What kind of music inspires you, if any?

[WickedChaos]

My story has a dark fantasy theme. Most of the plot I doubt I'd ever have discovered if it wasn't for some of the atmospheric music I'd listened to.

I usually listen to music for an hour or so before I go to sleep, and play little scenes in my head with my story, using the music as a tone setter(?). It helps me imagine my character's more clearly if there's another, more real dimension going on with how they're feeling. I can see their facial expressions and everything seems like a movie.

I usually listen to
Evergrey
Nightwish
Opeth
Rhapsody
Kamelot

Along with some others, but those are the main. I think I could just about make this story into a movie, complete with background music and everything


Anyone else do this? If so, what do you listen to that inspires you?

 

[Commonmind]

I know quite a bit of writers love listening to music while they are plugging away at their stories. I'm one of those odd individuals who normally prefers no distractions. However, there are those few occassions when I do put the tunes on; I hate to sound cliche, but I usually do so during scenes involving combat or intense action. It's kind of difficult to list what I listen to as my musical taste is as diverse as a twelve-layered shepherd's pie and I generally put my iTune's library on shuffle... Here's a few of my Favorites though:

Journey
Huey Lewis and the News
Pat Benatar
Tool
The Deftones
Bullet for My Valentine
Taylor Hicks
The Carpenters
Pink Floyd
Sunny Day Real Estate
Muse (ironic?)
A Perfect Circle
Tears for Fears
Pearl Jam
Heart
Boston
Cold
Coldplay
Sevendust
Tangerine Dream
Taking Back Sunday
Alice Cooper
Jet
Alice in Chains
AC/DC
The Black Crowes
Foreigner
and Bad Company

Though I may not always listen to music while writing, most music inspires me. I'm a musician myself too and the music and writing sort of goes hand in hand for me, both creative outlets.

 

[The_Warrior]

Yes, music is very go and insperative, especially for fantsy. I've had scenes build up in my head from music.

Here's a really good roaytly free music and sound effects site.

Search Resultshttp://www.audiosparx.com/sa/display/sounds.cfm/sound_group_iid.2360

 

[Stormpirate]

I can't listen to music with words while I write. I get very distracted listening to the music instead of focusing on what I'm doing. Generally I don't listen to anything, but if I want something in the background I'll listen to New Age-y instrumental works.

 

[HoopyFrood]

When I was writing my first stab at a novel a couple of years ago, I'd always hav Red Hot Chili Peppers playing (well, I do love them so!) and especially the Californication album. And so, the songs Scar Tissue, Otherside and Parallel Universe always reminds me of my story and, more precisely, a certain charater. I decided to kill him off halfway through, even though he was my protagonists 'side kick' and best friend, but I had to give him a relatively 'noble' death...so I must've killed him about ten times before I got it right! And those songs always seemed to be playing when I did, so they always remind me of him!

I can't say I've ever been particularly inspired by any piece of music. What I've described above tends to happen more often, with parts of my stories getting linked to music because I listen to them and write at the same time.

 

[Talysia]

I'm another one who can't listen to music when I'm writing. Mind you, I'll often get inspired by instrumental music and, more often than not, find myself humming as I write.

 

[Duchessprozac]

I usually can't write without music playing amd so have iTunes playing randomly in the background. I do, however, tend to pick up, or get motivating into writing, when Tool, Nine Inch Nails or Dragonforce come on.

I also find listening to celtic and folk music good for getting the creative juices flowing.

 

[BookStop]

I would love to write a piece to Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique. I can almost picture the battle between good and eveil right now!

Did you see Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis. The music in that film amde the story so powerful, esp. the end battle.

When I write, I actually prefer silence, which is near impossible to come by.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I don't mind music playing, I can even have my Ipod playing in my ears while reading, because it becomes nice background noise quite quickly. What I can't stand is random loud noises, (like, for example, Halls neighbours, who can get rather rowdy ) But generally I get so wrapped up in writing, I don't notice much else that's going on.

 

[Sapheron]

I quite often end up associating a song with a particular character's personality, and play it, or something similar whenever I'm writing from their POV. However, once I get into the swing of writing I usually turn it off as the same song over and over starts to get on my nerves.

 

[Thor_Doomhammer]

I personally like listening to Enya while I write. I find it helps the ideas to flow sometimes