Writers are always talking about music: what music we're listening to, what music our characters listen to, whether we MUST HAVE MUSIC when writing or whether music is just too distracting. Some of us even make up playlists for our books. (Not me; I'm not that organized. Or maybe I just can't be bothered. Or maybe I just don't feel like I have the time to obsess over choosing the perfect songs when I could be spending that time writing. Either way, I can write without doing that, so who cares?)
But even though I don't necessarily listen to special music for my manuscripts, I still love music. I'm one of those people who always has a song playing in the back of her mind, over and over, on a loop while it speaks its message in my ear.
These days, the music that's speaking to me is the album Sigh No More by London band Mumford and Sons. Their sound is a modern kind of folky string and keyboard, with energetic vocals and lyrics that are pure poetry. Just look at this excerpt from "The Cave":
It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears and all the
faults you've left behind.
The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater you see
But I have seen the same I know the
shame in your defeat.
But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again.
I love that. I want my writing to be that evocative and poetic. How about you? What's on your playlist right now? What inspires you to write the way you do?
Play lists for sure! but not nessisarily in the middle of writing. I'll hear a certain song and say "that describes my character perfectly" I do it assuming my readers will look up the songs and say the same thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't make playlists for my novels but sometimes use music to access emotions that I'm trying to bring out in my characters.
ReplyDeleteDitto! I want my writing to be that evocative and poetic too. I can't really use music while I'm writing, but sometimes I listen to it to get me into the write emotional mood. It all just depends.
ReplyDeleteAwe lovely!! I don't do novel playlists either but I do need Pandora to write.
ReplyDeleteThey are nice lyrics. My music is nowhere near the computer so I don't listen to it to write either, though I will say it is nice to listen to for inspiration. I like Il Divo at the moment (and their music ha ha ha!)
ReplyDeleteI use music to relax me so that I can write. It distracts me from the inner critic. I use pandora.com as well as my own computer desktop playlist (country, pop, celtic,etc. ) for this purpose. I don't necessarily use music to inspire narrative, though celtic is nice for the writing of medieval fantasy.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think this is something I should work on more. I have to have a silent house when I write. I'm one of those who can't read or write or concentrate on anything if I listen to music.
ReplyDeleteI love the lyrics! I can't listen to music while I'm writing. But I do listen to music all the time while painting. It gets me into the necessary emotional mood.
ReplyDeleteIshta - I'm the same - can't be bothered to have a song fit a certain point in my novel. But, I also love music. The song you listed is amazing. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to let you know I have an award for you on my blog. =D