The space I was mostly creative in this week was actually curled up on a mate’s couch busting out some crochet moves (and after that it was all about Twilight – which is now, thankfully, finished) but I didn’t take a photo so instead I thought I would snap my favourite (creative tool) combination right now; my laptop and my earbuds. Phil gave me a membership to emusic for Valentines Day, and then a gift voucher from iTunes to supplement it so I have been finally catching up with eons of good music, with a special interest in music which is good to write to. I am definitely of the school of people who find some appropriately ambient music extremely useful for inspiration.

I love to write to music. It makes it all happen in my head.

Just this morning I tried a little experiment. I took a scene I had already written, one where a certain gentleman and a certain woman meet for the first time. He’s delivering firewood and is wearing muddy boots which he has to shuck off at the door. She’s in her pajamas and wearing slippers. I think I originally wrote it while listening to Another side of Bob Dylan. I could smell the wood smoke, see the blush in her cheeks. Firing up iTunes, I reread it and played a Sigor Ros song… suddenly the scene needs to be much more epic and sweeping. Get rid of the slippers! More brooding looks! More allusions to a deep connection from childhood! The next song is a poppy little number from Simone Rubi with a slight disco beat and everything needs to be funnier, more flippant. More light remarks about the unlikely attraction to such a hulking mountain man especially when she is wearing some kind of slinky dressing-gown. I skip to a Sondre Lerche song from the Dan in Real Life soundtrack and the slippers are back, and while everything is cheerful, awkwardness pervades and cups of tea are slopped on the table, confidence slips, throats are cleared nervously. Actually, axe the Sondre Lerche, as it is way too distracting. Back on to some cool electronica beats which match my typing speed.

So, you see it takes me quite a long time to shuffle through my music to find the perfect music to make the perfect scene. Some might call it procrastination (and an expensive excuse to buy music). I call it necessary inspiration.

Do you write to music or do you prefer the sweet sounds of silence? 
If you do use music, what do you listen to? Maybe I can add yours to my playlist.

Some links:

Kate’s Book Blog – discussion about writing to music.

She links to Largehearted Boy who interviews authors about the playlists which might accompany their books.

Thanks for Kirsty for hosting My Creative Space again this week.