There are two different kinds of writing in my world, code and prose, and music plays a huge role in them. I’m somewhat good at both, but will never achieve expert status in either since my chaotic mind keeps me involved in about a billion different ventures.
My musical tastes aren’t very diverse. The louder, angrier, and more foreign the music is, the better it is. My most listened to genre is German Industrial Metal. Some of my favorites, in order starting from most loved: Eisbrecher, Rammstein, OOMPH!, Megaherz, KMFDM… the list goes on and on. Why foreign? American music is polluted with well-crafted algorithms, making it appeal to the broadest group of paying customers. I’ve never fit in with large groups. Another reason for foreign music is that I don’t speak their language, so my brain doesn’t focus on the lyrics.
When I’m writing software, I need deafening music. There’s something about it that sets my fingers on fire, ripping over a keyboard, and churning out beautiful lines of code. There’s no better motivation than adrenaline (from music) and dangerous amounts of caffeine. I really miss the Dot-Com era.
Writing a book, now that’s a contrary beast. Music helps build scenes in my head like watching a movie with a heart pumping score, but I can’t write those scenes out with that distraction in my ears.
I assume this incongruity in seemingly similar tasks has something to do with logical processes versus creative ones. In my logic (coding) brain, music maintains or inspires my pace. In my creative brain, music channels my thoughts, restricting my imagination, and making writing difficult.