Last we heard, the natives were beating the tom-toms as we hacked our way through the jungle. It’s got a beat, but can we dance to it? I don’t know, but music seems to be a recurring theme when our writing group is in the thick of nano-madness. We have everyone from me, that usually listens to no music whatsoever (or, at a minimum, something with a fast pace and beat with very few words… i.e. EDM), to my girlfriend who seems to go for volumes of themed music that fits the flow and idea for whatever she happens to be working on… and every one in between.
While I could list off the many hundreds of music-listening web sites and programs available out there (I could… but I’m not… you do that research), my main focus today will be on whether or not music can help your writing.
For me, when I listen to music, I get into it. I get lost in the rhythm and flow… and if I know the words (or pay special attention to them), I’m singing along. Not very conducive to writing, if you ask me (just pretend you asked me). On the other hand, if there are very few words, a nice heavy beat at a pretty quick pace, and I’m in the right mood… that can pump me along down the proverbial track enough to get a good writing sprint or two out of me. The only problem, it’s not going to last long. I’m eventually going to have to shut down the music and let the brain rest from the input.
Asking the gf, it works a bit differently for her. She spends a bunch of time trying to pick out the soundtrack for her book/story. It gets her in the tone or mood and allows her to redirect that music into what she is writing.
For the most part, though (from insightful remembering and what my gf just told me) it seems that most people just like to have their favorite playlist of music they like, playing in the background.
So, to answer the big question (or maybe it’s small, not sure), music is your choice. It’s all dependent on how your brain works with or without it. I suggest you try both and see what the outcome is. Maybe it’ll change your mind about the natives. Just don’t mind those heads impaled on the sticks… that was the young’n’s craft project last week.
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