Saturday, August 28, 2010

Musically Inclined

When I write, given an estimated guess, I listen to music 70% of the time. Hear I would like to give my thoughts on the advantages and disadvantages of listening to music while writing a story or poetry. Although I do not write poetry, it is a form of writing, so it is under the umbrella.

Why would someone want to listen to music while in Prose-Mode? All of the great writers in the past didn't have CD's or iPods or Zunes or Records. Sure, some of them probably positioned themselves near instruments, bands or orchestras, but the music listening has only been in the last century, if that. It is more likely that writers used to sit in solitary abandon, in silence, swiftly shooting their pen or pencil along the page. Then again, there are coffee shops and bookstores, and Lord knows that those places are not always as quiet as a library.

I think it had something to do with the message  of the songs and how the music flows, from start to finish, with all of the riffs and climaxes. Those musical concepts and movements inspire the mind, give chills down the back, and make you want to do something. Thus, it no longer seems so terrible a thought for someone to write their epic love story or science-fiction buster to this haunting, gratifying sound.

I listen to Foo Fighters, Beatles, Paul McCartney, Elton John, John Lennon, and any number of other artists. Oh yeah, Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty. That's golden, as well as The Only Living Boy in New York by Simon & Garfunkel.

But, it's not always the best thing to listen to music. Sometimes the music will push us to write something else or in some other style than we normally would, and it could be a knock on the story. Sometimes silence really is golden and your mind can come up with so many ways to make the story come alive.

Thus, I haven't really come to any conclusion of whether or not it is a good idea to listen to music, but then again, it was never my place to decide that. Go write and prosper!

Good Day Sunshine!

No comments:

Post a Comment