Thursday, December 2, 2010

The Tunes Of My Muse


For a long while - actually as long as I can remember - I have enjoyed listening to music while I write. I know there are other authors out there that need complete silence in order to approach their muse, almost as if they were trying to sneak up and attack the paper with a stealth ninja move. Not me. I need the tunes blaring in my ears before I can really focus on my characters and their current predicaments.

I listen to a variety of things ranging from Christian rock to dance and techno.

When it comes to dance music, the beats, the pulse - especially in club mixes - really helps to get the ideas from my head to the laptop screen. I love listening to Benassi Bros, ATB, Jes, Kaskade and OceanLab - particularly their hit, Satellite -



I also enjoy the classics from my early twenties like Collective Soul, Matchbox 20, Lifehouse and 3 Doors Down - one of my favs is It's Not My Time...



I'll also listen to old classics that I was introduced to when I was a kid. My dad and I would do projects on the house late at night and listen to music from Steve Winwood, Gloria Estefan, The Bangles and even Don Henley. My favorite of his is End of the Innocence -
















Throw in a bit of Third Eye Blind, a dash of Nickleback, some Evanscence, especially their hit, Bring Me To Life -
















and maybe some numbers from Toby Mac, Michael W. Smith, and Fireflight - notably For Those Who Wait - and I'm good to go.
















One of my favorite songs at this moment is by an artist I've been listening to for years now - Kylie Minogue. Her current hit, Get Outta My Way, is probably one of the few songs at this moment that I could listen to over and over and over again and never get sick of it.



If you're an author and you love to listen to music while you belt out your latest scene, let me know what's on your playlist. I think music - just like it does in a movie to bring action, suspense, romance to the audience - can bring emotions, and feelings to the page.

Photo credit -  Hryck

2 comments:

Nathan James Norman said...

Currently my "writing muse" includes:

-Family Force Five (Rip it Up, Fever, Love Addict)
-12 Stones (The Way I Feel)
-Andy Hunter (Wonderful)
-Brave Saint Saturn (Daylight, Heart Still Beats)
-Gavin DeGraw (I don't want to be)
-Kevin Max (Hallelujah)
-Queen Bee (The Langley Sisters)
-Neon Horse (When Daddy Gets Home, 'Haven't sinned in Years, Merciless Mother)
-Pete Stewart (No one can save me)
-Bonny Portmore (from the Highlander:Endgame soundtrack)
-Red (Already Over, Mystery of You, Take It all Away)
-The Showdown (Laid to Rest, Death Finds Us Breathing)
-Staple (the Song Writer)
-Starflyer 59 (Minor Keys, The Brightest of the Head)
-Decemberists (Engine Driver, O Valencia!)

To name more than a few!

Unknown said...

Red is awesome. I've heard a couple songs from Family Force Five and they are awesome. And 12 Stones is awesome. I'm not sure I've heard anything from the rest,(except Gavin Degraw)though I might have without knowing it. ;)