There is just something about a good tune that really gets me pumped. Often, after a stressful day at work, I’ll crank up the ol’ car stereo and get the tunes blaring. It helps me forget my worries and relieve stress.

I often listen to music while writing, it can help me get in the mood for certain scenes and in some instances has helped me get past a particular block. The type of music varies on the sort of scene. Fight scenes are generally accompanied by energetic metal or rock, larger scale battles tend to be backed by more epic songs, sometimes this is symphonic metal or just straight up classical symphony music. Okay, granted damn near everything I listen to is either rock or metal, but considering how diverse rock and metal are I can find music to fit pretty much any mood.

I’ve had others tell me that they feel music has too strong an influence on their writing if they listen while writing, but to me the only thing a tune does is set the mood. When I’m writing, I’m not paying attention to the lyrics, the music become part of the ambiance of the story. It relays the emotions of the characters or helps set a mood. It is not, to me, a distraction.

There are of course those instances I writing in silence, but that can also help set a mood. If a character is feeling contemplative or a keen sense of loneliness, that too can help set a mood.

What are your thoughts? Does anyone else feel this way?

Everyone have a delightfully demented day,

D.A.W.

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