Producing hundreds of pages of text requires a feat from the brain akin to an athlete’s performance. And so, like athletes, writers need to do all they can to up their edge.
You probably know self-care helps. But did you know music helps too?
Self-care isn’t my strong point, but I do listen to music while I write. Music fosters my creativity—or divergent thinking, including free-form problem-solving. And my writing involves a lot of problem-solving: fixing plot holes, developing thin characters, etc, .
Now, I’m an old rocker, with a brief foray into punk. The physicality! The revolt! But do I choose rock when I write fiction? No.
Instead, I pick pieces that are less structured, i.e. some forms of jazz. Toni Morrison once said, “Jazz has no final chord. As a result, it keeps listeners on the edge of their chairs always anticipating more. There is always something else that you want from the music. I want my books to be like that—because I want that feeling of something held in reserve and the sense that there is more—that you can’t have it all right now.”
I’ll also listen to film soundtracks that evoke particular moods, but most often, it’s Renaissance or Medieval sacred music. Pieces by Bach, Von Bingen, Tallis, Palestrina, and des Prez fuel my deep-dives into ancient themes. (If sacred music is your jam, please send your recommendations in the contact form.)
I have yet to find the right music for editing my fiction or writing non-fiction, however. (Hello, misplace modifiers.) Perhaps my analytical skills function best in silence, or near-silence. At this moment, a small airplane crosses the sky, a car passes by, birds sing in the trees, and my fingers fly over the keyboard.
I know I’ve made the right choice for ambience when my focus and mood are sustained, and my production is satisfying.
To achieve your peak creative performance, tend to your self-care (and tell me how you do it), then experiment with music and silence.