This is a conversation that seems to come up a lot. People that write always seem to be curious about whether or not you listen to music while working. For me the answer is yes, but with a caveat. The music that I listen to has to be instrumental, and has to take me somewhere… hopefully away from the noise and commotions that seem to be around all the time. Soundtracks and ambient techno music are my preferred types of music when it comes to writing. They have an ability to transport the mind while not bogging it down. Often these types of music are repetetive which means there won’t be any surprises that take me out of what I’m doing.
Here are a couple of things that I’ve been listening to while writing recently. Click on the audio box to have a listen.Â
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Moby ft. Kronos Quartet, God Moving Over the Face of the Waters, it’s the theme from Heat, (one of the best flicks ever) played at the end of the film. Always loved this tune and it really has that ability to transport me into what it is that I am doing.
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Never before have scales with a rocking guitar and some ominous electronic vocals sounded so good as in the 28 Weeks Later soundtrack. John Murphy really took the super simplistic and turned it into a haunting bit of music that sets a great mood for writing.
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I couldn’t just ignore the ambient techno, now could I? Here is some old school techno that fits the bill. Halcyon+On+On by Orbital is a nice repetetive bit of escapism with enough subtle changes to make for interesting background noise. It really doesn’t even start until around the 2:30 mark. Music like this can drive people nuts, but I like it and it serves the purpose well.
When it comes to writing, music can be a tool. That’s how I utilize it. I don’t want anything deep or thought provoking. It can simply set a mood, that’s cool with me and actually preferable. It’s just too bad that the readers don’t also have the benefit of the “soundtrack” I use to write this stuff!
