Music!

[kol]

Music, as I'm sure all of us know, can be an important part of the creativity process. In the past I would slave over character OSTs, finding the perfect songs to help me slip into the POV of my nano characters. In 2007 I had six or seven OSTs, including a "Ava vs Gwen" playlist I put on whenever I was writing those two characters interacting. The playlists have been a neat writing crutch, but one I have found doesn't work as well for me now.

I'm more easily distracted these days, and creating the OSTs themselves turn into a massive time sink, where I spent too much time tracking down songs and not enough time actually writing/plotting. Furthermore, I don't need the crutch-- I don't have as much trouble with slipping between POVs these days, and I find myself distracted by the songs themselves instead of sinking into that productive mindset.

What has worked has been finding a song & marathoning it to death for hours. The XX's Intro is dynamic enough to keep my fingers moving at a steady pace, but the limited vocals seems to keep me focused on whatever I'm doing. Plus there's a version on youtube that goes for ten hours, which means I can sink into the song and just work. :D Another one I've been marathoning is MGMT's Electric Feel (Justice remix). There's something about the remix that gets my productivity jamming!

So, what songs are getting your creativity going? Are you going to make OSTs for your novel/characters, or do you have a different strategy?

Comments

[pictishmouse]

Music generally doesn't help me with either art or writing, as I get too distracted by the songs. The only exception seems to be electronic dance music with no words -- I seem to be able to write like the wind when listening to dubstep. XD Or if there is enough other background noise that I can't really hear the music itself. But anything with vocals just seems to kill my ability to focus.