How I Use Music to Write

(And How You Can, Too!)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I love to listen to music while I write - and I can spend hours curating playlists that evoke certain moods, from battle and chase scenes to tearful goodbyes. Once I'm done, all I have to do is find the right playlist for the type of scene I'm writing, click shuffle, and let 'er fly.

If you're a writer wondering how to utilize music to your best advantage, or simply curious about how it works, here's my step-by-step process for creating the perfect writing playlist to suit your needs.

- Build Your Stash

If you already have an account with a digital music app, such as Spotify or Pandora Premium, go through your favorite artists and albums and start sorting songs into the playlist they fit best. If you only have a few things you usually listen to, now is the time to expand! Look up the artists you like and see if they've made more albums, and explore similar artists. Pay attention to your suggestions feed too! I've come across some of my favorite composers and tracks that way.

- Create Basic Playlists

Before you dive right into sorting your music, take time to create 3-5 'basic' playlists - the ones that you know you'll need. If you write fantasy or adventure like me, you'll most likely need an intense battle playlist, a mournful all-hope-is-lost playlist, and (usually) a happy ending playlist. If you're writing fluffy contemporary romance. . . You know better than I would. Good luck.

- Listen, Sort, & Cull

This is the step that takes the most time, and for me it's never ending - not that I mind - as I come across new artists and releases. I suggest arranging your albums alphabetically, and listening to each one all the way through. When you finish each track, send it to the playlist it best fits - or, if it doesn't belong in one of your basic playlists, create a new one. You can be as vague or detailed as you want; I just spent three days re-sorting my massive Intense playlist into several smaller, more specific moods(Heroics, Time To Panic, etc.).

If and when you come across a track you don't like, or that doesn't serve your genre, leave it out of your playlists or delete it (depending on which app you're in.)

- Music With Words

Some people can concentrate just fine while listening to music that has lyrics. I'm not one of those people. I still like some music with lyrics, but I tend to leave it out of my writing playlists more often than not, as I find it distracting when I'm trying to write. If you don't mind lyrics, then feel free to mix them into your mood playlists. Otherwise, you'll probably do better keeping it instrumental so the transitions don't jar your brain.

- Trailer Music vs. Classical Music vs. Film Scores

You guessed it - I use all three. 'Trailer music' by artists such as Audiomachine, Brand X Music, and IMAscore is great for keeping a seamless energy, with smooth transitions and little deviation from the main theme. Film scores, on the other hand, are harder to sort into mood playlists, but it can be done - and they're great for project aesthetic playlists. There are so many spectacular, sweeping scores by incredible composers; James Newton Howard, Michael Giacchino, and John Williams are my favorites.

That said, you could build your entire stash with classical music and be able to fill every playlist you need with ease, using music from every era. On top of that, classical music is structured in such a way as to stimulate both sides of the brain, much like ocean waves. If you listen to a majority of classical music while you write, you'll likely feel calmer than if you listened to nothing at all.

- Aesthetic Playlists, or Project Playlists

This is something I've done for a while, and I really enjoy it. Just go through your playlists or albums (again) and pick the tracks that best fit the vibe of your current writing project. If you're really ambitious, you can arrange your project playlist like a soundtrack, as if it were the score for your book-turned-movie. I'm working on one right now, rearranging my music as I write each chapter, and it's so much fun! It keeps me motivated to write, and I love being able to immerse myself in my book's vibe even when I'm not writing. Just remember: This is for your own personal enjoyment. The music and rights belong to the creator.

And that's it! I hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration for your own writing playlists. Subscribe to my mailing list if you haven't already, and be sure to share this with your friends.

Best of luck to you, mate, as you continue on your writing journey!

- Lydia