Music and Writing

Things that help me write prose:

1. Music
2. Driving; music
3. Walking; music
4. Staring off into space; silence
5. Dancing; music
6. Music
7. Spinning, handstands, cartwheels; chirping birds

Things that help me write poetry:

1. Weird Mood; silence, tumbleweeds

And if the music is good enough, words pop right out of the sky, streaming in my head, colored sentence ribbons variegated like a bouquet of tropical things. I count on music to inspire me; the musicians do most of the work. For a recent short story, I listened exclusively to Chopin while writing and then the soundtrack of Waltz with Bashir to edit. Right now, Vampire Weekend’s new album. What inspires you?