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Tag: music and writing

5 Ways Music Will Improve Your Writing

June 25, 2019 / / 1 Comment

 

We all have times when our writing stagnates. We struggle to find the right words, and the words we do find are stilted and routine.  When you find yourself amidst a writing day like this, sit back and enjoy music. I mean that quite literally. Lean back in your writing chair, turn on a song you love, close your eyes, and enjoy the music.

Music has a way of seeping into the soul more viscerally than any other form of art. Let music inspire the words you are writing. Music is a tried-and-true way for me to find my motivation on Here are 5 Ways Music Will Improve Your Writing.

 

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  1. Music Lowers Stress

We now know that music helps to open up creative avenues in the mind, but it also lowers stress levels just like spending time in nature does. A large number of studies have found that listening to music you enjoy will decrease levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body. One 2002 study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information found that active participation in music produces a significant boost in the immune system. Sing away, my friends!

 

  1. Music Enhances Memory

In another study from 2013, researchers found that listening to pleasurable music activates areas of the brain implicated in emotion and reward. They discovered that there’s a correlation between listening to music and our ability to remember or memorize things. Want to be smarter? Want to increase your vocabulary? Listen to music.

 

[click_to_tweet tweet=”“I don’t sing because I’m happy, I’m happy because I sing.” -William James #music #amwriting ” quote=”“I don’t sing because I’m happy, I’m happy because I sing.” -William James #music #amwriting ” theme=”style6″]

 

  1. Music Increases Verbal Intelligence

In a 2011 study published by the Department of Psychology at York University, researchers found that 90% of children had a significant increase in verbal intelligence after only one month of music lessons. Sylvain Moreno proposed that there is a transfer effect that happens in our ability to understand language from music training, particularly for kids. What writer wouldn’t like to have a better grasp of language?

 

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  1. Music Helps Sleep

A 2008 study showed that listening to music for 45 minutes before bed significantly improved sleep performance over those who just did their normal sleep routine. I’m a terrible sleeper. I should take this one to heart.

 

  1. Music Increases Happiness

Countless studies have shown that listening to music you enjoy releases dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is known as the “feel-good” or pleasure chemical. Increased dopamine levels cause an increase in excitement and joy. Music can increase dopamine levels. You get the picture.

 

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Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.

Why Music Will Improve Your Writing

June 24, 2019 / / 0 Comments

 

We have a great announcement to make. 40 Tips on Creative Writing has been made into an audio book! It will be available next month. I realize that I’m a partial observer here, but the audio version is better than the written version. You have to get it. The narrator–Samara Naeymi from Brickshop Audio–did an amazing job. She really brought the book to life and gave it the meaning it should have. I highly recommend it for any authors, writers, and publishers purely for the brilliance that Samara brought to the reading.

In anticipation of the upcoming release, let’s enjoy a little snippet from the book on why music is pivotal for every writer and how you can improve your writing by listening to music.

 

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Creative Writing Tip 15: Enjoy Music

 

If you find your writing is becoming stale, sit back from time to time and enjoy music. I mean that quite literally. I want you to enjoy music. It has a way of seeping into the soul more viscerally than any other form of art. Let music inspire the words you are writing.
[click_to_tweet tweet=”Without music, life would be a mistake.” -Friedrich Nietzsche #writingtips #music #creativity” quote=”Without music, life would be a mistake.” -Friedrich Nietzsche #writingtips” theme=”style4″]

In Daniel J. Levitin’s book This is Your Brain on Music, he describes the brain as having two primary modes: (1) paying attention closely and (2) mind-wandering. It is believed that most creativity happens when we are in mind-wandering mode. This shouldn’t be surprising. When do you usually stumble upon your best ideas? If you’re like me, it’s not when we are laser focused on a task, but instead, when we’re in thoughtful, unorganized contemplation. It’s during these times that our brains will connect two seemingly disparate things and a spark of creativity will occur to bridge them.

There are plenty of ways to get yourself into mind-wandering mode, and music is one of the most sure-fire ways to get there. As Levitin says, “Music is one of the most exquisitely effective ways of allowing you to enter the mind-wandering mode.”

 

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[click_to_tweet tweet=”If you want to tap into your creativity as a writer, listen to music you enjoy. #writingtips #amwriting #writerslife” quote=”If you want to tap into your creativity as a writer, listen to music you enjoy. #amwriting” theme=”style4″]

 

Sit back and bask in the effortlessness of listening. It will unlock more creative potential in your writing. Don’t worry about what the music is other than whether youlike it. It doesn’t have to be a classical Mozart piece or a superb cello solo by Yo-Yo Ma. It can be that Taylor Swift song that lifts your spirits. It just needs to be something you enjoy.

I believe in this tip so much that I don’t just listen to music almost every single time I’m writing, but I also wrote a story in my book Pieces Like Potterywhere each portion of the story is written with a particular song accompaniment in mind. The story itself is intended to be enhanced and the meaning of it, broadened by the songs selected for each part. Music is powerful.

 

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Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.

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