Stories Behind the Music

Everyone has a certain type of music they like to listen to. Someone might like heavy metal while someone might like show tunes. I tend to be the latter, though I do enjoy some metal bands like Seether and the like. But my primary interest in music veers toward the classical realm like Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, etc. 
You may be wondering why I'm mentioning music on a blog geared for writing? The answer is pretty simple, actually. I'm writing because music has inspired me to write. Let's say you want to write a Steampunk Sci-Fi story. What music would you most likely listen to while writing? I would think probably symphonic rock, dub-step, or metal. You probably wouldn't be listening to Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers while writing. It would probably mess up your tone. If listening to classical music helps you write your Sci-Fi story or whatever it is your writing, then keep on listening to classical! But most of the time, writers tend to listen to music which helps establish the tone of the story. 
I'm writing a period Victorian drama which is still without a solid title, but the music that helps me write this story is obviously classical and opera. The tone of classical music helps define the tone of my period drama. I've done a little experiment and listened to Seether while writing my story, and it helped some, but I noticed that the tone was too angsty. It was still a good experiment because it taught me that listening to classical music for this story was the best choice. 
Here is a website which I found that really defines the music and writing exercise very well. 
http://www.writingforward.com/writing_exercises/fiction-writing-exercises/fiction-writing-exercises-story-for-a-song
Please use this website for your benefit! I'm sure that you can get as much out of it as I did. There is also a classical music challenge! Some people find it hard, but I've been exposed to constant listening of classical music since I was like 12. I'm 24 now. So it's been a long time being a classical music aficionado. This type of music is second nature to me with writing, but if it's not second nature to you, I dare you to take on this challenge and see what kind of story you can come up with. I can assure you, it will make you a better writer. 
Now, I have a personal challenge for you. It may be tough, but I've done it before, and I've found that it helps a lot. 

• Get out of your comfort zone and listen to music you are not all that familiar with and write either a story or how you felt about listening to this type of music. 

The music can either be with or without lyrics. Usually new age or classical music is without lyrics. If this is the challenge you want to take on, go for it! It's for your benefit! 


Alexandra