Thursday, October 7, 2010

Forces of evil on a Bozo nightmare

The other night, some writing friends and I decided to have an all night write, wherein we would virtually encourage each other on The Twitter while we stayed up all night long to write our faces off.

If you are so inclined to see what happens when I stay up past 11pm, I invite you to search The Twitter for #allnightwrite. You will not be disappointed.

Unfortunately, #allnightwrite only lasted until about 1:30am. Yes, we were flailing wimps, but some writing was accomplished, much hilarity ensued, and an important fact was discovered.

FACT: Some writers enjoy rocking their faces off as they write their faces off.

OTHER FACT: Some writers enjoy listening to things like Gregorian Chants, even though they are mocked by the writers in the previous fact.

I fall into the first group, choosing to really enlouden things up while I'm working. This rarely poses a problem, unless I'm forced to wear ear buds, and then there's a lot of complaining and less writing because I am afflicted with tiny, shrimpy ear holes and I can't find ear buds that don't, basically, try to dilate my ears open wider in a painful ear gauge kind of way, except, you know, a painful ear gauge kind of way - in the wrong hole. It is unpleasant, and it hurts, and I might have to start a foundation in support of those of us with tiny ear holes so that the ear bud industry will be forced to provide miniature ear buds that conform to our hideous features.

ANYWAY. I like to rock my face off with a variety of noisy music. Sometimes I go old school with Metallica or Marilyn Manson. Sometimes I enjoy Bear McCreary's Battlestar Galactica drumming. Sometimes I continue to go old school and whip out the Nirvana.

Well, who am I kidding, really? I predominately listen to 90s grungy type stuff while I'm writing. Though I allow Pandora to widen my horizons away from just Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Jane's Addiction. Though not much wider. My horizons, they are small and familiar.

To wit: Pandora chose this lovely offering for me this afternoon:

Heaven Beside You, Alice in Chains
Lump, The Presidents of the United States of America
Aneurysm, Nirvana
It tried to throw in some Wonderwall, but I refused to allow this travesty.
Loser, Beck
Longview, Green Day
Some Postman, The Presidents of the United States of America
Learn to Fly, Foo Fighters
Lithium, Nirvana
I Alone, Live

Excellent writing music, and also excellent driving music.

(Do not judge, lest ye be judged. Once you have been to a million concerts where you get kicked in the face with Doc Martins on purpose so that you can see Eddie Vedder/Scott Weiland/Layne Staley (RIP) up close, sweating on you, then you can be all, "Ha Ha, she's so old.")

So, lovely YA-5 readers, what music do you like to listen to when you write? The noisier the better? The chantier the better? The nothing the better?

TELL ME. I WANT TO KNOW. IT IS MAKING ME SHOUTY. THE EXCITEMENT, THAT IS. OF WANTING TO KNOW.

And as a reward for telling me what you listen to when you write, here is a picture of me when I was a junior in high school, taken by my boyfriend at the time - a young man who was very serious about educating me in the ways of... music. I'm sorry you can't see my flannel. It was awesome. And warm.
Me, possibly musing about the world, but most likely wondering if there is somewhere to go get coffee.

5 comments:

Christine Danek said...

I think blogger ate my comment. You're post made me smile. All the bands you mention brought back so many memories. The Doc Martin comment as well.
I definitely have to listen to music while writing. Lately, it's the Silversun Pickups.
Thanks for the smile.

Justina! said...

I am such a loser I still have the pair of Doc Martins that I bought the summer before my senior year of high school. They were flowered, and I saved up for them by working in a pear shed (where we sorted pears after they were picked by hard working laborers) all summer. No one spoke English but me, and they yelled at us all in Spanish when we tossed out too many good pears. My Docs cost me almost a whole paycheck. That hundred dollar price tag was steep at 4.25 an hour. And they were worth every penny.

And FUN FACT: I had Loser on the cassingle, because I was that cool.

Chuck said...

Let my nerdiness reign! I not only grew up on all these songs, I can play all most all of them. Let me test my memory. They start in the following keys.

Loser: D
Lithium: D
I Alone: G
Heaven Beside You: E
Lump: D
Aneurysm: F#
Wonderwall: SUCKS
Longview: I played it in Eb
Some Postman: ??????
Learn to Fly: Don't know. Good song.

Love the title of this post btw!

Chuck
www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog

E. Kristin Anderson said...

Damn. This post rocks my face off. Especially since you included a pick of TINY KARI FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL. Teehee.

I make playlists for books I'm working on, or at least figure out an era that most suits the character I'm writing. During #allnightwrite I was listening to music from like 2005-2006 because in my head that's when the book takes place. Of course, I also wrote a 90's book, that you are well aware of, and it requires much Nirvana and Live and Alice In Chains.

Also, I feel you should know, I saw Jerry Cantrell on a date in like 2002. It was awesome. I think it's the reason my hearing is so bad these days -- I stood in the front row next to the speaker.

K said...

Justina, I could never spare any money for Docs. I was a Chuck Taylor girl all the way. Still am. Tucked away in my closet is a pair of green high-top Chucks with finger paint on the toes. My boyfriend had a matching pair. Oh yes, we were something.

Chuck - totally agree about how sucky Wonderwall is. I mean, really.

Christine - I'm having a Silversun Pickups moment, too! Well, just one song, really. I even have the kids singing it. I am so old.

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