Me too. Well, kinda…
For each of my books, I’ve had ONE song that I replay over and over (and over) again until the book is done. My guestimate is I play it a bazillion times to get through 300 pages. Less for shorter anthology stories.The Pros: The song instantly gets me into the mindset of my WIP.
The Cons: It annoys everyone around me – hence, the headphones.
Here’s a quickie list of my books and the songs that helped me write them:
Operation Prince Charming - “Fascination” by Kem
Dreaming of You in the Live, Love, Laugh anthology - “Put Your Hands on Me” by Joss Stone
By New Year’s Day in The Holiday Inn anthology – “Lonely” by Jaheim
A Moment on the Lips – “I Can Change” by John Legend.
Okay, I’ve shared a bit of my writing weirdness with you. Now it’s your turn:
Tell me your quirkiest writing quirk????
lmao! that is so funny to me. i would expect u to need total silence to create. that's so interesting
ReplyDeleteLove your playlist. I have to think on my quirk. Is procrastination one?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I often hear about writers and music, the quirkiest of my own quirks may be that I 'never' listen to music when I write fiction. I find it interferes with the music of the piece I'm working on.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely understand that. I always listen to music while I write. Each project, I make a playlist of about 15 songs by a specific artist. No two projects have playlists by the same artist.
ReplyDeleteI can listen to music while I'm working but sometimes I need to turn it down or off when I really get into a flow.
ReplyDeletePJD
Love your playlist to but I have to confess, I can't bear music or radio/tv on when I'm working. It has to be peace and countryside sounds - nature all the way for me. I'll open the barn doors sometimes to listen to the sounds or the rain outside.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I need solitude. Not necesarily peace and quiet, but only to be left alone. Usually takes me forever and a day to reach that exact moment where I can sit down and start writing.
ReplyDeleteMusic has influenced to a certain degree, in that certain songs helped inspire a particular idea that became a catalyst for a short story.
Thanks for stopping by everyone!
ReplyDelete@antithesis - I don't need the silence to create, but prefer it when editing.
@Kwana - Ha! I'm a total procrastinator. The dh likes to say, "you don't have a writing problem, you have a sitting problem".
@Charles Gramlich - When I'm rewriting and editing, I sometimes have to shut it off to listen to the beat of the words.
@mrstdj - Hmmm... Now you've got me wondering which artists you've picked for your latest projects????
@PJD - After listening to one song so many times, you kinda tune it out. So I can leave it on.
@Bluestocking Mum - I'm too nosy to listen to natural sounds. I'd have to go out and see what's going on. But I do love the sound of rain to lull me to sleep. I even use one of those 'fake rain' noise machines at night.
@G - I also have to be left alone. And it takes me forever to sit down - no matter how early I get up.
Phyllis, your dh cracks me up!
ReplyDeleteI think my main quirk is my affinity for the night. It's almost impossible for me to write in the day; I'm at my best in the wee hours of the morning when it's cool, quiet and otherworldly.
For me, it's total silence. I just can't write with any noise whatsoever, not even the sound of the TV in the other room, or my husband snoring.
ReplyDelete@Liane - I used to be a night time writer, but my body clock has shifted. Now I get the most done in the afternoon.
ReplyDelete@Jewel - How do you work that out with small kiddos? Do you write at night?
My quirk is that I am most creative in the shower. When I really need to work out a problem, get my character out of a spot in a realistic way, I get under a powerful shower. I am not sure if the water stimulates brain cells, a doctor might suggest it's not likely, but I almost always get great ideas that way.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, I read somewhere that another writer also listen to music and sips tea while she writes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pointers. Always.