Worldbuilding prompts are back ! This post is a reply to number 385, Background Noise.
The funny thing about background noise is that when I am writing, I work best in complete silence. I think I might be slightly OCD or maybe somewhere (hopefully not too far...) on some kind of spectrum. Even the washing machine in the background can break my train of thought.
I've always wondered if I write in a different way to everyone else, although to be honest I've never asked. My method (which has always worked well for me) is to assemble a sentence, or even a whole paragraph, in my head, and then frantically type it out before it disappears forever. The downside is that any interruption can make the sentence evaporate before I can hammer it out on the keyboard. Is that how it is with every writer ? I really don't know.
Image created by AI in Wombo.art - it wasn't what I expected from the prompt I put in, but so beautiful I just had to use it !
On the other hand, before I start typing I'll sit back and put an idea and sometimes an outline of the story together. Sometimes it takes just a couple of minutes, other times I can bounce something around inside my head for a few days to let it really take shape.
That's when I use music for inspiration. When I listen to music, if I close my eyes I can see a picture, like a first draft film reel of what I want to write about, or a single clear image that acts as the inspiration for the piece I'm writing.
As for the music I listen to, it's best described as an eclectic mix ! It crosses all kinds of genre, and often picks individual songs or artists from a genre I wouldn't otherwise listen to. But it usually tends towards the dramatic. If it's classical music, it'll be Wagner or Beethoven. If it's rock music, it'll be Meatloaf, AC/DC or Hawkwind.
When I'm writing fantasy or sci-fi, filk is an awesome inspiration. It's a pretty obscure genre, but I've written whole D&D adventures based on a single song by Leslie Fish or Julia Ecklar. For more military-themed creative writing, or something with dramatic tension at it's heart, old Soviet patriotic songs are my go-to; never mind the politics, there's just so much stirring passion there !
So how does everyone else write ? I'd love to find out if my method is unusual, or if everyone does it like that !
I also suspect I might be on the spectrum somewhere, but meh, can't be bothered too much. I have just accepted I am weird, haha. Oddly, I bounce ideas around in my head some too before hitting the keyboard. But, my weirdness comes in, in that I need background noise. Regardless of what I am doing, it cannot be in complete silence. I'll have music playing if I am writing. If I am crafting or doing chores, I may even put on a series or a movie. But it must only be a single source. Too many and I lose it.
For example, when I worked in a huge open office, a section of which was a call center, it was impossible for me to concentrate unless I put on earphones with music to drown out everything else. My brain was simply all over the place trying to process every conversation that was going on. It was hell. Especially when I was told wearing earphones was rude and they tried to stop me (Like, I'm here to get a job done, not socialize, seriously).
As for writing, the right kind of music in the background can really help me with my process. Dramatic, energetic, upbeat, even sad. 😃
Weird is good - I knew there was a reason I liked what you write so much !
I'm totally with you on the multiple sound sources issue. If there are more than two or three different sources, it makes me totally unable to focus on any of them....
Good to know I am not the only one who deals with input overload! And now you made me blush with your compliment. I am going to go hide.
I have a notepad just for these kinds of thoughts that I have to spit out quickly before they disappear.
I generally write as like... purely a stream of thought. So there's no big delay between 'word enters brain' and 'fingers type word out'. After I finish, I usually go back and re-read it silently to make sure I mostly make sense, and if I'm satisfied with that, I end up going back and re-reading it out loud to myself, to catch any weird verbiage that might cause a stumble while reading.
But primarily, I try to just stream of thought everything onto a page until I'm done (or at a break point that I can pick up from later using a few jot notes), and then I think about it.