[JimmyDimples]

When you’re writing a fiction or drawing a picture, do you listen to any music? Writers, what soundtrack do you imagine your stories having?

[stmercy2020]

How in God's name has this gone unanswered for THREE YEARS?!

For myself, nearly my entire life has a soundtrack, and my writing is no exception.  What I'm listening to, however, often varies with the tone of what I'm writing.  For example, when I'm writing Sylph stories, I tend to listen to 80s and 90s rock, tending more towards sounds like (old) Mariliion, Fish, The Police, and others that have a sort of simultaneously angry and ethereal quality to them.

When I'm writing Dicey's saga, on the other hand, I tend to listen to a lot more country and folksy music, ranging from Trace Adkins to Blackmore's Night.

Cold Fury tends to be angrier music- I'm working on a chapter of that right now and I have in Rammstein, Godsmack, Alice In Chains, and Pantera.

I guess the main thing is that it has to be something to get the juices flowing.  When I'm working on actual research, I prefer to listen to classical music- I don't want the distraction of lyrics that I can understand…

[JimmyDimples]

Wow…  😮 now THAT'S hang time. 

Usually I mute my PC's player so I won't be distracted.  But often a good tune can percolate things.

Usually I go for video game BGM… there's a LOT of stuff that sets the mood.  For Their Own Good usually has a splash of Weird Al, but mostly the soundtrack from Command & Conquer Generals:  both the original and the expansion pack.  Zero Hour.  Also, the theme "Of Earth And Heaven" from the Left Behind:  Eternal Forces soundtrack by Chance Thomas.

China Will Grow Larger?  Take a wild guess.  😛

The Dyna story M15+4 H4X0R had Al's "It's All About the Pentiums," "You're Out of the Computer" by Bingo Gazingo and My Robot Friend, and Dr. Robotnick's base's theme from Sonic 3-D Blast for the Sega Saturn.

And Like a Weed and Power Play was a crazy trail mix bag of stuff that I can't properly categorize because I've got a bus for Hong Kong in a few hours.  Maybe when I get back!

[AlexG]

I'm ashamed to say I've missed this one.

It depends greatly upon what I'm working on – amongst others, when I was crafting The Power (and the rest of the Archon Saga), it was a heroic and melancholy mixture of musical themes.  Aside from certain artists of the ballad format, such as Gordon Lightfoot, from the realm of cinamagic, Star Wars (the original trilogy), Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan, The Dark Crystal, Dune (the movie) and Twin Peaks, to name only a few.

With Don Quixote and the Giantess from the Sea – The Man of La Mancha and Camelot.

However, in general, my pop-music tastes run towards those of 80's & 90's, but I have a special place reserved for the big bands of the 40's, too.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[Chuck]

I write in silence.

However, all the rest of the time when I'm researching and thinking about writing, I pump up the volume on heavy metal tunes from such bands like Blind Guardian, Sonata Arctica, and Nightwish. I also like movie soundtracks, and even the occasional movie to play in the background as I work. However, when it comes time to actually write, I write in silence and go someplace else and hammer away at the keyboard.

Also, I think this went unanswered for a while because it was posted here before there was a writing Q & A section. It probably wouldn't hurt for it to move down there, but until then it's fine where it's at.  😀

[David C. Matthews]

Is okay if an aritst/writer answers?

I'm not usually listening to music when I write/draw, but I do have ideas about what kind of "soundtracks" my characters would have.

Satin Steele – probably wouldn't have much of an underscore; her posing routines would most likely be set to Techno/dance or hip-hop tunes.

Dyna the Damsel Dynamo – two years or so ago, I'd have not thought of anything but a triumphant John Williams/Elmer Bernstein symphonic score.  But MIchael Giacchino, with his score for The Incredibles shows me that '60's-style "spy movie" scores could work as well.

Tetsuko – symphonic score for action scenes, and '80's-vintage J-Pop for the themes.  (Tetsuko's two favorite songs are both "Urusei Yatsura" themes – "Pajama Jama Da"(mp3) (lyrics) and "Tonogata Gomen Asobase" (mp3) (lyrics)

[AlexG]

Well, we do want more participation, don't we?  😉

So using my mighty muscles of global op topic movement I've placed it in the Writing Q&A forum.  8)

Also, I think this went unanswered for a while because it was posted here before there was a writing Q & A section. It probably wouldn't hurt for it to move down there, but until then it's fine where it's at.  😀

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[JimmyDimples]

Hey, figured this would be worth extending from the wilds of New Zealand. 

Power Play got its musical score from a variety of sources, including but not limited to…

"Peter and the Wolf" by Sergi Prokofiev (as performed by Wendy Carlos, and narrated by "Weird Al" Yankovic in this case)

"There she is!" by SamBakZa, soundtrack by Witches http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/161181

"Back in Black" by AC/DC

"It's Tricky" by Run DMC

The Russian Roulette Soundtrack by Craig Stuart Garfinkle

"Another First Kiss" by They Might Be Giants

The sorta official Like a Weed Soundtrack will be coming later.  Available in stores in September 200never.  🙂 🙁

[demented20]

I'm not sure how I missed this topic because sometimes I spend as much time making the right playlist for writing as I do actually writing. Every thing I write is pretty much set to music. If anybody has read any of my stuff I actually mention different songs in my stories. 99% of the time, the song I mention is what I'm listening to while I'm typing it. And it can be anything from classical, to jazz(lots of jazz), to blues, to folk, to heavy metal and everthing in between.
The only things I write in silence are posts on message boards  😉

[Fonk]

When I wrote my Doctor Who fanfic (here), I wrote down the music that I was listening to. 🙂

Mostly, it's either Loose by Nelly Furtado (you wouldn't believe how helpful Maneater can be!), or I just go through my MP3 playlist, which contains mostly dance, pop and guitar rock music.

Nice topic. 😉

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