We discuss this often enough in chat. What music gets your muse going?

For me, for the vampire book, ironically, a band has unwittingly written the entire soundtrack. For Sascha's story, it's

HIM ( finnish gothy band), Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo.

For the sci fi, I listened to Chemical Brothers, Matthew Sweet, David Bowie, almost entirely.



~~I want my robot maid and flying car.~~

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I haven't even begun writing my next WIP--I'm doing the prewriting for the Monthly Marathon--and it's already sprung up with a soundtrack. So far, it's consisting of songs by Faith and the Muse, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Voltaire, The Dreamside, Tristania, Beborn Beton (the book was actually inspired by their song "Elaine"), and Mors Syphilitica. All of which are goth bands, and all have a slighty medieval feel to the music, which is especially prominent in Faith and the Muse, Black Tape For A Blue Girl, and Mors Syphilitica.

I'm just wondering if this book is going to end up with nearly a hundred songs on the soundtrack like Stronger than the Night did ...

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I've only heard one of their songs (I'm not sure of the name, I just think of it as "The Evil Song"), but it's just SOOOO cool.

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>I've only heard one of their songs (I'm
>not sure of the name, I just think of it
>as "The Evil Song"), but it's just SOOOO
>cool.

The song you're thinking of is "When You're Evil," I believe, and that's the song on the soundtrack.

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It's this concert album a friend sent me, three almost indistinguishable long pieces with Hindu names. It just goes around and around and around. That's what I'm using for this horror/dark fantasy WIP.

I choose it per book or project. I did a lot of Sisters of Mercy and Metallica black album on the Chazho rewrite.

Moderator Cat
www.selfhelpforwriters.com
Robert A. Sloan Authorpage

Most people, it's "Get off your lazy ass and do something." With us, it's "Get back on your lazy ass and do something."
-- Nonny


Million Word Rewrite!

Chazho

For me, music is music. I don't have one specific type of music I listen to for any one genre.

But I only turn on music I like. Right now, I listen to Radio@Netscape, and I usually use the 1 hit wonders, Trance, and hard rock stations. When I turn on the CD player, it's to either the Radikal Techno series(I've got 3-6, and wishing for 1&2) or some kind of hard rock/industrial like Rob Zombie or Disturbed.

My logic brain responds very well to having a hard, steady rhythm (usually drums, whether electronic or real), which leaves the creative part open to create.

I also thrive on chaos. I do some of my best writing in public places like writing labs, cafeterias, coffee houses, and bars. Silence sends me screaming up a wall.

Gerri


To develop the habits of a professional writer.
To only look forward this year.

Watch me stumble towards good writing habits! Gerri\'s Writing Journal

The writer stares at the vacant page, the producer stares at the script, and searches for some formula to mask the terrifying fact: There's nobody here but me. -- David Mamet

More people will fail at becoming successful businessmen that fail at becoming artists. --John Gardner, On Becoming a Novelist

George, you can type this shit, but you sure can't say it. -- Harrison Ford

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Just about anything Celtic.

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Hmmm...

For my fantasy work - Loreena McKinnet, Lord of the Dance, celtic music.

For native american historical - I've got a half dozen new age CDs with chanting, drums, and pipes.

For contemporary - Stabbing Westward, Tool, Queensryche, Staind.

For the vampire novel I'm onto now - Queen of the Damned soundtrack, Type O Negative, a few selections from the Basketball Diaries soundtrack, Nine Inch Nails.


Redhawk

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Lately, I have been listening to the Flaming Lips, "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robot." The guys voice is great. I want to go and buy all of their albums now.

~Shanna~

Finish my first novel
Treasure

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Awesome! I just discovered that song a little over a week ago. The song is really awesome and I just can't listen to it enough!

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I listen to a number of things while writing/researching/worldbuilding etc.

God Speed You Black Emperor- Totally awesome dramatic music
Mogwai - My Father, My King- This is one album with one song; again, very dramatic
Bjork- How can I possibly not love her?
John McDermott- unbelievably good traditional/folk type music
Three Irish Tenors- same sort of deal, although they are more opera-style singers

also, several genuine soundtracks:
Braveheart
Last of the Mohicans
Glory
Lord of the Rings
Black Hawk Down

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>God Speed You Black Emperor- Totally
>awesome dramatic music

They're awesome. I've heard them described as "soundtrack for the Apocalypse" before, and it fits. I have a dystopic SF novel to be written that they'll be soundtrack for.

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"soundtrack for the Apocalypse"

I like the description! It certainly is very fitting. I would highly recommend Godspeed You Black Emperor to essentially anyone, especially someone interested in very dramatic music.

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Don't get me started, or I won't stop.

Seriously...I listen to loads of tunage while writing. Depending on the mood, I usually go with something upbeat but not too distracting.

Latest tunage (most are newer releases):
Beck, Sea Change
Crooked Fingers, Red Devil Dawn
DJ Shadow, The Private Press
Godspeed You Black Emperor, Yanqui UXO
Interpol, Turn on the Bright Lights
Kimone, Meres of Twilight
Laika, Lost In Space (greatest hits)
Porcupine Tree, In Absentia
Rainer Maria, Long Knives Drawn

...plus I've burned a few comp cds for listening pleasure, including one that's the "unofficial soundtrack" to my MS (I'm working on the sequel right now).

Here's to hoping this sudden warming up here in New England (it's over 30 degrees outside!! :eek: ) stays so I can go back downstairs and write again!!

PS I agree GYBE is great. I love "Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls". Interesting writing inspiration, that.

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I listen to a lot of different music while I'm writing, but I mostly listened to Scarlet's Walk by Tori Amos while doing NaNoWriMo and am writing the second draft mostly to the "new" Nirvana album.

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I can't listen to *anything* with lyrics. too many years of working as a transcriptionist (legal and otherwise) means any words that go into my ears end up on the page. sigh.

movie soundtracks -- if I've seen the movie -- remind me of whatever action was being scored, so they're usually out.

I prefer some light jazz and classics. erik satie is a favorite. I also have a couple "new age" cds that play vague music (flute, or harp, or guitar, or piano) with birds chirping, or rain, or a running stream, or the ocean -- mixed into the background. windham hill stuff is usually pretty good, too.

anything with too much rhythm, however, and I start getting the perverse urge to clean house. (I remember my mom and I doing housework to the tijuana brass; oops, did I just betray my age?)

sheryl
returning to the community in the throes of finishing her thesis :rolleyes:

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Mikey thinks Oafgirl (weird handle, that) has excellent taste in music! Mikey wants to know if Oafgirl has ever heard John Adorney's stuff?

Er, sorry! Don't know why I started refering to myself in the third person there. Perhaps I was thinking Oafgirl sounded like a character from a Tarzan book--"Tarzan want know if Oafgirl want listen to new age instrumental music with nice beat now!"

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For my first (never finished) novel, the soundtrack was Andres Segovia's Bach Concertos for Guitar. My protag was a classical guitarist, so it really helped me focus.

For the second (also unfinished) novel, the choice was Loreena McKennit and Owain Phyfe.

For the novel I just finished (finally!), I varied between Blackmore's Night (modern Celtic) and the Jolly Rogers (pirate songs).

Misty

to publish my novel

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For writing, it pretty much has to be instrumental. Anything with words, except maybe Gregorian chant, is just too distracting. I end up with lots of small ensemble jazz and lots of classical chamber music.

For editing words are okay, but nothing too intrusive. Lots of acoustic folk, very little metal.

The CD shelf next to my desk currently contains:

Wynton Marsalis Septet, Live at the Village Vanguard. (The full 7-disc box. #6 is on the player right now.)

Brahms Sonatas for Cello and Piano

Mickey Hart, Planet Drum

10,000 Maniacs, Unplugged

Lorenna McKennitt, The mask and mirror

Collective Soul, Hints, allegations, and things left unsaid

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Alone and Acoustic

Mozart, The five violin concertos

Bach, Brandenburg Concertos

Mahler, Symphony #1

Mannheim Steamroller, Fresh Aire 4

Katherine

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I LOVE Mickey Hart! Have you heard Supralingua? It's the followup to Planet Drum and it's fabulous.

Misty

to publish my novel

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I haven't heard it, but I'll definitely have to track it down. Thanks for the suggestion!

Katherine

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This Grateful Dead "box set" was my birthday present to myself last year.

Expensive, but it was money well spent!

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When reading, I can't listen to anything with words, too distracting. But when writing, I listen to all types of stuff, but has to have words for me. The music varies according to mood, and I guess stuff with words conveys mood better for me.

--Rang, the past tense of "ring"

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Depends, but generally as I audio type at work anything with lyrics is out if I am typing. A few CDs/composers which are constantly recycled are

When working at the PC:
Chopin - Piano Sonata's in C minor (in particular)
Rachmaninov
Gregorian chant - though only used in moderation as it's really too relaxing
Beethoven
(If all else fails I raid my fathers extensive library of music)

If Drawing or Hand scribbling
Garbage, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Enya

And of course the flavour of the moment, whatever it is - I think it's Pink at the moment.

Charlotte

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I'm one who can't have lyrics that I listen to; I have all these CDs in my computer that I refuse to listen to because I want to be productive. But if I ever just make a fun-song mix, a lot of Rent, Les Miz, and such will be on there. For writing (because I do so very much of it, to be read sarcastically) or at least thinking, I have Newsies, Celtic including Loreena McKennitt although she's less Celtic than the ones I listen to most, the soundtracks to Shrek and Snatch, Massive Attack, some Weezer, wheatevvo. I don't know what really makes me write more, though, since I haven't been writing lately. Next weekend I'll probably be doing more.--Diatryma

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I tend to listen to movie soundtracks, trance, and some folk when I write. The fewer / less intelligible the lyrics, the better. Right now, the CD case has:

-Gladiator soundtrack
-Lord of the Rings soundtracks (Fellowship and Two Towers)
-Crouching Tiger / Hidden Dragon soundtrack
-The Red Violin soundtrack
-Star Wars soundtracks (Ep. I, II, IV, V, VI, Shadows of the Empire)
-Last of the Mohicans soundtrack
-Robin Hood PoT soundtrack
-Chicane: Behind the Sun
-Paul VanDyk (i don't know which albums)
-Paul Oakenfold: Perfecto Presents Another World, Pefecto Collection, Voyage into Trance, Tranceport, Global Underground... and maybe a few others.
-Enigma: (Mask behind the Mirror, i think)
-Enya: Paint the Sky with Stars
-Mixed CD of Medieval Baebes, Dead Can Dance, and Loreena McKennitt
-Mixed CD, "boing boing" from a friend w/ more stuff than I can list on it ( )

I've also discovered the wonders of streaming audio in winamp. I listen to the Simply Soundtracks stream from shoutcast (i think) when at work, but it's too broken up to listen to when writing.

~~*~~ ~~*~~ ~~*~~
-JamiJo & The WonderBirdies (aka Marlette & Pixie, aka The Tailless 2some)

http://jamijo.blogspot.com
http://www.parrotwriter.com

She was not quite what you would call refined...
She was not quite what you would call unrefined...
She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot.

--Mark Twain


: Across the Worlds

Pilgrimage: Finish my first novel

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I have most of my music on my computer, so just put it all on the playlist and press shuffle! For brainstorming I like listening to Iron Maiden, Simon & Garfunkel, Creed and thoughtful music!

For getting words onto paper, Metallica, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eagles, Bad Religion, Stiltskin, Dire Straits, Incubus, Nirvana, Rage Against The Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Third Eye Blind, Led Zeppelin, Type O Negative plus anything else that ends up on my hard drive!!

That's only a fraction of what I like, but the entire list would be several miles long!!

When I get more into what I'm writing, I lean towards a specific genre, but not what you'd generally expect- which sums me up to a T!!

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For science fiction, Offspring, Portishead, U2; for just about everything else, Indigo Girls and Alanis Morrisette. Music I love always helps me write, but sometimes I use specific tracks- like Indigo Girls' "Ghost" for a historical story I wrote, and R.E.M's "Let Me In" for the first part of my current novel. I can't use music when I'm writing poetry though- it intereferes too much.

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Sometimes two, if my needs change as I near the end.

Here's the first soundtrack for Gods Old and Dark. I just cut and pasted from iTunes, so this is the order in which the songs were played, including repetitions. You'll notice heavy rotation on Goo Goo Dolls "Acoustic #3" which turned into the them song for the first 3/4 of the book. "Don't Fear the Reaper" is Molly's theme, "Bad Moon Rising" is Baanraak's theme, "Don't Dream It's Over" is Lauren's theme, "I'll Be" is Pete's theme.

J. S. Bach- Bouree I & II Andres Segovia & John Williams
Ferrington Guitars -- Rare Instrumental -- Albert Lee Albert Lee
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Stand By Me Ben E. King
Don't Fear the Reaper Blue Oyster Cult
Iris Goo Goo Dolls
Turn the Page Bob Seger
Bad Moon Rising CCR
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
No Particular Place to Go Chuck Berry
Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier Civil War
Name Goo Goo Dolls
The Fairy Queen Clannad
Fanfare for the Common Man Copeland
Don't Dream It's Over Crowded House
Turn the Page Bob Seger
Time After Time Cyndi Lauper
Come Again Damn Yankees
High Enough Damn Yankees
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Where You Goin' Now Damn Yankees
The Dreaming Tree Dave Matthews Band
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Taking You Home Don Henley
Classical Gas John Williams
Barely Breathing Duncan Sheik
I'll Be Edwin McCain
Iris Goo Goo Dolls
Epona Enya
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Exile Enya
Storms In Africa Enya
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
This Kiss Faith Hill
Name Goo Goo Dolls
Iris Goo Goo Dolls
When I Come Around Green Day
Time of Your Life Green Day
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Fisherman's Song Irish Descendants
Name Goo Goo Dolls
Classical Gas John Williams
Far and Away John Williams
Hanging by a Moment - Acoustic Lifehouse
Concerning Hobbits Lord Of The Rings OST
Overcome Live
Lightning Crashes Live
Prisoner In Disguise Linda Ronstadt / J.D. Souther
Name Goo Goo Dolls



My needs changed significantly for the last 3/4 of the book and for the revision, where I suddenly discovered what the whole thing was really about. So I did a second soundtrack. "Acoustic #3" maintained heavy rotation, but the book picked up a new theme song -- "Superman" by Five for Fighting. Baanraak picks up two new theme songs, "Every Breath You Take" and "The Unforgiven II". Lauren gets "I Will Never Be the Same" and Molly's new theme is "I Don't Want to Wait." June Bug and Heyr get the "Adagio for Strings."

Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Ferrington Guitars -- Rare Instrumental -- J.D. Souther J.D. Souther
Canon for Three Violins Pachelbel
Concerning Hobbits Lord Of The Rings OST
Superman Five For Fighting
Like The Way I Do Melissa Etheridge
Canon in D Pachelbel
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Every Breath You Take Police
Superman Five For Fighting
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Pachelbel, Rachmaninov
Fields Of Gold Sting
Ruins Melissa Etheridge
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
The Bridge Of Khazad Dum Lord Of The Rings OST
Superman Five For Fighting
Yo Yo Ma - Bouree Bach
I'm The Only One Melissa Etheridge
Adagio for Strings Platoon Soundtrack
Come To My Window Melissa Etheridge
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
Superman Five For Fighting
Downeaster Alexa Billy Joel
Don't Fear the Reaper Blue Oyster Cult
I Will Never Be The Same Melissa Etheridge
Superman Five For Fighting
Run Around Blues Traveller
Fields Of Gold (Acoustic Unplugged) Sting
Acoustic #3 Goo Goo Dolls
The Unforgiven II Metallica
What A Wonderful World Paul Simon, James Taylor, & Art Garfunkel
I Don't Want to Wait Paula Cole
Superman Five For Fighting
Catch The Moments As They Fly Lifescapes

Midnight Rain is a case of "and now for something completely different." The soundtrack, which I'm still refining, reflects that. There are some things I just like to listen to while I'm writing, like Clapton on "Classical Gas." "Travelin' Soldier" is going to have to go, I think, because while it's perfect for the book, it makes me cry every time it plays and I don't really need that sort of distraction while I'm writing. The book theme song is "Wide Open Spaces." I don't know why -- it feels right, even if there's no clear connection between the story theme and the lyrics.

Exile Enya
Travelin' Soldier Dixie Chicks
Landslide Dixie Chicks
Similar Features Melissa Etheridge
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
I Can Love You Much Better Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Chrome Plated Heart Melissa Etheridge
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Storms In Africa Enya
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
There's Your Trouble Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
You Were Mine Dixie Chicks
Like The Way I Do Melissa Etheridge
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Let 'Er Rip Dixie Chicks
I'll Take Care Of You Dixie Chicks
I'm The Only One Melissa Etheridge
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
Am I The Only One Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Top Of The World Dixie Chicks
Come To My Window Melissa Etheridge
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) Dixie Chicks
I Believe In Love Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
I Will Never Be The Same Melissa Etheridge
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
More Love Dixie Chicks
A Home Dixie Chicks
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Ruins Melissa Etheridge
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks
Classical Gas Eric Clapton
Long Time Gone Dixie Chicks
This Kiss Faith Hill
Talking To My Angel Melissa Etheridge
Wide Open Spaces Dixie Chicks

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I don't really do soundtracks for stories or characters. To be honest, I don't fully understand how people make the connection between the two. For me, listening to music and writing are two seperate activities, I can't do both together.
My current WIP, Soul Debt has a scene in it that was largely inspired by one song, "Be Wary of Lovers Who Come from the Greenwood" by Carolyn Hillyer and Nigel Shaw. I suppose that some of the themes of that song get echoed throughout the story, but I wouldn't consider it as a 'soundtrack' as such.
That said, I do want to get permission to use one particular verse as the quotation at the start of the story.

David.



The secret of writing is to put words on paper, whatever those words may be: A page of bad writing can be improved, but a blank page is just a blank page.

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I soundtrack every book I write. I don't give a lot of conscious thought to theme before I start writing, but a soundtrack definitely keeps my subconscious focused on themes.
I tend to rotate in instrumental soundtracks when I get bored, too.

Playlist for _Festival of Ghosts_:

Into the Dark--Melissa Etheridge
Slide--Goo Goo Dolls
Crestfallen--Smashing Pumpkins
Fox in the Snow--Belle and Sebastian
Deep River--Utada Hikaru
To Shiela--Smashing Pumpkins
Let It Be Me--Indigo Girls
Kid Fears--Indigo Girls
Itsumo Nandodemo--from the movie "Spirited Away"
Rosier--Luna Sea
Foolish Love--Rufus Wainwright
Complainte de la Butte--Rufus Wainwright
Building a Mystery--Sarah McLachlan
Fumbling Towards Ecstacy--Sarah McLachlan
Take me Down--Smashing Pumpkins
Truth is a Whisper--Goo Goo Dolls
Behold! The Nightmare--Smashing Pumpkins
Silver Lining--David Gray
Galapogos--Smashing Pumpkins

My soundtrack for "Shattered Jade" is much shorter, but it's very precise; each song is targeted for a specific character or moment.

1--"Rinbu Revolution," Revolutionary Girl Utena soundtrack
2--"Angels Would Fall," Melissa Etheridge
3--"Here is Gone," Goo Goo Dolls
4--"Aida," Sarah McLachlan
5--"Call and Answer," Barenaked Ladies
6--"Touch and Go," Melissa Etheridge
7--"Do What You Have To Do," Sarah McLachlan
8--"Halellujah," Rufus Wainwright (Shrek Soundtrack)
9--"Blank Page," Smashing Pumpkins
10--"Love's Recovery," Indigo Girls

I never really did a soundtrack for "A Pair of Wings," but there are three songs that always make me think of it:

What a Good Boy--Barenaked Ladies
Secure Yourself--Indigo Girls
Sympathy--Goo Goo Dolls

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Up there in my list of all-time favorite songs! It's such an under-appreciated Smashing Pumpkins tune.

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I don't do specific soundtracks for writing particular works, but I have in the past assembled soundtracks after the fact for RPG characters I've played, and once for a group of RPG characters including mine, so I get the concept. But what music I queue up will vary depending on both the mood I'm in and the mood of the things I'll be writing. Over time I suppose there's some things that show up more often than not on the playlists, though.

For Sunday, that's been a lot of Flash Girls, Tori Amos, Savatage's Magellan's Wake (or at least large chunks of it), music from The Craft, and Dead Can Dance. There's been other things, too, but I may make a mix tape, er, hmm, CD, after the book is done with the rewrite, that fits the mood of it and probably will contain a large chunk of what I've listened to the most.

Oh. And during first draft, there were entire chapters when I had Garbage 2.0 on repeat.

But I haven't finished ripping my CD collection to hard disk yet, which also affects what I listen to when and where (my CD drive is currently broken, so I can't listen to Garbage except on the boom box, for instance).

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For the current project, the book started picking out a soundtrack as I wrote up the outline. Here are a few of the selections:

"Nara" by E.S. Posthumus: This song sort of played when I envisioned the 'trailer' for the book. It also helped me pick out the images I needed for the outline.

"Broken" by Seether: This is Joss, my dragon warrior's song. His story arc is pretty tragic and this song just FITS him.

"Fine Again" by Seether: Sort of a shared theme between Joss and my rebel leader, Ademar. This song helped the love... er... pentagon gel together for me.

"For the Love of a Princess" and "A Gift of Thistle" from Braveheart: These two songs helped the main romance plot come together for me.

"The Dream Within" by Lara Fabian: This is my heroine's theme. This song inspired a few scenes for Isolina.

"A Love Before Time" from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: This song is definitely the theme for Nivia, Joss' sister and Ademar's doomed bride.

"Yearning of the Sword" from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: This song helped me write the first scene of the book. It helped set the mood for the entire chapter.

"A Kaleidoscope of Mathematics" from A Beautiful Mind: My story has nothing to do with mathematics, but Charlotte Church's voice is gorgeous and this song helped get through two different minor character's scenes in outlining.

That's all that I have on the soundtrack for now. I tend to pick up songs as my work progresses.

Crista

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... for being completely unable to write coherently while there's music playing?

I just can't do it. I find listening to music while writing singularly distracting.

When it has lyrics I'm too busy listening to what the song is saying. I like instrumental music for relaxation so whenever I listen to that my mind wanders and I can't focus.

And it's only music too. All other kinds of noise: people talking, shouting, construction work, crowds, television, I can tune all of that out, but music... I just can't listen to it and write.

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I have a friend (a musician in addition to being a writer) who is totally unable to write to music.

For myself, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. When I do, it's Celtic or New Age or Native American or certain movie soundtracks. Nothing with lyrics.

But sometimes I need silence and even the most soft and evocative music can be a real irritant.

Elaine

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From 1984 through 2001, I had to have silence. It's just in the past couple of years that I've actually found music useful sometimes. Even now, it isn't all the time. Sometimes I still need the world to sit in freeze-frame for a while.

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That's it's not just me.

Being weird to other people is fine, but if I'm an oddball among my own kind, I have no excuse

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I can listen to music, or I can write. I can't do both.
If music's playing while I'm writing I will either listen to the music and not write, or I'll write and literally not hear the music. Either way, one of them is wasted, so there's no point in trying to do both.

David.



The secret of writing is to put words on paper, whatever those words may be: A page of bad writing can be improved, but a blank page is just a blank page.

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The vampire soundtrack evolved on me. In order/scene/character:

Placebo ure Morning (opening scene)
Apoptygma Berzerk: Suffer In Silence, Until The end of the World,
Cruxshadows: Bloodlines, Monsters, Return,
Beborn Beton: Angel One
HIM: One Last Time ( if there was a song for my character, this is IT.), Poison Girl, Razorblade Kiss...( ah hell, they did the entire soundtrack)
Thievery Corporation: Facing East, Heaven's Gonna Burn your Eyes

www.isotank.com, www.asleepbydawn has a stunning array of music for sale on their catalog, and delights abound for me. ( the cd sampler is pretty damn impressive, to boot. As a recipient of many samplers over the years, I was happy to find one that's very nice.)

Sometimes, I need silence, or minimal back ground noise, but mostly, I'm audio motivated. Blame my years as a roadie and concert tech.

~~I want my robot maid and flying car.~~

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I have been known, when trying to write, to actually shush my cat for purring too loud.

Silence is essential for me, and I listen to music as a totally separate exercise.

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I do better when there isn't music, but I like to have the noise. I've been having some isolation issues here (long, major things I'm dealing with) and if there's music, I listen to that instead of the silence in my room and the happy noises next door (it's a noisy group). I can't listen to story music, which invalidates all my shows, or TV, but I have good cryptic-lyric ones that keep me happy.--Diatryma

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Music playing, especially with lyrics, just wipes my mind clean! Total silence is my best composing environment.

If someone speaks to me while I'm writing, I feel like screaming in frustration, or crying. I just lose the 'flow' completely.

If things start to get noisy in the house and I really HAVE to write, then I put headphones on and fill them with loud 'thrash metal' music (like Pantera). The lyrics are incomprehensible and the sheer volume drowns out the conversations, TV or music around me

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Kept forgetting to respond to this one, so I'll do it now. My main CDs at this point (can't really do it by songs because the song needs are different depending on the scene, but these CDs pretty much cover all bases with me) are Vanessa Carlton, FOTR and TTT soundtracks, and t.A.T.u. In addition to this, anything by Linkin Park will get me moving because if there's a mood I need, then I guarantee that Linkin Park will have at least one song that fits my needs.

I also do a lot of writing to MP3s, where I just pick one and put it on repeat. The best MP3s for that right now are 3 Doors Down "When I'm Gone," John Rzeznik "I'm Still Here," Chad Kroeger "Hero," Jay-Z "Bonnie and Clyde '03," Kylie Minogue "Can't Get You Out of My Head," and Garbage "The World is Not Enough."

Heh. Interesting selection there *g*

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Speaking of soundtracks...this list is incomplete and may be slightly out of order, as I don't have my book in front of me for each scene.

(Okay, I know a few of these songs came out after I finished the book, but they fit so well in the scenes I couldn't dismiss them.)

'Exclamavit' from Voices of Light, Richard Einhorn/Anonymous 4
Ruthless Gravity--Craig Armstrong
Giving Up the Ghost--DJ Shadow
Strangelove Addiction--Supreme Beings of Leisure
Gabriel--Lamb
Message Personnel--Dot Allison
Street Spirit (Fade Out)--Radiohead
The Devil You Know--Jesus Jones
Earth Punk Rockers--Buffalo Daughter
Music Is Math--Boards of Canada
Tears of Ashes--Porcupine Tree
Until I Wake Up--Dishwalla
The Host of Seraphim--Dead Can Dance
All In Your Hands--Lamb
Cuckoo--Curve
Touched--Vast
Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls--Godspeed You Black Emperor
Epsilon Phase--Global Communication
Daylight--Failure (closing theme)


I'm still working on Book 2, and the only song I have is the opening theme which plays while a character floats in space above the Earth:
14:31 (Obselon Minos) by Global Communication.

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I've listened to primarily:

Tony's POV-
"Big Mouth Strikes Again," Placebo
"Flames," VAST
"Unforgiven II," Metallica
"Tears in Heaven," Eric Clapton
"Smooth," Santana/Rob Thompson
"I'm Dying," VAST
"Flames," VAST
"Wonderful Tonight," Eric Clapton
"Ruby," Smashing Pumpkins
"Empire," Queensryche
"Layla," Eric Clapton
"Young Lust," Pink Floyd
"On the Turning Away," Pink Floyd
"Song for Joy," Nick Cave, Murder Ballads album
"Pretty When You Cry," VAST

Eve's POV-
"Simple Kind of Life," No Doubt
"It's Alright, It's Okay," Laura (Lauren?) something-or-other
"Silent Lucidity," Queensryche
"Jet City Woman," Queensryche

(also the odd Frankie Vallie tune)


For the erotica novella that inspired my 5-volume fantasy-romance WIP:

"Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness," instrumental track #1, Smashing Pumpkins' MCIS disc 1

"Porcelina," Smashing Pumpkins MCIS disc 1 (I think)

and "Ruby," Smashing Pumpkins MCIS

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