Music & Writing

There are a lot of people who can't write without a bit of music playing in the background or blasting in their ears. There are people who have to write in silence. And there are people like me who need a little of both. There are times when I need it quiet to write and there are times when music is okay.

I've discovered something odd that has been happening to me lately, and that is, I can't write if the music is related to the scene I'm writing. Strange, I know. I was writing a scene that was meant to be a little suspenseful because my character could get caught at any moment by some dangerous people, and I was listening to some love song. These characters aren't even close to being romantically involved.

The song that I was listening to was Never Stop by SafetySuit. The wedding version. I don't even know how that worked out but it did.

I've also notice that if I have a short playlist and keep it on repeat, that works for me. The repetition ends up being predictable background noise that won't distract me. I'm great at tuning things out. If it's silent, I tend to get antsy and distracted by everything. The smallest noise will distract me because it's something I'm not expecting. With the short playlist on repeat, it helps me maintain some sort of control of the noise around me.

Maybe it's just me that has this strange way to stay focused but at least it helps.

Progress Update: Discovering New Things

I started editing the first novel of my Radley series since the first of January. Well, technically, it was the first of March. Between then and now, I realized that my novel didn't flow, so I changed it a bit and added the flow. I moved around scenes and let everything come together like it should. Though, now I realize that the process is going to take a bit longer. That, or I'm going to have to work double time on this.

So, even though it's been a few days into the new year, I've discovered a few things that help me with the "dissection" of my first draft. I don't think I need to use these all of the time, for every draft. This is just for me getting back into editing and changing certain scene significantly without rewriting the whole darn novel.

The one thing that really helps me is taking notes on my scenes so I know what needs to be added and where it needs to be added. Also, keeping my workspace distraction free is key to getting things done.

Thanks to my brother, Lee, I'm not obsessed with Pentatonix. I've been avoiding listening to their music for a while but now I have a few of their albums. I have to keep my phone and my headphones off my desk if I want to get any work done.

For now, I don't really have a set method for editing but I'm hoping to discover something that works for me as I continue to edit novels and short stories throughout the year.