Writing Music

The doc sits in front of you, the empty white canvas inviting you to put down those words that you've ached to let bleed through your fingers.  Hands poised above the keyboard, you prepare to type... and a noice in the background leaks into your senses.  It might be the hum of a refrigerator, or the wail of a child, or simple conversation.  Some people's writing thrives in this type of environment.

Or, if you're like me, yours doesn't.

Sure, you get a few words down at a time, but to be honest, sometimes the story could do without those words.  Maybe a piece of the distance conversation will unconsciously appear in the book, or maybe you're really just typing and not even thinking through what you're saying.

Really, it's much like having a one-sided conversation with your computer.  Or pen and paper—whichever method you prefer.

My personal favorite way to drown out background noise is with wordless music.  I love music anyway, and to use it to get rid of distractions is a win-win!  The best kind of music to listen to while writing is the type of music that you don't even hear after awhile, because it drowns out all other sounds and gets your mind stimulated.  So I'll be sharing some music that I have personally found extremely well-suited for this purpose.

Believe it or not, that music is almost completely made up of movie soundtracks.  If you pay attention in the next movie you watch, you'll notice the music during the movie that you might not have noticed before.  It's the kind of music that adds to the atmosphere and feel of the movie without the viewers even realizing it.  The music is one of the movie's biggest punches. If the film were solely dialogue and sound effects, the movie wouldn't be half as enjoyable, nor would it have the same impact on your feelings.

It follows, then, that when you're listening to music while writing, it will affect your writing.  Listening to intense music during an intense scene will make it come alive in your mind, and conversely, listening to light, bouncy music during a happy scene will have a more real affect on you.  And the bigger affect it has on the writer, the more accurately the scene is written, and the more real the story becomes to the reader.

Here is a list of songs that I recommend. Note: If these are instrumentals to worded songs, I don't necessarily recommend the worded versions.

Chariots of Fire—2CELLOS

Fur Elise—The Browns

Breakpoint—Andy Leftwich

Ants Marching/Ode to Joy—The Piano Guys

Despacito—2CELLOS

Safe & Sound—William Joseph

Cooley's Reel—Craig Duncan

A Greater Love—Andy Leftwich

Clocks—2CELLOS

Celloopa—The Piano Guys

Ashoken Farewell—Craig Duncan

An Angel Forever—Andy Leftwich

Have you heard any of these?  Did they help you with your concentration?  Would you like some movie soundtracks that work nicely for writing as well?  Let us know!