intense music when writing intense scenes or romantic music when writing romance.
5. Do not be afraid to experiment. You might surprise yourself with your musical choices.
Remember, your characters are human (maybe). What type of world are you writing if you do not include music? Music is essential to all culture, even if it is just the beat of a drum or a song belted from deep inside of us.
Wishing you writing greatness,
Sarah
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