So, I was going over some scenes in my book AGAIN, particularly the historical section (the cat’s out of the bag – it’s a time-slip novel!!). Anyway, without even thinking about what I was doing, I put on my old soundtrack to get myself in the mood and I suddenly wondered – does anyone else do this?

I know some people may find listening to music while they write a bit distracting, but I use it to really get into the emotion of my characters.  Loreena Mckennitt’s  ‘The Mask & The Mirror’ helped me to get into the mindset of writing historical fiction, along with some of Enya’s ‘Watermark’ and a dollop of Ludovico Einaudi for good measure.  Then for the contemporary sections, I found Sigur Ros great because their music is so atmospheric and I haven’t a clue what they’re saying, so it doesn’t interfere with my thought processes.  In fact, I use all different genres of music, depending on the scene I’m writing and the emotion I’m trying to convey, whether it be a slow and jazzy Melody Gardot feel, or something dramatic like The Cinematic Orchestra.

As you may have guessed, I am a huge music fan, it permeates every aspect of my life, so why not my writing life?  There are times when I do need complete silence, but music is like my buddy, always keeping me company throughout the work.  All of my paintings have been  welcomed into the world by the joyous accompaniment of music, so for me it is only natural to greet my novel in the same way.

Anyone else use music to write?  What do you listen to, I’m very interested to know 🙂