I have read that music can be a hindrance to writing. Then again, I have also read that it can help. So, who is right? The answer? Both. I learned at a young age that music can be helpful for some people, and for others, it is a distraction. For those who find music helpful, there are all kinds of preferences. Some people can only focus with certain types of music, specific musicians, words, no words, and on and on. In short, music can be a benefit, but it is highly individualistic as everyone has their own preferences. However, when it is helpful, it can be very helpful! One thing in particular that can happen when writing while listening to music is that music can set the mood of your writing. This mood-setting has the potential to be both bad and good, depending on how you respond to it. So, let’s take a look at some not-so-helpful ways to listen to music and some beneficial ways to incorporate music into your writing.
What Not to Do
Because music can trigger your brain’s emotional and language processing centers, it can have a profound impact on what you feel and what you write. This means that the worst thing you can do with music while writing is put it on and forget about it. Music really does impact how we think and do things; this plays a huge role in our writing. But if we forget what we are listening to, we might change the music the next time we sit down to write. How is this a problem? Well, music can change our emotions on a dime! This is why it is so helpful in movies because you can change certain things in the music and take the audience from laughter to crying within a few notes. In writing, what you are listening to can have the same impact on your thoughts and emotions and, thus, what you write. If you write while listening to something, your writing might match the mood of what you listened to. If you change what you are listening to halfway through a chapter, you may completely switch emotional tones in your writing. This is like texting while someone is talking to you. Have you started testing what they are saying instead of what you planned to text? Yeah, that can be a problem in writing.
Now, this isn’t to say that some people can listen to anything at any moment and not have a problem. I am sure there are some people out there that can do that. However, this “mood impact” is something that every music-listening writer needs to pay close attention to while they construct their stories. Remember, if you are going to listen to music while writing, don’t just put something on and start writing. There is a better way to incorporate music into your process.
The Better Way
In my personal experience, and from what I have seen in discussions between other authors, the best way to use music while writing is to find music that matches the mood you intend the scene to convey. This can mean everything from the tone and feel of the music to the style of music. You might even listen to music from the culture your story reflects or the country your story takes place within. If your story is fictional, you may benefit from music that fits the era your world is inspired by. You may also listen to specific instruments that are used by certain characters. Once you know what type of music fits your story, listen to that music while you are writing the scene or even the whole book. My favorite example of this is actually a book that has musical accompaniment, Peter and the Wolf. If you have never listened to this book on tape, you might not be familiar with the ingenious musical accompaniment that takes place in the story. Each character in the story has their own instruments. While you read the book, you listen to the auto tape, and it plays the characters’ music as they come and go throughout the story. Just by listening to the music, you know which character is being referenced and even their mood and whether they are a villain or a hero!
Finding the Right Music
Sometimes, we are not sure what music would best fit our story. When this happens, I love to take some time to simply listen to various playlists until I come across one that enhances my ability to imagine what is taking place in my story. For example, currently, I am plotting a new book for a new series. As I work on developing the story, I have been listening to a lot of Lyndsey Stirling. The vibe and instruments of a lot of her music seem to aid in my imagination and allow me to know what I want the story as a whole to feel like. The Oh Hellos are another group I often listen to, as they have a similar vibe. Listening to these musical artists while writing helps me keep the right vibe in my scenes while also inspiring more depth to my world-building! As I plot and write my first draft, I will stick with the same set of playlists throughout the process of plotting to make sure that I have a consistent feel all the way through. For me, this is easy, as I don’t mind listening to the same thing repeatedly. But if you don’t enjoy that, you might consider creating very large playlists that all fit the bill so you won’t have to listen to the same three albums over and over again. Whatever you choose to listen to while writing, have fun!
For the remainder of Decmeber, there will only be two more blog posts. These will release next week, so make sure to come back an check those out! After that, I will be taking the rest of the month off for the holidays! If you have not yet signed up for my newsletter, you can do so here, as I will be sending out both newsletters, as usual. I hope you have a wonderful last few weeks of 2023! We will meet again next year! Happy Holidays!
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