What's Your Ritual?

[Starbeam]

Everything I do is extremely routine, almost to the point of OCD, except for writing.  I write with music, silence, outside noises, office noises, or the tv.  Or whatever happens to be the noises around me.  I write in my little office-y type space, sitting on the bed, sitting at my work desk at lunch, Borders, or wherever.  The biggest problem I generally run into is that my mind starts working on new ideas and scenes pretty much as soon as I turn out the lights and lay down to sleep.  And as much as I want to get out of bed to work on it, I can't do that because it'll disturb my b/f, who wakes up at 5am, and it would take me even longer to get to sleep and that's enough of a problem already. 

Currently, I'm listening to soundtracks and sitting in my blue room writing at my desk.

[Gritti]

Everything I do is extremely routine, almost to the point of OCD, except for writing.  I write with music, silence, outside noises, office noises, or the tv.  Or whatever happens to be the noises around me.  I write in my little office-y type space, sitting on the bed, sitting at my work desk at lunch, Borders, or wherever.  The biggest problem I generally run into is that my mind starts working on new ideas and scenes pretty much as soon as I turn out the lights and lay down to sleep.  And as much as I want to get out of bed to work on it, I can't do that because it'll disturb my b/f, who wakes up at 5am, and it would take me even longer to get to sleep and that's enough of a problem already. 

Currently, I'm listening to soundtracks and sitting in my blue room writing at my desk.

Interesting, OCD for everything but writing...I think I need to get my self a laptop because it would be
great to be able to write elsewhere too.

When you say blue room are you talking about the walls or is it your room for being sad in?

[Starbeam]

Interesting, OCD for everything but writing...I think I need to get my self a laptop because it would be
great to be able to write elsewhere too.

When you say blue room are you talking about the walls or is it your room for being sad in?

I got a laptop for that reason, and I ended up sticking with pen and paper.  Just flows better that way for me.  But the laptop helps when I want to type up or look up stuff or whatnot.

And my blue room is my little office-y sort of space.  The walls are painted a bright dark blue.  With glow in the dark stars on them.

[Kid Longshot]

I got a laptop for that reason, and I ended up sticking with pen and paper.  Just flows better that way for me.  But the laptop helps when I want to type up or look up stuff or whatnot.

And my blue room is my little office-y sort of space.  The walls are painted a bright dark blue.  With glow in the dark stars on them.

Coool...can I has one?? *cute face*

[Aludra]

I can't write in silence.  I need music or the TV in the other room, something to ruffle the air a little.  And of course if I'm out and about on my laptop I need music to prevent other peoples' chatter from distracting me.  I'm a hopeless eavesdropper.

Plus, sometimes if I get stuck a piece of music can trigger a direction for a scene.  It's happened more often than you'd think.

I'm a hopeless eavesdropper too.

One time I was at IHOP and the table next to us was very vocal about their issues... (Keep in mind the quality of said establishment, and now subtract about 2 levels of refinement, and now you're understanding what kind of issues).  It was a very interesting breakfast.  Made me really appreciate my family and their seemingly tiny issues.

[RobJN]

I'm another writer that can't write in that "silence" that people seem to keep talking about. I need the music to tune out the other noises: TV, radio, lawnmowers, the 'clackity-clack' of the wife's keyboard on the other side of the room....

I've got playlists put together for the various pieces I'm working on, ranging from soundtrack, to classical, solo piano, acoustic guitar... to some symphonic rock, bit of alternative, a dash of techno... Whatever I can find that either fills the mood for a section, or serves to sum up a character. Other times, I need something to put the mind into that fat, sloppy delta-wave and let the ideas come a-rollin' on through...

Lately, the ritual has been starting the playlist with a character piece, or the story theme, and then letting it shuffle out and see where the tunes take me.

[Kali]

Lately, the ritual has been starting the playlist with a character piece, or the story theme, and then letting it shuffle out and see where the tunes take me.

That's exactly what I do.  Sometimes it backfires...

I was writing a Star Wars Old Republic fic.  I'm deep into a moody section of the piece.  The Jedi Knight, having accomplished a prison transfer to a relatively new prison world, is following a faint hint of Dark Side energy.  She's known since she arrived that something was wrong, because no one wanted to let her inside the main facility.  She finds the source, has the door opened, walks down a dark hallway toward a distant reddish glow.  At the end, she finds a cell made completely of energy, and inside that cell, a kneeling and manacled Sith Lord.  His black skin is etched with silver tattoos that are tinged blood-red from the energy.  He slowly opens his eyes, his lips part in a feral grin...

And "Play That Funky Music, White Boy" spins up on Rhapsody.

Mood shot.  Stop for the night.  Go lie down with a cold washcloth over my eyes.

[RobJN]

That's exactly what I do.  Sometimes it backfires...

I was writing a Star Wars Old Republic fic. ...

And "Play That Funky Music, White Boy" spins up on Rhapsody.

That's going to rank right up there with M.C. Vader and the Sith version of "Thriller"

[Starbeam]

That's why I put together playlists for specific moods, just so that doesn't happen.  Cause it would be quite counterproductive to be writing something like a nice emotional romantic scene, listening to something like one of the love themes from Star Wars and then have it change to Slipknot or Disturbed or the like.

Course, I've reripped all my music, so now all the playlists are blank, and that kinda thing is more likely to happen.

[Kid Longshot]

Hm, I've never actually tried putting together playlists for writing moods. Sounds like it would be cool to help you get in the mood to write. Like, hard guitar for fights, easy ballads for romantic scenes, epic overtures for dramatic, plot-twisting goodness. You guys make me so hyped up to write.

[meg_evonne]

I'm another writer that can't write in that "silence" that people seem to keep talking about. I need the music to tune out the other noises: TV, radio, lawnmowers, the 'clackity-clack' of the wife's keyboard on the other side of the room....

I've got playlists put together for the various pieces I'm working on, ranging from soundtrack, to classical, solo piano, acoustic guitar... to some symphonic rock, bit of alternative, a dash of techno... Whatever I can find that either fills the mood for a section, or serves to sum up a character. Other times, I need something to put the mind into that fat, sloppy delta-wave and let the ideas come a-rollin' on through...

Lately, the ritual has been starting the playlist with a character piece, or the story theme, and then letting it shuffle out and see where the tunes take me.

Carrie Vaughn, writes a Denver talk radio female character that is a werewolf.  She actually posts her music she listened too while writing.  I never tried listening to the music while I read them, but it sounds like a fun idea.   I think they are called Kitty and the...   Pretty decent read when you can't find a new Butcher around.....  :-)

[Gritti]

All this talk of playlists to help with the moods of scenes and characters is starting to make me wonder if there might be something to it.  I just might give it a try for the 4,000 word short story contest from WD.  I'm thinking something for Halloween.  Anyone got any musical suggestions besides the "Monster Mash" I'm interested.

[Kid Longshot]

Perhaps selections from Nightmare Revisited? It's got the kind of spooky, hard sound that gets me in the mood for scary-ocity. I especially like "Kidnap the Sandy Claws" by Korn. It truly is greatness.

[Starbeam]

Hm, I've never actually tried putting together playlists for writing moods. Sounds like it would be cool to help you get in the mood to write. Like, hard guitar for fights, easy ballads for romantic scenes, epic overtures for dramatic, plot-twisting goodness. You guys make me so hyped up to write.

It's actually pretty helpful.  Most of my music is from soundtracks, so sometime it can be pretty easy to put together a playlist.  One of the ones I have is battles, and some of the tracks in that are Battle of Yavin(Star Wars), the music from the beginning battle in Gladiator and the music from the first Roman stadium battle, the battle from Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, and so forth.

Carrie Vaughn, writes a Denver talk radio female character that is a werewolf.  She actually posts her music she listened too while writing.  I never tried listening to the music while I read them, but it sounds like a fun idea.   I think they are called Kitty and the...   Pretty decent read when you can't find a new Butcher around.....  :-)

I don't remember her doing that.  I know Rachel Caine does in the Weather Warden series.  But then it's been several months since I've read a Kitty book.

All this talk of playlists to help with the moods of scenes and characters is starting to make me wonder if there might be something to it.  I just might give it a try for the 4,000 word short story contest from WD.  I'm thinking something for Halloween.  Anyone got any musical suggestions besides the "Monster Mash" I'm interested.

Only thing off the top of my head I can think of is Night on Bald Mountain.  I'm sure it's part of a suite, or something, but the only thing I can remember it from is Fantasia.  Oh, and themes to horror movies, like Halloween.  I know there are quite a lot of songs, satellite radio usually has a station for a couple weeks up to Halloween, but I don't know what most are.  And can't listen at work cause there's no reception.

[Kid Longshot]

It's actually pretty helpful.  Most of my music is from soundtracks, so sometime it can be pretty easy to put together a playlist.  One of the ones I have is battles, and some of the tracks in that are Battle of Yavin(Star Wars), the music from the beginning battle in Gladiator and the music from the first Roman stadium battle, the battle from Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, and so forth.

Cool. My CD collection is not quite as big as that to include many movie soundtrack CDs, but maybe that will change... I sure hope so. I will be putting together playlists from what I do have on my comp and see how that works for me. I can't wait to see how it affects my writing.