Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Manuscript Soundtracks

I've been thinking a lot about a WIP that is next up (after the one I'm currently working on) and as a result I've been pretty much listening to the Hunger Games soundtrack and Rob Dougan non-stop. And oooo does that music make me want to work on this book! :D It just fits my book so well - I can see the scenes playing out in my head with those songs as background music. I just want to close my eyes and watch :)

I don't always have particular songs for my books. And I very rarely listen to the music while actually writing (it's usually more of a mood setter). But I do have a couple books that have surprised me with my need to listen to something while writing them.

I have a feeling this next WIP (which I did cave and started a bit :D ) will be one of them. Another is a novella I finished recently. Rob Dougan was on repeat while I was writing - totally out of my usual comfort zone for writing. But with this book, I actually had a hard time writing if the awesome Mr.Dougan wasn't playing in the background.

With my soon-to-be released novel Treasured Lies, I couldn't listen to music at all while writing. Noise of any kind made it very hard to concentrate. And with yet another WIP, I sometimes listen to the soundtracks channel on Pandora (no lyrics, just instrumental tunes).

Do you create "soundtracks" for your manuscripts? Do you listen while writing or just to set the mood? And what do you listen to?

5 comments:

Mary Lindsey / Marissa Clarke said...

I have to write in complete silence and I edit to music sometimes. I totally get it. I can't wait for Treasured Lies!

Angelica R. Jackson said...

That's exactly what the post on my blog was yesterday! A soundtrack for my WIP, Crow's Rest. But I don't listen to those songs while I'm writing (for that, I need instrumentals); instead, I put them on when I need to get motivated for the tone of a scene.

Stephanie McGee said...

I do listen to music while I edit and write, but nothing in particular. I just put my MP3 player on shuffle and go from there. Sometimes I will put together a soundtrack that fits the book but that's usually after I've gone through a few drafts. The latest couple of WiPs though haven't really screamed for a soundtrack.

I did, however, put together a "battle anthems" playlist for one book that I could listen to while writing the climactic battle scene. That helped some, I like to think.

Unknown said...

I have to have silence when I write but I so know what you mean about the soundtracks. Music when I'm not writing has inspired some pretty important scenes in my WIP. And its so much like watching a movie. Glad I'm not the only one. I was feeling a little weird there. :)

Katrina L. Lantz said...

So interesting about your new projects! I'm like you, usually can't write to lyric-filled music because of the distraction factor. I tend to write at night where even ambient noise is low. I do love the idea of soundtracks and playlists, though, especially if the main character is drawn to a particular type of music. In that case, it totally makes sense as a mood-setter!