Can you hear the music?

I’ve discovered when I am in a writing mode that I prefer total silence. This allows me to concentrate 100% on the piece that I am constructing. As a result, most of my work is written in my office at my house and not in a coffee shop, library, or other venue.

However, music can pair with writing in just as harmonious a partnership as music in movies and television shows. Listening to the perfect melody can help get one in the right mood, set the appropriate stage for what is to come, and even influence what one writes down on paper.

When I am not actively sitting in front of my computer screen, I will listen to different playlists that I have created for certain series or specific books that I am working or have worked on in the past. Every so often, I will discover a song that matches perfectly to an emotion of a certain character or a vibe that parallels a specific situation in my plot(s). I am not one to try and let the music alter what I want to write; rather, it helps me connect further and even get excited about the story I am creating.

I am very picky. It is rare for me to cross paths with that perfect melody, and when I do discover one, it is a wonderful thing. Now for all those who love to write or read books, take some time when listening to your music and consider if any of it matches up with a hero or heroine? Maybe a villain or the most prominent battle scene? How about the heartbreak a protagonist just went through? Like me, you may discover how exciting it is to listen to a song and get pulled back into your favorite story.