For many, music stimulates the Muse.
Do you have music in the background (or foreground) while writing? Or are you hell-bent on dead silence? And if music is your Muse, what is your specific soundtrack?
Tell us in the poll and the comments!
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Each Wednesday in 2010, TSD challenges you to a mini-survey that is in some way related to screenwriting or filmmaking. To suggest a topic, send Solmaaz Yazdiha a note and include the word “poll” in the subject field. The archive is here
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Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.
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“Sleeping Beauty” by Tschaikovsky. Only.
ABC Classic FM (streaming over the Internet), or BBC3 if they’re doing classics. Nothing with vocals in it. Jazz doesn’t seem to work for some reason.
The other thing that works for me is playlists of old favourite songs that I’ve heard hundreds or thousands of times before. If I’m correct, both methods “occupy” a certain part of your brain, allowing the writing to flow.
I used to be a computer programmer, the same method works for both programming and writing. For me anyway.
I usually have to have the television on. If I have music playing, I can’t concentrate because I want to sing along, and if it’s too quiet I get caught up in my wandering thoughts. I usually have a TV show playing that I’ve seen most, if not all, of the episodes. The shows usually are ‘Roseanne’, ‘Law & Order: SVU’ or ‘Spongebob Squarepants’. I learned to tune that last one out while babysitting my younger family members.
Mozart’s Requiem (and I sing along the alto part) always works to focus the mind; Manu Dibango and other African/Afro Jazz or LatAm to keep the juices flowing; Brahms symphonies to get inspiration. It may sound strange, but it works for me, both for creative and journalistic writing.
Classical gets me in a creative mood and gives me confidence in my ideas.
Generally when I’m writing I prefer either silence or the sounds of the city … However, music is very important as a creative tool. I often hear a song or piece of music that I decide to add to my cinema wish list; tracks that I would like to feature in a movie from one of my screenplays.
“Cryosleep – Zero Beat Guaranteed” on Shoutcast web radio. Works for me.
Usually a playlist of soundtracks to movies (and sometimes video games) that generally fit the style and genre of what I’m writing. Nothing too melodious – the more ambient the better.
the end credits of Star Wars when I’m finishing a story
I have a similar post on my blog:
http://e6n1.blogspot.com/2010/01/make-it-so.html