Being quiet

I am guessing not everyone will share my sentiments, but for me, there is great comfort in being quiet. I write best when I am sitting in my little pod office, with the lovely view of trees, and…absolute quiet.

My husband is incredibly noisy, so this does present some problems on occasion! But on the whole, when I am writing, I am left alone in this noiseless state. I do deviate occasionally, but more on that below…

E.B. White “I never listen to music when I’m working.”

Background chatter

I am a self aware introvert. I accept this is what I am. That said, this desire for silence is a little extreme even amongst the introvert brigade. I was recently reading a book on introverts. The aptly named ‘Quiet’ by Susan Cain, a great read btw. In it, she talks about her writing routine, and she actually found it productive to sit in a coffee shop to work on her book. The background chatter, and the unobtrusive presece of people helped her to focus. For her, too much isolation was actually a bad thing.

Block-rocking beats

The concept of writing anything of worth while listening to pop music is beyond my comprehension. But, E.L. James found Will.I.Am blasting in the background an inspiration when tackling her ‘naughty’ scenes!

Classics anyone?

Classic music can create a powerful mood in a movie, but what about when we write? I do have a few pieces that I enjoy occasionally, when I want to create a pull in a particular emotional direction. I am definitely not alone in this one.

In an interview Edmund White, the writer of award-winning fiction, biographies and memoirs, said he liked to write to chamber music by Debussy, especially the cello sonata.

Non classical music without words

This is probably one of my favourite deviations from silence. I love things with a good beat if I am writing an action scene. It’s a great tool for visualisation! I picture the scene unfolding as the track plays, and repeat until I get it right.

And playing fast music when writing can definitely speed up your word count! Those fingers can’t help but try to keep up!

So, what do you write to?

Thoughts, suggestions? Have I missed any obvious ones? What do you like to write to?