More than one writer has admitted to needing music to set the mood while writing, even going so far as to release playlists afterwards. It’s a great way to gain insight on what prompted certain scenes in your favorite book.
I wish it worked for me. Music is distracting, maybe because it never fades into the background with the rest of the noise in my house like Dora (hola, como estas?), children screaming, and the occasional crash of thrown toys. It makes me want to dance or sing along, both of which is hard to do while typing.
I have to rely on different ways to set the mood and try to generate a little word magic. The weather outside the large window in front of my usual writing spot and the lighting in the room are a huge influence. Not to mention my own internal conflict at the moment (if I ignore the laundry one more day...will my husband actually do it? I don't think so).
With this being Halloween weekend, I should have plenty of inspiration to take my current wip from dark to uber-creepy. I plan on squeezing in a few horror movies, reading a scary book or two, and then staying up late to write while the squeaks and rustles of my old house scare the crap out of me. Hopefully this will translate to my pages and eventually scare the crap out of you.
All of this building toward Monday when we can trick or treat and eat candy until we collapse into a sugar coma.
Good times…good times.
So how do you set the mood for your writing? And any awesome plans for this weekend?
For musical inspiration, try something instrumental, like light classical, or Vangelis/Ciani/Enya new-agey stuff. It acts as white noise to lower the distraction level.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend, I'm having a party with Hydrocodone. Did you know La La Land is a real place. :)
I'm like you. I can't listen to music when I write. I need to have it really, really quiet...until I'm in the zone and then I don't notice anything going on around me. BUT I like to listen to music when I'm on the treadmill, and I'll sometimes pick songs that will put me in the mood to write a certain scene later when I'm done. I'm finding Adele is great for those heartbreak scenes.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with the little guy trick or treating. Try not to steal all his candy when he gets home.
I normally can't deal with music when I'm writing, but there are a few scenes in my novel for which I needed a particular type of music as a catalyst.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed my surroundings play a part. Some of the darker scenes could only have been written in my writer's den in the attic, while for others I needed to be in the living room, aware of the outside world through the windows.
Have a great and fruitful weekend! :-)
Music works for me, too. I never used to be able to listen to music while I wrote, but I've been able to lately. I'm finding it drowns out other distractions.
ReplyDeleteStill revising book two this weekend. Hope to have it off to the editor by Monday - wish me luck! And have a great weekend, my friend!
Well done M.
ReplyDeleteI listen to music before I write, not during. Like you, it distracts me once I'm in.
Please don't scare the crap out of me. I find it embarrassing when I crap myself.