Music and Word-Spinning

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent” — Victor Hugo

Listening to music while I work is one of my more hassle-free ways in which I can get my butt moving when I’m trying to write. Over the last couple of years, I’ve found that writing without music in the background can cause me a major standstill but that the reverse is also true.

As I’ve matured from an adolescent into adulthood (although it’s still a work in progress) I have had many ideas pop into my head that I’ve written down or even started working on. Many, many kettles on the fire in terms of untapped manuscripts that are there on my computer or in notebooks, waiting—I’ve always had a real problem just sitting down and finishing one of my literary projects. This is why I am thrilled to share with you one of the big reasons why my book has actually been making headway this year.

What, you ask, would keep me motivated and allow me to add nearly 60,000 words to my manuscript in a matter of two months? Well, to begin with, ten hours of carefully selected music. The work of several hours of searching for compositions that reminded me in any way of my story background, setting, or characters. It wasn’t the easiest or the fastest project, but I call it well worth the time and effort because I look proudly at all the work I have achieved in just a very short time.

You might wonder how I came to the conclusion that music wasn’t just a nice extra, but a real necessity? Well, it started the summer before last, while working on one of those projects I started but only got so far on (it’s one that I’m going to keep close to the vest for now, but am assuring you, it will be making its first appearance as soon as I have put the final words to my current work). Then, it dawned on me, that my main manuscript, Truth and Temptation, wasn’t getting done, and maybe it was because I didn’t have the ambiance that would focus, and spur me on to finish the darn thing. I mean, I had revisited it a couple of times that year, added a few new things and got rid of some of the sixteen-year-old sounding junk, but I hadn’t sat down and really dug into it.

T&T is set in 1840s London, so of course, my self-helping playlist came in the form of classical music. It seems so simple, but you have no idea (or maybe you do) how some composers can effectively bring on the torrent of motivation and persistence. Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Berlioz, Grieg, Smetana, and Mendelssohn all make appearances on my playlist. And gentlemen, I can’t thank you enough. As I mentioned in a previous post, thinking of certain people (British actors mainly) has formed at least the outer appearance of many of my characters. The same can be said for the tone of my writing. As the saying goes, imitation is the fondest form of flattery, well, when you read the finished product, you may hear the music in the words. In fact, I hope you do!

Starting with my openers, the few pieces I always have to listen to when I work, I have created a little playlist to show you what I mean when I say music can motivate the imagination.

Smetana: Ma vlast (My Fatherland) No. 2 - Vltava (Moldau)

Saint-Saëns: Symphony #3 In C Minor, Op. 78, "Organ" - 4. Maestoso, Allegro

Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave), Op. 26

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36: III. Scherzo

Berlioz: Rob Roy Overture

Just listen to these composers. Don't they make you inspired to jump into one of your own creative projects?

Even now, as I write this post, I’m listening to something to keep my nose to the keyboard: ABBA and Anthony Warlow. It has let this bout of insomnia be one of the most productive hours of my extremely long day.

As I get nearer and nearer to the end of my first novel, this imperative tool is one I’m going to keep and reuse again and again. It's like reading your work out loud to make sure the dialog is consistent or plotting your story's timeline on a mind map. It’s helped me, so I’ll bet it can help you too! But don't just take my word for it. To my fellow young authors, if you find yourself consistently halted when you want to be working, I’m telling you, give this idea a shot! Think about the brilliant characters you want to pop off the page, think about the time and place they live, and find music that fits accordingly. In my own variation to this Heinrich Heine quote: ”When music leaves off, words begin.”

Now tell me, dear readers, do you listen to music when you're working? Does it help or distract from your productivity? Tell me what you like to listen to in the comments below.