Julie's Web Journal

I got to thinking about music and writing yesterday. Music has always fueled my writing to some extent. I have a what I call the "big list" with some of my favorite music. It provides a nice background. The list is eclectic - everything from Blues to the Beatles. Toss in a little techno, some opera, and a dose of driving rock 'n' roll, and you've got my playlist.

(At this moment: Dissolved Girl by Massive Attack. The selection will change once or twice during this post, so I'll note what comes up. I'm on shuffle.)

Sometimes I use certain music to drive certain types of writing. When I'm working in one universe the playlist is almost exclusively Travis and the Beatles, because that seems to fit with my main character. When I was working on the Sherlock Holmes script, it was mostly classical.

(Track change: Teenage Wasteland by The Who.)

I've even been known to listen to BBC radio or have a DVD playing in the background. Sometimes certain voices or character types work as triggers for me. I have to admit that I don't listen to a lot of that type of thing while I'm writing as it tends to get distracting rather quickly. I have been known to throw a playlist of certain BBC programs on my portable device and take that to bed with me.

(Next track: Music Is the Victim by The Scissor Sisters.)

Sometimes I write best with no music. This is especially true during the revision process when I'm concentrating on the little fiddly bits of sentence structure and voice. (Track change: Why Does It Always Rain On Me? by Travis.)

Then, of course, there's always the dulcet tones of my head banging against the desk.

So what drives your writing?

Tags: Writing
Filed under: Writing