tnt: feeling groovy.

[azuire]

Congratulations to draigwen for sweeping the contest! :D

Reminders: Week 1 Topic and Editing Post!

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I came across one of my old pieces which I wrote to Bach's Little Fugue in G Minor (Organ). I'm not usually inspired by music, because if it has words, it gets in the way of my writing. But occasionally there are songs that can inspire me, or help me with the process. My current obsession is with Death Cab for Cutie, I really want to write something set to "What Sarah Said".

Is music useful or hindering to you? Have you written pieces that are enhanced with music accompanying them? Share away!

Comments

[ex_pippin880]

I've occasionally written stories specifically to songs. I have heaps more in my head that I've yet to write. Usually what happens is I'll be listening to a song and an image just appears/crystalises in my head, and then I listen again and read through the lyrics and the song's complete story forms...

A few Snow Patrol songs have fuelled the magicallollesbians world, though I've only written one so far, to Run (warning: scenes of (magical) war). The adventures of magicallollesbians continues in Make This Go On Forever, Set The Fire To The Third Bar, Hands Open and You're All I Have. In my head, at least.


Last year on a train trip in Japan I listened to The Killers' Goodnight, Travel Well on repeat for over an hour because there was (quite obviously, if you read the lyrics :p) a story of love and the destruction of the Earth, and I've been sloooowly working on writing that out ::

To cast my shadow by the holy sun

She is wrenching away the security-blanket so many people don't know they hold.

She turns her head, away from the universe, and sees the darkness thickening behind her. What she had taken years to train into usable wings now spreads out, unbidden and unnoticed except on the most deepest level of her mind. It already almost reaches two horizons.


There's something about The Killers' lead singer's way of singing that really hits my story buttons. Several songs on Sam's Town have coiled together to make a story about airships and mountains and sacrifice. Also, Muse's album Black Holes & Revelations (plus Resistance maaaaybe?) is toooootally a summary about the war between Heaven and a fledgling atheist state, the search for the missing God, and dark experiments involving souls, but I want to read that one much more than I want to write it, so, hmm...


But I guess I don't really do the more traditional music-inspired writing.

[so_wordy]

Hey Zurie, can we read it? =3

I'm always inspired by music. It's my other release vaulve besides writing and I find I have certain cds for different moods.

Sometimes I'll create a playlist for a character or story. This can be hard though, because the lyrics and music itself has to line up.

I am very picky. :P

Recently I downloaded two cds: Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns and Florence + the Machine's Lungs. Oh. My. God.

LP's album (which has drawn cries of protest from fans) is simply amazing. It's a concept album about nuclear warfare. There are quotes laid over music (the Bhagvad Gita, Martin Luther King Jr., J. Robert Oppenheimer, and another I can't remember right now). It's the type of cd you need to listen to start to finish, in order (no shuffle, please). It really reminds me of the score from a broadway play the way it manipulates my emotions--and I mean that in the best possible way!

Secondly - "Lungs" - I discovered Florence + the Machines during her performance at MTV's VMAs (UK singer). Her voice IS her instrument. She's one of those people who can emote in tone, not only lyrics. Her instrumentation serves to strengthen the messages of her songs and her voice. Plus, her single (Dog Days are Over), totally hooked me. Who names a song that (a past writing prompt, no less!). I was HOOKED.

*Pimps*


I plan on writing a piece to LP's new cd. When I do, I'll definitely link you guys to it! :)

[tefnut]

Is music useful or hindering to you? Have you written pieces that are enhanced with music accompanying them? Share away!
Hindering.
Mind you, I love music. But I tend to be a bit analytic when listening to a song -- there's no such thing as "background music" for me. It takes precedence over conversations and inner thoughts. Kinda tough to write in these conditions.

[draigwen]

I prefer to have music.

This is in part because my computer is in the same room as the TV and my other half's computer (and my other half is generally watching TV). Sticking headphones on makes it easier for me to ignore the TV.

I find it very difficult to concentrate in silence. I can't drive in silence, for example. So if I'm to get anything done I have to have some background noise.

Lyrics will often help influence my writing, particularly songs with interesting subject matter. But I never find music distracting.

Music

[solumin]

I have music on while I'm writing almost all of the time. If there are lyrics I'm usually distracted, which obviously does wonders for my productivity.

I stick mainly to classical music, especially Bach, J. Strauss Jr., Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Dvorak, Beethoven, Mozart, and John Williams. (~One of these things is not like the others~) Sometimes I'll listen to David Bowie or Talking Heads.

I think the ambiance or atmosphere of the music is the most important part. Different styles of music, or even different moods in the music, influence my writing style.