Silence or Noise

During a lively discussion I realized that we are all different. I know, a little late to make that observation but maybe I can be more specific; we approach writing from different directions. To me this seems odd because we end up at the same place; a manuscript ready to be picked up by a publisher. It is said that the fun part of life is the journey, not the destination and I believe that holds true for us as well.

I discovered a divide, of sorts, between writers. On one hand we have those who need a quiet place so they can focus and write. On the other hand we have those who need music playing constantly in order to get the story out of their head. Finally we have the group that can't write in a silent room but doesn't necessarily need music playing to be productive; as long as there is some sort of background noise they are satisfied.

Some, during the discussion, admitted that they cannot write with music of any kind playing but they wished they could. While others mentioned that as soon as the music stopped their minds wandered and they lost focus. As for me, I'm an in betweener; I like having background noise such as the television while I write. My focus is sharper and I enjoy having the television there to look at to relax my eyes after a long period of staring at the computer screen. I think of it as a reboot.

I do think a lot of how we write is based on how we were raised. For example, whenever I did my homework I was in my room with my headphones on. That was how I focused. There were times that I took them off when I needed to dig a little deeper but for the most part the music stayed on. To this day I am the same way. I am more productive at work when I'm listening to music. On the other hand, my boss was raised to do his homework with very little background noise. In college he continued that trend and now in the office he cannot focus very well at all if music is playing. Of course, he would argue this but I have witnessed the results.

Does it have an impact on our writing? The most interesting thing I discovered from one individual was that the music she listened to, and it was a wide range, did not impact her writing or flow at all. This is in contrast to many who can identify the chapters they were writing with the music that was playing at the time. I can tell a difference in the flow of my writing but not necessarily an impact on my voice. I think the main thing, for us that listen to music or have background noise, is the rhythm we pick up, not in our writing, but while we write. We find a zone and write like crazy people. I'm sure it is the same for those you write in silence.

Have you ever seen a movie, commercial or television show where the author goes on a trip to a secluded location so he/she can write? Most of the time they do this because of writer's block but this is an example of what we are discussing here. Authors who enjoy writing in quiet spaces can go anywhere they desire and write. Those who need noise to write can go anywhere to a degree but their flexibility is limited I would think.

I saved the best for last; this is a really cool concept in my opinion. One person, during the discussion, shared that even though she can write with or without background noise she puts together a song list. This list is not for her but it is the music her character would listen to. That's right; she listens to music her character would like. This is a cool idea because it adds such depth to the character development. However, I'm not sure what the end result would be if your character likes country music and you love rock music but it would give you a unique insight to that character.

Whether you enjoy writing with background noise or in silence is totally your decision but don't be afraid to branch out and try something different. As we saw above you could discover a whole new dimension to your characters and/or your writing style. Which is better between writing with noise or without it? Everyone will have an opinion about this and honestly, there is no wrong or right answer. The better question is - which works better for you?