Sometimes when I’m trying to write a particularly emotional scene (sad, happy, romantic, exciting, etc.), I have trouble putting myself in that particular emotional mindset. One of the best ways I’ve found to counter this type of writer’s block is by listening to a song (usually put on endless repeat) that embodies the particular emotion I’m trying to convey.
I’m going to share some of my current favourite emotion-inducing songs with you here, so grab some headphones and enjoy!
Happy
“I Am (Record Version” is from the anime Inuyasha. It’s light, cheery, has lots of xylophone and flute, and just makes me smile every time I hear it.
Angry
“Let’s Start a Riot” is loud, raucous, and makes me want to riot every time I hear it. Warning: don’t talk to anyone for at least a few minutes after listening to this song. You will feel very pumped up and confrontational, so cool down a bit first.
Romantic
“First Love” is a Japanese song reminiscing about a girl’s first love. I actually prefer listening to songs in different languages when I’m writing, because lyrics often distract me from what I’m writing. If the lyrics are in a different language, however, it’s much harder to get distracted by them!
Melancholy
“Safe and Sound” is from the Hunger Games soundtrack. Every time I listen to this, I picture a girl sitting alone in an empty room, nostalgically remembering a simpler, happier time.
What about you?
What songs do you listen to when you write? I’m always looking for new music, so please share!!!
Michelle Proulx - Author 
Happy: Hall & Oats, “You Make my Dreams”
Love: Craig Armstrong, “Glasgow love theme” or Ingrid Michaelson, “You and I”
Future: Wintersleep, “Weighty Ghost” – I find myself always listening to this when I need to think/reflect
Those are the first ones that pop into my head.
Thanks for the suggestions 🙂 Youtube, here I come!
Music is really important for me as well. Here are some choices I thought of after a bit.
For crime fiction/romance/noir:
My Favorite Things – John Coltrane
Alabama – John Coltrane
Moondance – Van Morrison
Four Horsemen – Metallica & Alice in Chains
For Western:
The entire Red Dead Redemption soundtrack
For horror:
Raining Blood – Tori Amos
I don’t think I’ve heard of any of those! lol. Time to fire up the old youtubes. Thanks for the comment 🙂
No problem. Thanks for reminding me of these songs.
Happy: Take the Time – Dream Theater.
Actually, it’s not so much the entire song as a 20 second solo in the middle that no one could possibly listen to without cracking a grin. It’s definitely uplifting.
Is that one of the ones you made me listen to?
Nope, at least I don’t think so. Here’s a link if you are interested:
The main happy part starts at around 3:45, and hits its peak around 4:30. The whole happy stretch, if you will, lasts a bit over a minute.
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I love Sarah Blackwood. She’s getting less new by the day, so if you haven’t heard of her, check her out at TheSarahBlackwood on YouTube.
I absolutely can’t listen to music when I write. It affects my moods and my writing is all about my moods. Sometimes my head composes my own stuff when I write though.
Sarah Blackwood has a sweet, soft voice, and she’s an excellent guitar player. She’s not really the style of musician I listen to, but thanks for broadening my horizons 🙂