My writing "office" is upstairs in my open concept house with no door - so any noise can be distracting. I found a playlist of piano melodies and played it over and over again while I wrote one of my books. After a few listens I began to predict what song followed the other and in a way it became comforting and calming. It helped me stay focused - even when I wrote the intense scenes. So yes, music calms me and helps me stay on track.
Music helps me build scenes, with moods, moving parts, and voices. Sometimes those scenes get written down. I've written several YA novels and they all have a soundtrack. A playlist of songs that work together to tell the story (loosely). During the writing process, I will listen to this playlist a lot when I'm doing other things (cooking, walking, cleaning, etc,) to keep me excited about the story and the people in it, but I never listen to the list when I'm actually writing. I find the music pulls me away from the writing too easily, like I just want to listen and visualize rather than put what I'm seeing down on paper. I do that later, in the quiet.
I have discovered this fun thing called Beta Waves, which are said to help with focus, etc. I find it helps me to have it on, because it drowns out the distracting sounds in my workspace (heater/washing machine/refrigerator kicking on/the constant hum of devices all over the house/snoring dog.) Give it a whirl if you're curious - https://open.spotify.com/show/203RXXkT9fK2mcX4t8Qp5d?si=241164d476ee4484
I usually forget I have it on until I switch if off and notice the difference it was making to my soundscape.
Yup, there’s music on for me, on Spotify ... I’ll try your playlist out later today (when I’m driving to see a buddy, not writing: it can only be familiar music, not new, when I write.)
My writing "office" is upstairs in my open concept house with no door - so any noise can be distracting. I found a playlist of piano melodies and played it over and over again while I wrote one of my books. After a few listens I began to predict what song followed the other and in a way it became comforting and calming. It helped me stay focused - even when I wrote the intense scenes. So yes, music calms me and helps me stay on track.
Music helps me build scenes, with moods, moving parts, and voices. Sometimes those scenes get written down. I've written several YA novels and they all have a soundtrack. A playlist of songs that work together to tell the story (loosely). During the writing process, I will listen to this playlist a lot when I'm doing other things (cooking, walking, cleaning, etc,) to keep me excited about the story and the people in it, but I never listen to the list when I'm actually writing. I find the music pulls me away from the writing too easily, like I just want to listen and visualize rather than put what I'm seeing down on paper. I do that later, in the quiet.
I have discovered this fun thing called Beta Waves, which are said to help with focus, etc. I find it helps me to have it on, because it drowns out the distracting sounds in my workspace (heater/washing machine/refrigerator kicking on/the constant hum of devices all over the house/snoring dog.) Give it a whirl if you're curious - https://open.spotify.com/show/203RXXkT9fK2mcX4t8Qp5d?si=241164d476ee4484
I usually forget I have it on until I switch if off and notice the difference it was making to my soundscape.
Yup, there’s music on for me, on Spotify ... I’ll try your playlist out later today (when I’m driving to see a buddy, not writing: it can only be familiar music, not new, when I write.)
Love writing to music!
Half of all I have written can be attributed to the inspiration that good music provides.