If music be the food of literature...play on!

The importance of ritual 

I sat down this morning to write and realised I have a very specific ritual, which I never consciously developed but is there just the same - providing a comforting familiarity to the sometimes isolating world of writing.

In the early years I would sit at my kitchen table and carefully lay out five pre rolled cigarettes, a large pot of coffee, two black pens and a large unlined notebook. Then I would put on my Walkman (yes, yes, retro) and listen to a classical CD on repeat.

The music became a trigger for me, a soundscape on which to paint the pictures of my words on top.

That CD is now obselete, scratched beyond all recognition and with nothing to play it on anyway, but thanks to the joy of the internet I am still able to listen to the very same album when I write.

There are certain pieces of music that truly inspired the mood and tone of what I was writing at the time, and in those moments of writers block, it is often the very same tunes that will pull me back into the emotions needed to move a scene on to something better, something deeper.

Symphonies of sorrowful songs

A couple of my 'go to' tunes include: Erik Satie - Gnossienne 1, Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings and a personal favourite: Henryk Górecki - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. 


Now I am more likely to have a steaming mug of herbal tea and a fully charged vape pen, rather than black coffee and tobacco, and of course the music comes courtesy of my playlist on a well-known streaming service, but the importance of a soundtrack to my writing is just as strong as it ever was.

Soundtrack for cinematic writing

My latest book, Unmarked, has music at its very heart. I have always been inspired as much by films as by literature, and whenever I write I tend to visualise a scene cinematically, roaming with a virtual camera around the chapter, trying to find the wide shots and the close-ups that will most resonate with my readers.


So instead of falling back on my trusted classical playlist, I started collecting and curating songs that I thought my characters would love.

Oh the hours I spent musing over whether Marianne would enjoy Lou Reed or if Henry would prefer Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald (always Billie!)...it really helped to immerse me in their worlds and connected me to the characters.

I discovered bands I never thought I would like - for example the wonderful The Dead South, a Canadian folk-bluegrass band with a modern edge- when heard through the ears of my characters.

Later this week, I will be sharing a link to this playlist, but I'm also curious to learn - how many writers use music in their process? Is it a help or hindrance? And what are your go-to tracks for when you're writing?

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