Today, I have been mostly listening to...

Mike Oldfield, or rather re-discovering him. I have a number of his albums and find them ideal to work to because so much of his music is purely instrumental. But today I've been listening to Elements, a nineties best of compilation, on cassette. Yes, cassette!

And it's ironic that I put Elements on today - which was purely coincidental - when you consider what I'm working on at the moment... but I can't say anymore about that at the moment. It's all rather hush-hush, but don't worry, as soon as I can post something here I will - have no fear!

Mood Music

I used to buy a lot of music. Every week or so I would pick up a new album or a classic CD to enjoy. However, I found that the music I listened to when I was writing had a big impact on how well I worked, and how effectively I stayed focused. Basically, classical music was the way to go - music without lyrics - film soundtracks.

These days, as I spend four days a week (plus evenings and weekends) writing, practically the only music I now buy is film soundtracks. The right piece of music helps to create the right mood in which to write.

Whilst writing the dramatic, action-packed chapters that lead up to the climax of my latest novel, Human Nature, I have been mostly listening to The Dark Knight, Beowulf and Casino Royale (specifically track 8, Miami International).

Of course, I have various other soundtracks in my collection, but I would be interested to hear what other people would recommend. Post your suggestions here.

And talking of the Miami International music, check out this remix of the train scene in Spiderman 2 set to the same piece from Casino Royale. It's amazing how much the dramatic highs and lows of the scene match David Arnold's music so well!