Music and writing

Being new here, I thought I would start off by asking you all what music you like to listen to while writing or before writing in order to get in "the zone". Music is probably the most important thing for me in order to get inspired. Depending on what I'm writing I guess, but usually when writing horror I listen to eerie black metal, ambient or DSBM music. Odd as it is, listening to the Japanese noise artist Merzbow also helps a lot, even though you could hardly classify Merzbow as music, more "audio ugliness".

I'm in the middle of writing a very occult horror type short and while doing so I listen to a lot of Mayhem, Darkthrone and Gorgoroth. I find that type of music helps build tension while writing and thus you can create a whole lot of tension on your page.

What tunes get you in a creative mood?

I do the same thing! I try to match the mood of my story with the music when writing the climax. The story i'm writing right now is called "Escape to Fate" and its drama / adventure / romance / realistic fiction! So there are a lot of moods in the story. I have listened to classical. I am interested in the "Curtis Institute of Music" A college orchestra. Listening to them during the times in my story when something calming is happening, basically when there is no action maybe some dialog. I have listened to screamo for fights between characters like "Blood on the Dance floor" and "Brokencyde" My main character goes through a lot and the music is always helpful with writing! Lastly I know this may sound very strange but my best friend Isabella listens to the "Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra" You know the video game? Well the music in the background you always hear is an orchestra, the "SUper Mario Galaxy Orchestra" to be exact. They have many different pieces! Some are very soft and some are very loud and obnoxious. She even got me into listening to them when I write!

It's a great way of getting in the mood to write alright. I wouldn't be a huge fan of Blood On The Dance Floor or Brokencyde, but I can see where you are coming from when you say they help tune up the band for some of your battle scenes. I'm not sure where you stand with regards to metal music, but if the likes of Brokencyde influence your action sequences, perhaps you might want to give something heavier a chance, to get the adrenaline pumping; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1QlG61QfWg .

I've never actually listened to the Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra, but I can understand why it would be good for writing, most video game music has a real ambience to it.

Thanks for the link! It will really help!!! And yes i know its strange to listen to "The Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra" but I assure you it works for us !

I usually listen to Fear.fm or the Excision mixes (dubstep). Sometimes I like to throw in some pop punk rock (Screeching Weasel, Face to Face, Alkaline Trio, etc.), too. I actually pick a genre to match the mood for a writing, then listen to that while I write.

What I listen to while writing depends on the mood. I often prefer to listen to film or video game soundtracks while writing, as they are geared primarily toward setting a mood or atmosphere. For instance, I listen to the Halo Reach soundtrack while writing sci-fi, because the tones range from introspective and reflective to punchy and violent, and the quality is markedly better than the music a lot of popular bands create at the moment.
When writing horror I listen to the themes from Pet Sematary [sic], Twin Peaks, and the Exorcist.

All you need in life. 1090p please.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoVjSeb4aYA

I have a playlist set for writing, and one for editing. I try to make the editing music more lighthearted because it keeps me alert. I also find like so many others that having music that matches the mood you are trying to set helps a lot.

want to write something awfully depressive, dark and full of dementia? then listen to Veil, a burzum-esque one man suicidal black metal band. best song "suicide winds"