Writing Playlists

[Tooley Bostay]

So I don't know about you all, but music is a huge inspiration for me when I write. Especially in the pre-writing/planning stages, where the right song may be all I need to grasp the right tone for a scene, figure out a great string of conversation, or perfectly picture how everything should look.

Thought it'd be fun to share my writing playlist, which you can find here. I put that sucker on shuffle, and I'm good to go. They're not all one type, but I'm very drawn to moody, emotional pieces, so most of them trend towards softer, introspective pieces.

What about you all? Are there any particular soundtracks or playlists that you go to in order to help inspire your writing?

[Matra Hammer]

Never been one for constant background noise for productivity's sake. However, I'm a HUGE sucker for mood setting music. AKA- listening to a song to put me in the right mindset for a piece. Writing about sweet loving? Throw on some baby making music. Need a bit of electricity in my action scenes? Pull something with a time signature that looks like calculus.

Problem is a lot of this stuff is on my ipod or drive. Will take some work drumming up easily shareable YouTube playlists, but if/when I do I'll share the product here. Maybe other writers function like I described above.

I'll give your list a spin anyways. Low volume, shuffle, and let fly? Sounds right.

[Vizon]

I'm with you, Matra. No music for me. If there's music, I have to mentally block it out to focus anyway. I did manage to do some writing in a restaurant the other day where music was playing in the background, but like I said - I managed to do so by blocking it out.

I do like music for moods though. That's a good idea. And I still listen to my Reedox and Minstrel CDs in the car.

[Tooley Bostay]

I waffle back and forth on the "listening to music while I write" thing. Some times, and with some songs, I can do it for hours. Other times, it's a terrible distraction and I end up turning the volume down so low I can't even hear it. 85% of the time, I use music in the way Matra says, to set a mood or help guide my vision before my fingers are even on the keyboard.

Might take a long time to create a full playlist, but do you have a handful of particular standouts, Matra? Just to get a sense of what music inspires you.

[Matra Hammer]

Hmm. Again, depends on the approach and whatever story I'm working on. However, there are three standouts which continuously pop up.


1: Trisection by Hitoshi Sakimoto

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPvQoxXUQok )

Back in 1998 I didn't know any better. All the games on the video store's wall looked the same, and my first system (purchased after mucking stalls and chain breaking chores) came only with demo discs. I selected Final Fantasy Tactics because the cover looked cool, stately. I stuck with Final Fantasy Tactics when the first battle starts and Trisection fires. Knights wielding blessed blades and raining crystal doom from the sky. Squires slicked with mud and gravel, one missed parry away from bleeding out on the rain-soaked cobble. FFT, for me, carried the perfect blend of the mundane (in theme and story) and the fantastical (in gameplay and approach.) Trisection encompasses all of those things, and never fails pulling me into a state of righteous caution perfect for sword and sorcery work.


2: I Wish You More Than Luck by Riley Breckenridge

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWbZJyCBqY0 )

So, sorrow is never one thing. You can't feel loss until you've know the hope of connection, of something more. The dog only mourns the master it loves. We only scream at the dark when we've exhausted all hope of finding the dawn. Even the title phrase "I Wish You More Than Luck" is the perfectly loaded with the right levels of despair and hope. The roll of the musical phrasing, the gentle surge of notes which are always, sadly, muted despite their volume. And right as the tempo reaches its height? The fall into a quiet, unfinished outro. Inexperience on the composer's end? Maybe. But it still instills the long defeat necessary for bitter work.


3: Reasons - by Earth, Wind & Fire

( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qz_b1di3i8 )

I'm contractually obligated to include one song with an extended saxophone solo. Reasons isn't a song I listen to for the subject matter (aka- not music for romance or baby-making stories.) It's perspective music. Why the bloody blazes did this artist think they needed a two-minute screeching solo (about 3:30 for reference.) Why did the actual music fade to digital stardust and clapping and laughter? I can't answer these questions. Not even the men making the music happen can, or the roaring audience after the fact. But they feel the energy and, most importantly, the utter honesty of the performance. What's ridiculous to us now is magic for them. This is something I have a hard time keeping in mind, so songs and performances like these keep me ground when the story runs away from me.

[Vera Silvertooth]

I love listening to music while I write. Depending on what I'm working on, I usually have a couple of songs that I start with every time to set the mood for me, then I put the rest of my playlist on shuffle.

For example: When writing for Vera in MO3, I always started with Peter Hollen's version of Baba Yetu (https://youtu.be/17svtURunUk?list=PLzyRvnfolR-yCASiRU290p6nPvecXz88E), followed up by Shiver My Timbers from Muppet Treasure Island (https://youtu.be/8WWdOjxoQro?list=PLzyRvnfolR-yCASiRU290p6nPvecXz88E).

After that, it was pretty much anything on this playlist -- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzyRvnfolR-yCASiRU290p6nPvecXz88E

My normal writing music is usually a combination of soundtracks like Lord of the Rings, How to Train Your Dragon, Doctor Who, and Skyrim, plus select Disney songs, and a lot of Blackmore's Night, Peter Hollens, and Lindsey Stirling.

For a while, I was also using a site called Brain.fm (https://www.brain.fm/) to help me focus on my revision projects, but they've changed the terms of the site recently so I can't listen as unlimited as I used to do.

[Tooley Bostay]

1: Trisection by Hitoshi Sakimoto

Hmm, I can definitely feel the nostalgic undercurrent of this one. It, of course, does not strike me with the same meaning as it does you, as I've never played the game, much less during my childhood. But I think we all have songs like that--things that have so much depth and meaning to us, via our memories. A very strong thing to draw from in regards to inspiration.

The horn section at :22 is very nice, though. Has that wonderful, melodic pressure that enhances the tone.

2: I Wish You More Than Luck by Riley Breckenridge

This one is right up my alley. Love the droning hum that plays throughout the song, and the melody - while extremely simple - is both pleasing and thought-provoking. It's the sort of moody music that gets my gears turning.
You're absolutely right about the sorrow, though. It's not crushing here, or even without any semblance of hope (2:00's melody has a very hopeful turn of the melody. If not hopeful, then reminiscent of something pure or good), but a lingering weight is definitely present. It's just the right mix of emotions that I enjoy in songs. An excellent sample--I'll even be adding this to my list.

a two-minute screeching solo (about 3:30 for reference.)

Good heavens what was that travesty?? I see your point about the energy/earnestness of performance, though it's not something I can understand quite in the context of this song. I just burst out laughing, with many sputtering "W-what?!"s added into the mix. Maybe that's horribly near-sighted of me, but when you go off like that in a song, your honesty opens up honest reactions.

A very interesting mix, though, Matra. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed perusing them all.


Shiver My Timbers is incredible, Vera, and no one will tell me that Muppet Treasure Island isn't the best version of that story around. Do you often build a strictly-themed playlist around your writing projects? I'm noticing a huge amount of swarthy pirate jigs in your playlist, which makes complete sense, but how strong does the thematic connection matter to the music you listen to?

And thank you for introducing me to Blackmore's Night, back during the contest. They have an excellent grasp on melodies.

[Matra Hammer]

Gave Tooley's writing playlist a shot throughout the day. On and off fashion. Even wrote a lot of the Wildly Accurate Predictions in SGIV with this in the background. Surprising results since, well, they're all goofy and a good mix of Tooley's playlist sounds like it'd play well in a new age candle shop. Not meaning the label as an insult. More pointing out the stark difference between music and ambiance. Even the dang Donkey Kong songs - with the goofy ape "cover" art - are incredibly symphonic and meant for grooving. Music meant for video games right? Music meant for uplifting the central action, whether it's guiding digital apes or writing scenes.

Still haven't given Vera's pieces a shot, or writing "serious" stuff with the music on, but it certainly keeps your claws on the keyboard.

[Vera Silvertooth]

Do you often build a strictly-themed playlist around your writing projects? I'm noticing a huge amount of swarthy pirate jigs in your playlist, which makes complete sense, but how strong does the thematic connection matter to the music you listen to?

Hah, that particular playlist was specifically for MO3. I liked staying in the swashbuckling mindset during the contest. It's not my normal playlist for sure. Unfortunately, that's harder to share than the YouTube list I made for MO3.

For other things I write, it varies. But I usually have a few songs that just inspire me, so I listen to those first to get me in the mood and the rest goes back to my collection of various music that's on my iPod.

For example, my last NaNoWriMo novel was inspired by The Doctor's Theme from Season 4 https://youtu.be/pkStjQC_APw. It was one of those songs that started playing one time while I was doing housework and I had images of swirling snow and a character leaving another to die in the storm, then hesitate (at about 1:42) and consider what he's doing, before eventually turning back. I ended up building the novel around that one scene idea. When I finally wrote that scene in my story, I put that song on repeat while I wrote it.

Another couple songs that fit with that project was Homeward Bound by Peter Hollens https://youtu.be/c0dI8VS5zbw, because it fit the some of the mental state of the main character and his sense of being bound and wanting freedom for a large part of the book. Also Journeyman by Blackmore's Night https://youtu.be/1wbw9_tyWZU, since the MC was a journeyman blacksmith at the start of the story.

I've got a couple of stories that started out as pictures in my head that some song triggered and I played with them from there.

And thank you for introducing me to Blackmore's Night, back during the contest. They have an excellent grasp on melodies.

You're welcome! They've got such a fun array of music, and I like their blend of contemporary and medieval sounds. Fits my head well when I write fantasy.

[Rascal]

I listen to instrumental works on Pandora. Two Steps From Hell is good to charge the ol' action story or sweeping epic.

YouTube has a great selection of keltic music as well as native American flute music accompanied to the sounds of weather.

[Vizon]

Well, if I get into MO4, I know what I'll be listening to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1-uzsfFjss

[Tooley Bostay]

YouTube has a great selection of keltic music as well as native American flute music accompanied to the sounds of weather.

Oooh, Celtic music! Do you have any particular favorites? I absolutely love that style of song. And the flute music as well sounds incredibly curious. Do you have a link as an example of what it sounds like?

[Rascal]

https://youtu.be/ST56ATKfgfs