No matter what your vocation in life, music can inspire you. It can lift and comfort. It can embrace and acknowledge. It can nullify your existential loneliness in a way unique to any other art form. It can unite us and connect us, make us think differently about situations and give us comfort. For these reasons and more, writers often listen to music either before or while they write. It can help us get in touch with how a particular character is feeling at a certain time, or help us get in touch with ourselves before sharing our stories. It can even inspire story itself.
So I wondered what kinds of music my writer buddies use for inspiration, or simply like, and I thought you might be curious too… Perhaps you’re a fan of one of my writer buddies, or interested in discovering what kinds of music inspire certain styles of writing? Maybe you just like music and/or discovering new artists?
Well, I’ve got plenty of discovery waiting for you, because I’ve asked a long list of writers to share their current favourite tracks with you and I’ll publish one a day on my blog for the next few weeks for your musical delight! Between them, we have everything musical to look forward to – from pop to violin trance, epic melancholy 17-minute tracks to rock and 80s nostalgia. Who likes what may surprise you! Of course music tastes often fluctuate, but the series is just a snapshot of what these authors enjoy right now rather than an ultimate definitive best-song-of-all-time choice.
I’ll guess I’ll kick things off with my own favourite music, revealed just under the list…
Author Music Coming Up
Alan Baxter
AJ Spedding
Amanda Bridgeman
Amanda Pillar
Andrew McKiernan
Ben Peek
Bruce Lyman
Cat Sparks
Charlotte Wood
Claire Corbett
David Henley
David McDonald
Deb Kalin
Dionne Lister
Donna Maree Hanson
Duncan Lay
Felicity Pulman
Graham Storrs
Greg Barron
Ian Irvine
Ian McHugh
James Bradley
Jason Nahrung
Jenn J McLeod
Joanne Anderton
Kaaron Warren
Karen Miller
Kate Forsyth
Keith Stevenson
Kimberley Gaal
Kim Falconer
Kirsten Krauth
Kylie Scott
Lee Battersby
Leife Shallcross
Lisa Hannett
Marianne de Pierres
Mark T Barnes
Mark Timmony
Martin Livings
Michael Hearle
Michael Pryor
Nansi Kunze
Nina D’Aleo
Pamela Freeman
Pip Harry
Richard Harland
Robert Easterbrook
Sean Williams
Shauna O’Meara
Sophie Masson
Stephanie Gunn
Steve Cameron
Susanne Gervay
Terry Dowling
Thoraiya Dyer
Trent Jamieson
What Music I Like
I enjoy all kinds of music, from soulful whispers and twangy laze to angry loudness, piano tinkles and uplifting house. But what I listen to most is pop – pop that’s unique and individual, with enough of the everyday to make it resonate. I especially like tracks with a beat so transfixing I want to dance, groove or run, and at the moment that’s anything with a Moroccan dance beat, such as:
- Sugar Man by Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP
- Prayer in C by Lilly Wood & The Prick and Robin Schulz
- Wicked Games by Parra for Cuva ft. Anna Naklab
However, the track I’ve selected to kick off this series reflects both my musical tastes and my writing style: gradual intrigue mounting to turn-paging gallops and an unforgettable ending. Also French DJ David Guetta can do nothing wrong by me…
Tomorrow we embark on the rest of our journey through writery music… In the meantime, do you have a favourite song of the moment you’d like to share?
I have no idea what category the ‘music’ I listen to fits. Here’s a small list:
Arcana; Desiderii Marginis; Patrick O’Hearn; Trent Reznor (soundtrack to the girl with the dragon tattoo); Lab’s cloud; Erot; E-mantra; CJ Catalizer; Asura; AstroPilot; Androcell; Alwoods; Aquascape; Aksahn; Cabeiri; Rajna; QANTAL; Sysyphe; Dead Can Dance; and other movie soundtracks (broken city; the fountain; the pianist; Gattaca) and a bunch of dark industrial goth.
It depends on my mood and the genre novel I’m working on: Sci-fi/crime or paranormal crime. My latest piece of work is paranormal crime – based on a true story.
I’ve just done some googling, and I’d say you like a lot of ‘ambient’ music, which is great for writing! It can be moody and expressive, yet also inspirational and soulful 🙂