Tag: studying

Music Mondays: Writing Playlists Part VII

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Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.

E. L. Doctorow

I’m sorry to say that I haven’t read much of Doctorow’s work, though for some reason, this quote has always stuck with me. Writing, in a lot of ways, is like feeling around blindly in the dark, where you can’t see any further than your fingertips. You’ll get to your destination eventually, but it’s ok to not know everything that’s going on around you all the time. It’s ok to just let your writing take you for a midnight drive.

In the spirit of traversing the foreboding and empty highways of writing, here are four knock-out instrumental playlists. Who knows? Maybe one of them will serve as your next road trip mix!

First up is an old on-the-go favorite of wanderers, vagabonds, and weary drifters from all walks of life. This Celtic-inspired fantasy mix will take you from snow-capped mountains of Middle Earth to merry taverns of back alleyways.

Ah, so you’re not the ‘walking’ type. Prefer stretching your sea legs to staying land bound? If so, then lend an ear to this playlist: it’s got still skies, restless shanties, boiling hurricanes, and enough sea salt to season your spirit for a lifetime.

Perhaps physical transportation just doesn’t entice your immortal tastebuds. I mean, who has time for ships and horses and, heaven forbid, legs? Whether you’re feeling like you can control the fates of the night sky or are just craving a bit of all-powerful omniscience, then this instrumental mix is perfect for you.

Now, for a change in pace! Gosh darn it, you are on a freakin’ roll with your writing. You are winding down those narrow, single lane streets in the dead of night, unafraid and confident behind the wheel. Here’s the perfect soundtrack to that rush — a compilation of high-energy, head-banging pieces with an instrumental twist!

Happy writing! 🙂

Music Mondays: Writing Playlists Part VI

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If you’re like me, stewing in silence is the key to getting nothing done. Whenever I’m writing, I need to have background music playing, some sort of soundtrack to make sense of my discordant thoughts. Some people just aren’t like that. I have friends who need to be immersed in quiet to study. I know other people who need to have noise, like coffee shop chatter or steady rainfall, to be productive.

Even if you don’t need music to get into the writing zone, I still encourage you to try out a few of these playlists. Who knows, maybe you’ll find the perfect tune for your long in-the-works story.

This mix is best served in the small, still hours of the night. With 24 tracks of pure instrumental guitar, it’s the perfect way to lull yourself into a writing trance.

Want a little adventure? Intrigue? Dark and dangerous mystery? Here’s an instrumental mix that plays to your inner secret agent. Optimal for writing gritty noir and detective dramas.

The piano pieces in this mix will transport you to the same creative realm from which all dreams are designed. A lovely accompaniment for delving into fantasies, both modern and medieval.

Who doesn’t love the glitzy machinations of a masquerade? From formal affairs to ballroom waltzes, this playlist will take your writing to the elegant and underhanded corners of courtly life.

If you’re interested in knowing the full track listing of a playlist, leave a comment and I’ll let you know.
Happy writing! 🙂

Writing Playlists Part V

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What with the arrival of spring and crackdown for school finals, I figured that now was as good a time as any to whip up some playlists for writing, studying, badminton playing, underwater basket weaving — you know: intellectual, brain-busting pursuits.

First up we have a real doozy. She’s about five hours and thirty minutes long and perfect for pulling all-nighters. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to burn the midnight oil with this playlist.

Now a mix for the real wanderer at heart. Don’t you just hate it when you’re trekking barefoot over a mountain in Middle Earth and have nothing to listen to you? Hey, I hear you. It’s a struggle. Here’s a playlist just for that purpose.

So you are — or maybe were — that kid. The kid who sat in the back of class daydreaming and thinking up fantastical stories. The kid who had no time for long division when there were castles to explore and dragons to befriend. If your brain had a soundtrack, maybe it would’ve sounded a little something like this:

The battle is over. All hope has fled. You’re the only survivor, and as you stand over the war-torn field you reach for your earbuds to listen to this playlist:

Huzzah! The blight has ended! The essays have been annihilated and the rough drafts destroyed! (Or maybe not, maybe you just need a break from all the blood and sweat…) Crack open a flagon of mead (or juice, juice is fine) and listen to this perfect playlist for the hungry warrior.

Happy writing! 🙂