Musical Inspiration

One of my great pleasures is listening to music, even while working. From classical to Celtic and popular music, I often try to match my background music to the kind of writing. So for some historical pieces, I listen to my favourite Baroque period composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Albinoni. If I'm in a medieval mood, I listen to the Medieval Babes, or Gregorian Chant or similar. When I’m writing a story set in Scotland, I listen to Scottish or Irish Celtic music. I also like Enya, and the pure voice of Hayley Westerna in particular.

If I’m in a light-hearted mood, I love to put on a compilation of favourite pop music so I can get up and dance around now and then. I’m at the back of the house so no one can see me! My daughter introduced me to Muse and The Rasmus a few years ago and I love their dramatic songs, which might inspire me to try a quite different kind of writing one day. It’s amazing, sometimes, how the words of a song can suggest a storyline, or how listening to a particular rhythm inspires creativity.

For anyone interested, I've posted a bit about Haydn and The Creation over on my Regency blog.

Does music inspire anyone else to write? Or do you prefer silence.

Rosemary