Just as each of us evolves his or her own style, I'm sure we each gravitate to a place, time and surroundings that are most conducive to our writing.
For me, the place is my rolltop desk, a Christmas present from my wife a few years ago. Prior to having it, my writing was unproductive and irregular. I found many excuses not to drag my laptop PC from the closet, scavenge for the papers and notes pertaining to what I was writing, find a place to set up and start writing.
The desk changed that. All I had to do was roll up the cover, turn on the computer and get started. My papers were scattered on the desktop just as I had left them. My CD player was queued to the song I had been listening to when I stopped working. I knew where to find pens and notepads. In a minute, I was back where I had been at the end of the previous writing session.
That friendly and always-ready environment helped me write a novel. I got into a rhythm. Every night at the same time, I sat down, turned on the PC and got straight to work. Okay, not straight to work - I had a little ritual. I played a game of computer solitaire first as I reimmersed myself in the mood of what I was writing. Once the last card was played -- win or lose -- I closed that program window and brought up my Word document.
One important element of my writing environment is music. The upper level of the rolltop desk holds an array of CDs that fit what I'm writing. For the novel, I settled on the works of Supertramp. A recent live double album in particular, became the soundtrack for "A Safe Place." I didn't very often hear the words or even the notes as I wrote. I could miss entire songs once I got into the zone, but the music lent energy to what I was writing. If "A Safe Place" is ever published, I intend to acknowledge Supertramp for being part of the creative force that got me to page four hundred and beyond.
Different work, I find, requires different music. While writing a short story involving domestic violence, I set the CD player on autorepeat for a single Nik Kershaw song that I found particularly appropriate. The song's protagonist voiced emotions I knew my main character would share. The song became a rock mantra.
Horror writer Charles L. Grant writes of his experimentation with finding the right music to inspire his muse. He had attended a panel session where other authors discussed the type of music they listened to while writing. For Stephen King, it was high-energy rock. For Peter Straub, jazz. Grant tried all of these without success. The music was not only uninspiring, it was counter productive. Even Mozart failed him. One day as he worked, though, he became aware of a movie playing in the next room. He couldn't hear the dialog, but the music did something for him. He felt inspired and was able to work his way through a plot problem that had been impeding his progress for days. He went out and bought several different movie soundtrack albums - not the kind that are pop song showcases, but thematic albums filled with lush instrumentals, moody, evocative pieces that evoke emotions from movie viewers.
What is the soundtrack for your work?