songs that inspire wip?

[Jo Zebedee]

Don't know if I'm mad with this one. Does anyone else use a song as a point of inspiration for their WIP, either the lyrics, or the theme, or just the music itself?

(I use Muse, Starlight and blast it on a couple of times a week to check I'm still moving to where i want WIP to go - a gulping desperation, trying to capture something about the expanse of space, and a human centre.... progress still to be made, I think.)

 

[Boneman]

I think I'm ashamed to admit that I listen to The Moody Blues old stuff, and Ray Thomas' two albums - there's so much fantasy in there.

 

[Warren_Paul]

I usually play rock, pop and some country rock, even a bit of punk rock. Although I'm not sure if the music "inspires" me, but more helps me think... It's always going, whenever I'm writing.


Current artists that seem to hit my playlist often while writing are:

Ingram Hill
The Script
Sister Hazel
New Found Glory
Collective Soul
Feeder
Simple Plan
Bleu Edmonson Band
Kelly Clarkson
Carrie Underwood
Josh Abbot Band
Taylor Swift
Paramore
Pink

At least they are the artists I play when I write, some others too, but don't want to get too carried away with the list. For the most case I seem to listen to faster paced music, perhaps that's related to the speed I write?

 

[Luiglin]

Don't have a particular song whilst writing but I can't read a Thomas Covenant book without having Welcome to the Pleasure Dome album track by Frankie goes to Hollywood on in the background. Played that constantly one summer when I read the first trilogy. Now it seems to be ingrained in my head

 

[Mouse]

Silence!

You lot and your weirdness. Tsk. Silence for writing.

(Saying that, a DSO album was the inspiration behind my first short story)

 

[Venusian Broon]

Silence?

Silence has too many gaps that let thoughts evaporate into. Music sort of makes a barrier to keep my thoughts bouncing about my head. In fact I've even had the TV on and half watched it while writing. (although I'll admit that's much more difficult and not very productive.)

On inspiration from other sources, I'm not ashamed to say that the film The Butterfly Effect with Aston Kucher inspired my current WiP. I watched it through to the end and thought 'That was utter crap, surely I can write a better story to do with time' and all of a sudden my entire novel structure popped into my head.

The WiP is Space Opera and nothing to do with time travel, so I really can't explain why this happened.

Maybe part of my brain wanted me to forget what I had just watched...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I'm the same, I can't work with it on, Mouse. It's more that when I hear it I think that is the feeling I want to capture with my WIP.

 

[Glitch]

I sometimes listen to music before writing to help set the mood. But the majority of time, like Mouse, I prefer silence for writing.

 

[Lilmizflashythang]

Writing in silence? I'd never get any writing done if that was necessary. There's just too much going on around here, and I ain't about to tell my loved ones to stop what they enjoy. I can write with the television on, the radio on, or even a game on. If the radio is on, it's always on a country station. That's just the kind of girl that I am. Except for Carrie Underwood, I can't stand Carrie Underwood. Don't like Taylor Swift either. She sings of love, as if it's to be easy. Yeah, right.

That being said, I don't get inspired by music. I don't have an explanation for what can and does inspire me.

 

[Mouse]

Well this is why I only get to write for about an hour a day. ^ Too much noise all the time.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Seriously, I do believe that music is special - that somehow it unlocks parts of the brain that would otherwise be 'blocked off' if it wasn't listened to.

At least for me I do believe it helps with the complete creative process, I just let it open up my mind while writing!

Not really related, but this shows the 'power of music'. A friend pointed me to this clip: http://gizmodo.com/5900699/watch-an...when-he-hears-music-from-his-era?popular=true

It's amazing the change in the man when he hears the music.

I'd say that early humans (or our ancestors before homo sapians) were musical and singing well before they came up with language. I have no idea however, how to prove that.

 

[Abernovo]

While I'm writing, in fact during most work-type stuff requiring concentration, music just distracts me. I start listening to it rather than getting on with what I should be doing. Bad. Not total silence, though, as I have bird song and other rural noises as a free soundtrack most of the day.

That said, for any non-work activity, I like music on in the background and it does inspire me sometimes. Not saying which music, though. Some of my taste is downright questionable.

 

[Menion]

I remember when I was writing a pretty brutal fight scene in my fith Wip I had SlipKnoT cranked up full blast whilst I was maddly typing away bouncing up and down, every now and then waving my arms about and shouting what my characters were shouting.
It helped

 

[digs]

Silence!

Agreed! I get too absorbed in music and can't do anything requiring original thought while listening to it.

At the same time though, as others have said, music's a huge inspiration to me and there are quite a few songs that have directly inspired or contributed to my writing.

 

[Glitch]

If I do listen to music it has to be the same tone as what I'm trying to convey. But mostly it distracts me and I don't get anything done.

 

[r_j_dando]

I remember when I was writing a pretty brutal fight scene in my fith Wip I had SlipKnoT cranked up full blast whilst I was maddly typing away bouncing up and down, every now and then waving my arms about and shouting what my characters were shouting.
It helped

I had a fight scene in the rain outside a crumbling block of flats, somewhere in East Europe - I wrote the whole thing to a Cruxshadows track on repeat. Every time I hear that song, it reminds me of that scene...

I mostly write to either silence, classical soundtracks, or the sound of thunderstorms...

...I used to write to all sorts, mostly heavy metal and prog rock stuff, but these days I find the words tangle in my head as I want to sing along! This is why I like soundtracks - I can get the music and the emotions, but without the distracting vocals...

 

[allmywires]

I was listening to 'We Found Love' by Rihanna *ducks from music elitists* a lot when I first started coming up with the ideas for my book. So now I kinda listen to it with a 'movie montage' of my book going through my head. They did find love in a hopeless place, y'know.

 

[Glitch]

This is why I like soundtracks - I can get the music and the emotions, but without the distracting vocals...

Ages ago when I was playing with 3d animation I purchased film theme stock music. I've got about 120 tracks of various tones which is perfect for picturing the scene in my head like a movie.

I also have several soundtracks to some big movies. Problem with this is trying to separate the actual images from the film with my story. The stock music is great as it doesn't have any images associated with it.

 

[Menion]

Also you should all give Ronan Hardiman's Warriors a try, I have the trailer for my book in my mind with that song.

 

[Arthur_Connelly]

No song in particular, but I listen to the Cinematic Orchestra when I need inspiration. Their music is - for the most part - wordless so I don't have to worry about lyrics interfering with my train of thought.