I have to have music to write. And not just any music. Every book/series has its own play list. They’re songs that fit the mood or theme of what I’m writing. That can be anything from purely instrumental to heavy metal. I’m one of those eclectic people that has a music collection that boasts everything from Bach and Phantom of the Opera to Taylor Swift and Disturbed. The funny thing is that if I find myself listening to the music instead of focusing on my words, the song goes. Mercilessly deleted from the sacred playlist. The music has to fade into the background while I’m writing. And once I have a playlist set, I will use that list for everything relating to that book. Writing, editing, rewriting, plotting future books. Doesn’t matter.
I’ve got friends that need dead silence, white noise or chanting monks to write.I know people that write with movies they’ve seen a thousand times playing in the background or watching reruns on the TV. The point is, everyone has their own thing that works for them and they all have a reason why it does. For a long time I just knew music worked and I didn’t particularly focus on the why of it.
Recently I have discovered that music is a filter for me. A filter that goes beyond the obvious, if there’s music in my ears I can’t hear whatever’s going on in the world beyond. I have a brain that works overtime all the time. I am often doing one thing while thinking of three others. Music makes my brain focus. It engages all the extra synapses that want to be doing something, writing something, else. When the music is playing I focus only on what I am writing at that moment, on only that project. And what a relief that is to my overtaxed, melting brain.
That being said, I am always on the lookout for new music. What are some of your faves that I might have missed?
Kathleen Collins 