Written by Alex Colle
For a long time, I wrote in silence. My easily distracted mind would work in such a way that allowed only one focus at a time, causing any outside sounds, smells, and interactions to become annoying distractions. My mom was the master of these distractions: talking loudly on the phone in the other room, cooking delicious soup that emitted the mostly heavenly scent of all scents, entering my bedroom to tell me about the latest Globe & Mail article related to the diminishing powers of social media. To be honest, all of these things still distract me.
But the one recent thing I’ve learned to use to my advantage while I write is music.
Formerly labeled as one of these distractions, I slowly began to discover how music could be used to help me write. It was simple: the music put my emotions on the forefront, and this allowed me to pick up and utilize whatever I was feeling. The problem, however, was finding the right song with the right emotions. It wasn’t something as simple as finding a sad song for a sad piece of writing. I needed a song or a piece that flowed with the pacing I attempted to emulate: something that complimented the setting of the world I was building – something that I saw in the actions of my characters. It’s not easy finding the right song. But when I do, the inspiration is incredible. Broken up into genres of writing, I’ve compiled a list of songs I love to write creatively to. Some are purely instrumental, some have words, and some have words you can’t understand. All of them, however, should be light enough to not take too much of your attention while you write. I hope you find something you enjoy amongst this list. Happy listening, and even happier writing!
ROMANCE
Frank Ocean – Rushes
(Find in Apple Music on Frank Ocean’s visual album, Endless)