The Power of Instrumental Music · 2:33am Jul 8th, 2017
The Power of Instrumental Music
I have found that in order for me to write the best quality first-drafts, I have to put myself in the most appropriate mood. To accomplish this, I have one simple strategy that often works more than not.
It’s actually a three step process, and it consists of the following required tasks:
1) Identify the genre in which I am trying to write
2) Find appropriate instrumental music that relates to what I’m trying to write
3) Play that music while I am writing
Pretty simple, right? This technique has helped me break through the sometimes intimidating obstacle of WRITER’S BLOCK. I’ll go into a little more detail on each of the items.
The first step is identifying what genre you are trying to write for. Hopefully, this is an easy task to complete. In my case, whenever I am trying to write fiction, it’s usually in the fantasy realm. This only changes when I have to write something for work, or when I’m writing the super hero stories (which I have been told are science fiction stories). Even though I prefer to write mostly fantasy fiction, there are so many kinds of moods that are within the writing process, that I can vary it up when it comes to music.
The reason this is important to establish early on is because you want to match the music you’re listening to with the type of writing that you’re going to undertake. This is a perfect lead in to the second point.
The second step is finding the appropriate ‘instrumental’ music that relates to what I’m trying to write. There is a significant emphasis on instrumental because for me personally, music with words is both restrictive and distracting.
It’s restricting because the lyrics are suggestive about how I should feel about a certain song. While that isn’t necessarily bad, it doesn’t allow me the freedom to allow my mind to conjure its own meaning from the song. That’s why I prefer instrumental music over music with words. By listening to instrumental music, I can project the story I’m writing with the music and treat the music I’m listening to as potential sound track material. If the instrumental music is good, I can get lost in my own head and explore the world that both my imagination and the music are revealing to me.
I also find music with words distracting because the lyrics may interfere with my ability to conjure my own words, and I might find myself singing along. There’s nothing wrong with jam sessions, and I indulge in them quite frequently. The challenge is that when I am trying to create stories, I need to have isolated focus, otherwise I get easily distracted and off track.
So, back to finding the right music to guide you on getting more engaged with your story. My best source of awesome, continuous music is Youtube. I’ll go on Youtube, find some instrumental music that is anywhere between 1 hour – 6 hours long, and I just play it in the background while I am writing.
In general when I just want to engage with my story better, I’ll put on some generic instrumental music, like ‘fantasy instrumental music’ or ‘anime instrumental music’. Sometimes I even put in ‘fantasy adventure instrumental music’ too. Feel free to experiment and find some videos that work for you. The greatest thing about this strategy is that it’s free, and so you can have access to a lot of great resources to enhance your writing, without having to fork out additional funds.
Sometimes, I need to find music that relates to specific moods I want to convey in the story; and some examples of these are intense battle scenes, dramatic moments, and romantic interactions between characters. In situations like these, I find instrumental music that conveys those moods specifically.
Now, if you’re not interested in writing fiction, fantasy or otherwise, I would recommend finding the kinds of instrumental music that you enjoy the most. For anything that is work-related, or something that is more serious and realistic in nature, I typically put on instrumental classical music or instrumental jazz. I have also, on occasion, put on instrumental heavy metal as well. You might smirk at the last suggestion, but heavy metal is complex in its composition, and it can also get you more engaged to the heart of what you’re trying to write.
The last step is to simply play the music when you sit down to write.
I would recommend using headphones or ear buds, rather than having the music blare though the room you are writing in. The reason behind this suggestion is because when you use headphones or ear buds, you get more into what you’re listening to, and it diminishes your chances of becoming distracted by other noises.
The key thing to remember is that you want to delve into the music and your writing, and focus on that and only that. This strategy works well for me, although it may not work for everyone.
If you want to try this strategy out for yourself, I would recommend dedicating an hour to writing and listening. When the music is playing, you have to commit yourself to write whatever pops in your head. For the entire hour, just write, and let it flow out. DO NOT GO BACK THROUGH AND EDIT WHILE YOU ARE WRITING. Just keep writing and get your story out. Once the hour is done, then you can go back and see what you have written. *Personally, I would recommend not editing your work until the WHOLE thing is completed. It’s much easier to improve a piece of writing once it’s completely written instead of while it’s pouring from your mind.
In my next post, I will discuss how to go about editing your work, and using the ‘Story Ice Box’.
