A lot of authors tend to listen to music whenever they write. The same can be said for me at times. While some require silence to immerse themselves in their fictional worlds, there are others who listen to music simply because they’re perfect for the soundtrack of a scene, whether it be intentional or not. What’s more, these songs can help writers bring their imaginations to life, and can even produce some of our most top quality works. I am guilty of this at times, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. 

Creative genres have a peculiar way of intertwining with each other. For example, research shows that our preferences for books and music are based on our personality, and that we tend to gravitate towards specific types of movies and books. So it’s no surprise that there are certain songs that correlate with different books. However, there are a few factors that influence us. 

Genre

The type of genre a person writes can influence the type of music we listen to, and how often we listen to it. For example, with romance, there are plenty of sub-genres that romance authors fall into. For instance, when we read sweet, soft romances like The Simple Soul of Susan by Noel Branham, we tend to go for more softer pieces of music, such as that found in the classical genre, or even country songs like If I Die Young by The Band Perry. For fairytales with a more gothic edge to them, like The Shadow and the Rose by Amanda DeWees, Miss Mabel’s School for Girls by Katie Cross, and Owl Eyes by Molly Lazer, we tend to go for more fantastical music such as those pieces by the band Nightwish, perhaps even a bit of romantic Celtic music here and there. This, however, can depend on the sub genre, as well as the scenes. 

Character 

The type of music we listen to can also determine the traits we use for our characters. For example, if a character listens to rock music, they tend to be a bit more aggressive than usual. If a character listens to Evanescence, they’ll be more isolated, possibly even more artistic. If they listen to pop music, they’re probably more extroverted or happy-go-lucky. Either that, or they listen to that music out of the sheer thrill of it. Such is the feeling reminiscent of guilt pleasures.  

Setting

This could be found in genres such as horror and romance, even mystery, though no other genre exudes this as grandly as fantasy. For instance, in the game Skyrim, the music alone helps immerse the players into a world filled with dragons, monsters, and epic quests that tend to leave us breathless at times.  

Writing any length of work is kind of like having a movie play in your head. Whether or not you want silence is up to you. However, it’s important to remember that music can help you become even more lost in your own world. Although it can decidedly be your worst enemy, it can also help you produce some of the best stories that you can’t help but fall in love with.