Writing Environment.

[Mandorin Anamor]

hey all, just thought I'd start this thread to see in what environment others like to write. Be it quiet or busy places...in the morning, evening or the middle of the night.
What music do you guys listen to when writing? where do you write?
Just curious.

[Anomander]

I tend to be a "motion" writer - I enjoy writing in the train or on a bus. It can be at anytime of the day provided there's enough illumnation present. I don't have to be involved in the motion - I enjoy writing on a bench near a busy road for example. I also like pubs/bars. The preference here is for the darker, dingier places favoured by people of the goth, heavy metal and alternative sub-culture.

Music varies - I tend to do quite well with music with lots of riffs and melody. Celtic music (enya and the likes) also work very well, as well as music from the caribbean. At the moment, most of my writing is done on the commute to and from work, or late at night when my wee nipper has gone to bed.

[chopper]

hmmm. with my everpresent notebook i can write pretty much anywhere except the staff tearoom.
the best run i had recently was outside the fitting rooms at Primark, waiting for Mrs Chopper....

[Mandorin Anamor]

interesting. I especially like the primark bit :P.
Personally, It depends on my mood, writing in peace and quite is my preferred way, but I also find it flows alot better in a pub or in the park.
If only I had a laptop it would be alot easier.
The music is really key to me, I like calm ambient stuff, generally soothign but not too intrusive....enya, enigma, levantis, peter gabriel, pink floyd, brian tyler, and film scores from epci films of course :P

[Anomander]

If you like the scores from epic movies, you just might like some of the power metal stuff, like Turisas, Manowar, Finntroll, etc. I wouldn't call them at all soothing, but they certainly tend to be quite epic and viking-ish

[Sylvetra_Snake]

I usually write in my notepad at work on breaks, and at home. It usually has to be quiet, though sometimes i watch the tele and listen to music. Typing up i usually change what i have written on the notepad as i go, so usually the same rules apply. Silence is good sometimes. I can write for hours and hours until the early hours of the morning.

[Tillane]

I do my main writing at my PC, generally starting late afternoon and working into the early hours. That said, I also carry a notepad with me in case anything springs to mind during the day.

I can never start writing if I've got music on - music with lyrics anyway. Probably has something to do with the fact that I'm too busy singing along to write...

[Talysia]

I can write just about anywhere, as long as I have my notebook and pen with me. I do prefer it when it's quiet, although it's not a prerequisite - as long as there aren't too many distractions. I don't really listen to music whilst I'm writing, either.

Timewise, I get the majority of writing done in late afternoon or later on in the evening, though I plan a lot of it in my head during the day and write it up later.

[Mandorin Anamor]

yeah, i agree music with very stand out lyrics distracts me.

Anomander - Turisas

I'm a big power metal fan, and i'm in a viking historical reenactment group lol...the epic is awesome.
turisas are perfect for writing battle scenes.

Yes, my favourite time for writing is generally late at night through to the early hours, or just whenever i'm in the "creative" mood.

[0Sanne0]

I can write anywhere, yet I can concentrate better if there is some noise on the background. Music is just distracting me most of the time, so I usually turn it of before I start.
Most of the time I write during the night, for no good reason at all, at home.

[Tillane]

Originally Posted by Mandorin Anamor

turisas are perfect for writing battle scenes.

Slightly different, but I wrote pretty much the entirety of my first novel with Wagner's Ring cycle playing in the background. Which may just possibly have had some effect on the tone of the piece...

[Theo Hart]

Chieftans. All. The. Way.

*Ahem* Excuse me, what were you saying? Oh. Well, I need complete silence, unless I use noise cancelling headphones and put in some instrumental stuff or Coldplay, and I can only work on my favorite little laptop. Nothin' doin' otherwise--I'm easily distracted.

If those two things are in place, I can crank out stuff like there's no tomorrow.

Coldplay makes me sleepy, though. :P

[Anomander]

I think the way I handle music makes all the difference - I rarely listen to music, I just tend to let it roll by me. Unless of course I'm at a concert... I can type out my stories sometimes, but what really works for me is writing. There's something about writing that just moves my imagination into 5th gear. I guess after I finish my first draft I'll transfer everything to the pc to make all the editing easier.