Do you listen to music while you work? Do you listen to music while you write, whether it be an email, a report, or the composition of a poem? The answer for me is a little bit complicated. I like to listen to music, and there are songs or pieces that can catapult me immediately into my fictional world. However, other people’s words tend to crowd out my own, so I proceed with caution.
If I do listen to music while I write, I expect to be mildly distracted. It helps if the music is instrumental, or so familiar that I am able to block the lyrics from my conscious thought processes. Sometimes listening to something in a foreign language works for me.
I have written while listening to Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western music, John Williams soundtracks, one particular song on repeat, Swedish music intended to put one to sleep (“insomning“), and for one particularly repulsive character, a Nine Inch Nails song that seemed to match his violent, whiny persona.
I am impressed by authors who put together soundtracks for their novels. I do wonder if it is a soundtrack that functions like a Pinterest idea board, where the songs evoke the mood of the author’s work? Or is it the soundtrack the author used to get into the flow of the story? If you use music while you write, drop me a comment!