Wednesday, March 24, 2010

THE WRITE WHISPER: Playlists


Many authors write to music.
I'm not one of them.
After a day filled with noisy-traffic during busy school runs, exuberant toddler, chatty hubby-my sanctuary at night is my office, where I sit in blissful silence and start writing.
Not that I haven't tried.
I've played around with 'hot' music for sex scenes, Bollywood music while writing my RT award nominee set in India and general chill out stuff.
Don't like it.
The music ends up being an annoyance and a distraction from my characters.
Maybe it's because I'm an auditory writer (hear my characters' dialogue) and music interferes with that.
Though something I would like to try is making a playlist for a particular novel.
ie. gathering various songs together to set the ambiance for that particular novel and maybe playing it before I start writing. To get me in the mood, so to speak!
So all you writers out there...do you use playlists?
Popular artists for specific genres?
Song recommendations for subgenres?

5 comments:

December said...

That's so interesting! I'm an auditory learner, but a visual writer... visual imagine-er?
I'm a fan of Pandora!

M.J. said...

I make playlists for every book. And sometimes different ones for different stages of the book. I'm an auditory writer and, for me, the music does the opposite, it blocks out all the distracting stuff and focuses me on the book world : ) and shuts down the part of my brain that pays attention to the distractions or something.

I love it when I'm writing away from home too because I can put on my headphones with the soundtrack and bang, in the world.

I can write without it but I prefer with. But then I used to study to music at school too. Which used to drive my parents crazy (they thought I couldn't concentrate with music on) *g*

Not too helpful on suggestions though, it's really all about what a particular book or scene needs. My current wip ranges from Hunters and Collectors to Pink to dark heavy electronic stuff to country to Queen and bits from the Transformers soundtrack lol

Fiona Lowe said...

Total silence for me, including earplugs. BUT I often get a book idea FROM hearing a song.

Ally Blake said...

I have music blaring when I write. I NEED the white noise. It blocks out the shopping lists, and to do lists, and crazy day to day stuff that flickers inside my head continuously.

George Michael does it for me every time. Especially his ballads.

Give it a go!!!

Romance, Rumours and Rogues said...

While I must have silence to write, I'm going to have a few projects on the go the next month so seriously need something to centre me on each...going to give the playlist thing a go!

Thanks for sharing your experiences :)