Sound of silence

I know writers who create playlists to listen to while they write – martial for action scenes, upbeat and happy for light-hearted scenes, love songs for romantic interludes. It is fun to see, when those authors choose to post them on their websites, what went into some of my favourite books.

While I didn’t go so far as creating playlists, I did at one time have music I liked to listen to while I worked on certain scenes. For example, the soundtrack for Lord of the Rings – Return of the King made for great listening while I was working on a high fantasy about a shapeshifting snow leopard. I also love alternative rock, so would listen to commercial-free radio over the internet while I wrote.

One year I spent a lot of time in waiting rooms, so wrote my first published book, Serena’s Song, out longhand to the sound of whatever station was on the radio – generally easy-listening – or musak coming over the office’s sound system. In the wee hours of the morning, after ending the night shift at the paper, I’d transcribe what I’d written to the sounds of new age music mixed with nature sounds. Very soothing.

I don’t know what’s changed, but I can’t do that anymore. I really do need silence to write. If I’m stuck, and I’m in a public place, I put classical – nothing too raucous – on my headphones to basically block outside noise.

I’m also one of those writers who can’t talk while I’m writing. I know some who can type, pause, type, pause, and create fabulous stories. Not me! I get in a groove and just go. If someone talks to me, or the kids come into my office to say hi or whatever, it’s like someone’s spoked my wheel. :lol I’m completely thrown out of my story.

Perhaps that’s why I do some of my most constructive writing at about 2 a.m., when the kids are sleeping, the animals snoring softly, the house silent except for the hum of the refrigerator, and nothing more musical than the wind sighing through the trees. But that's pretty nice all on its own.

How about you? What do your write to?

All the best,
Raina