Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Music to Write By

I’ve talked before on the blog about how much music can impact writing. It’s a wonderful tool for getting in the right vibe or head space, aside from being much better background noise that the hum of the washer or the traffic outside.

And thanks to programs like Spotify and websites like Pandora, it’s super easy to make your own power playlists and discover even more inspiring music.

Right now, my go-to band is the Decemberists. I have always been a fan, and it’s the music I most associate with my dreamy college years (summer days and warm grass and “Angels and Angles” playing into my headphones…). I just love the songs—they are incredibly smart and witty with pitch-perfect black humor that somehow still manages to be sincere and touching.

When I tried to describe the tone of my latest WIP, at first I would say something like, “Well, the main character isn’t snarky but she has a sort of biting humor but she’s not like mean, she’s just kind of insightful and sometimes her insights can be sort of…dark.” Now I just say, “I’m shooting for a Decemberists song in book form.”

Here's a little sampling of my writing playlist:


Get a playlist! Standalone player Get Ringtones

Do you listen to music while writing? What’s the musical equivalent to your work?

No comments:

Post a Comment