Biology Writes

“I used to think I was crazy because I like to listen to really passionate soundtracks and heavy metal when I write. But it was very affirming to read On Writing by Steven King, who reminds us that writing is often painful and, when you get stuck, listening to music can inspire you.                                                            When I am in the early stages of writing and I just want to creatively flow – when it doesn’t matter how it connects together and I just want to get it out – I listen to very passionate stuff like Disturbed and the soundtrack to Inception. I think music like this allows you to get out of your head, to get unstuck, and to think differently. Other times I need background, ethereal music like the soundtrack to the Thin Red Line. And, of course, sometimes I write in silence when the writing requires me to get into a calm place with deep thoughts and to structure those thoughts in an organized manner.

I often tell people that good writing is like a good piece of music where there is a theme that you will hear at the beginning, the middle, and the end. I tell everyone in my lab to listen to Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade and to listen for the theme that threads through the entire piece of music, over and over. Everything has to be connected! For good writing, everything has to have a purpose.”

David R. Sherwood, Professor of Biology, Duke University