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" I&amp;#039;ve received a lot of e-mails asking me how I write. The simple answer is, I write late at night, with my headphones on, listening to music. These are some songs I really like, especially for writing. They frequently find a place on my midnight playlist. I hope you like them, too. (Scroll down to see how you can share some of your favorites....) &amp;quot;Summer Fog&amp;quot; by The Album Leaf      I&amp;#039;ve been on a streak of listening to ambient, wordless music while I write lately. Explosions in the Sky and Ratatat are favorites, but The Album Leaf might eventually eclipse them. The way this song builds and then collapses provides the perfect rhythm for a story designed to break hearts. &amp;quot;The Funeral&amp;quot; by Band of Horses      When I wrote &amp;quot;The Things That Carried Him,&amp;quot; I listened to ten songs on a loop. &amp;quot;The Trapeze Swinger&amp;quot; by Iron &amp;amp;amp; Wine is my favorite song from that soundtrack, but whenever Ben Bridwell&amp;#039;s high, haunting voice filled my ears, I got a little shiver that I can still feel today. &amp;quot;Midnight Regulations&amp;quot; by Alexisonfire      Sometimes a story should feel like a punch in the gut, like a kick in the head. Whenever I want to snap someone off, I listen to these guys. &amp;quot;The Northern&amp;quot; or &amp;quot;Pulmonary Archery&amp;quot; or their recent cover of Midnight Oil&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;The Dead Heart&amp;quot; all get the job done, but &amp;quot;Midnight Regulations&amp;quot; is probably my favorite song of theirs, at least right now. The opening guitar crunch is fucking balls. &amp;quot;Gimme Shelter&amp;quot; by the Rolling Stones      When I want what Alexisonfire gives me, but with an even greater sense of foreboding. Maybe it&amp;#039;s all those times Scorsese has used it, but it&amp;#039;s hard for me to listen to this song and not feel like some serious shit&amp;#039;s about to go down. &amp;quot;Little Motel&amp;quot; by Modest Mouse      I&amp;#039;ve written about this song before, but I owe this band so much \u2014 &amp;quot;Little Motel&amp;quot; was the only song I listened to while I wrote my Roger Ebert story earlier this year \u2014 I&amp;#039;m going to give them plug after plug after plug, whether they need it or not. &amp;quot;Alicia Ross&amp;quot; by Kathleen Edwards (any version)      A beautiful song, based on a true, tragic story. I can only dream of writing journalism so cleanly. &amp;quot;Learning&amp;quot; by Perfume Genius (the live version)      Two dudes, four hands, a piano, and a voice. &amp;quot;You will learn to mind me. And you will learn to survive me.&amp;quot; A pretty song has never sounded so threatening. That&amp;#039;s a tough trick to pull. &amp;quot;All Alright&amp;quot; by Sigur R\u00F3s      I saw Sigur R\u00F3s in Montreal once, and it was one of the great experiences of my life. On my long list of things I want to do in the time I have left, seeing them in their native Iceland, under the stars, ranks near the top. When I was working on a film script that I&amp;#039;ve since abandoned, I had it in my head that this song would play over the end credits. Maybe it will still. &amp;quot;For the Widows in Paradise, for the Fatherless in Ypsilanti,&amp;quot; by Sufjan Stevens      Sometimes I feel a little embarrassed for liking this song as much as I do, but I can&amp;#039;t help my love for it, or for small towns in Michigan. &amp;quot;Pamphleteer&amp;quot; by The Weakerthans      My favorite song by my favorite band. In my doubting moments, I like to imagine I&amp;#039;m the protagonist; this song makes me feel good about what I do for a living. It makes feel like writing is the most noble thing in the world, that on some days, on its best days, it can rival even music. SHARE YOUR SONGS ON THE TWITTER: RT @MySecondEmpire with Hashtag #MusicToWriteTo &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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