Muse vs Music

I love music. I'll listen to it in the car, on the treadmill, or while cleaning the house, but I absolutely can't listen to music while I'm writing. My manuscripts are playlist deprived. That's not to say that I don't have a particular song that I associate with a manuscript. In fact, I do use music as inspiration in between manuscripts...very early on, when I'm brainstorming premise ideas. Once I'm hooked on an idea, the music has to go or my muse gets distracted.

I'm a daydreamer. A typical Pisces. Music gets me dreaming up scenarios, but it also takes me off on wild tangents. I'm one of those people who can't get a song out of their head for the life of them. When I'm working on the first draft of a manuscript (or even revisions, depending on how involved they are), I don't listen to music at all. I would completely lose my focus. When I'm writing, silence helps me hear the conversations in my head. It helps me to concentrate on my internal noise, or what some may call their muse.

If I need a break from working on a manuscript or a way to refresh my muse, I opt for a good book or a romantic movie. I'm very visual, so having an inspirational photo of my hero or heroine is much more effective than listening to music. As for books and movies, they're more concrete for me. Once I reach the end, I can put them aside and refocus on my own story. I may watch or read them again, but I have more mental control over when that will be. Songs, on the other hand, seem to get lost in the labyrinth of my ear and can't find their way out.

That's just the way I work. Different methods work for different people. Are you a playlist writer?