This one’s a fun topic, especially when considering music listened to while writing. I’m definitely the sort of person to be heavily swayed by the moods in music so it can affect scenes. What I listen to for background focus music varies a lot on where I’m at in a manuscript or what’s going on in a scene, although I’m exclusively choosing some form of instrumental music. I’ve found this allows me to avoid song lyrics that might sneak their way into my dialogue when I’m in the zone.
For personal music listening, I lean toward punk and heavy metal than I do other genres, but it depends on my mood that day. There’s everything from Mongolian throat-singing to polka on my playlists. That being said, I never turn down listening to The Offspring or Aurelio Voltaire regardless of where my mind is at.
Read Cat Bounce 