Music is special. It can be inspiring, soul-crushing and so much more. With its vast variety, it is able to set the mood and tone for writers to properly convey their feelings to their readers. The colourful lyrics and entrancing melody can be great sources of inspiration. The post “Why I listen to Music While Reading” showed how music can complement the content for the reader and the same can be said for the writer. A lot of people say “write in silence because music distracts you”. I disagree.

Writing While Listening

Similar preconceptions plague writing while listening to music. Music is seen as something that silences the whispers of your thoughts as you write. It seemingly staggers progress and detracts from the writing process. It is seen as a distraction. On the contrary, I believe music serves to enhance the author’s ability to convey emotions. Music is theorised to activate multiple areas of the brain when we listen to it. This allows writers to channel their emotions into the words being written, providing a deep concentration from which inspired work arises.

Background music improves focus on writing by providing motivation and improving the author’s mood. During long writing sessions, music can aid endurance and stifle burnout. The stimulation music provides is a refreshing change of pace to the silence we are often told is better.

Music that matches the scene that you are writing can be a great source of motivation and help stimulate creativity. The beat perfectly matches the tone of the scene and the words seem to write themselves as you get into a flow. The ambient, modern electronic track’s magical feel is a perfect fit while writing an adventure scene. Whether it’s exploring in a dungeon, travelling across the world or solving a mystery, the symphonic music sets the perfect atmosphere for the writer.

Why I listen to music while writing

I’m a huge fan of listening to music while I write. Some of my best scenes were written while listening to music. It helps energise me while writing and enhances the experience. I listen to music that compliments the scene that I am writing. I find it helps me get into the right mood and allows for my best work to be done.

The melodic beats help the author add emotion to what is being written. Non-lyrical music like Lo-fi beats and classical music also works well when writing. They do not break concentration when writing and their calming instrumentals have a soothing effect, enabling the right mindset to read to be achieved. 

Should you listen to music while writing?

Music is a medium that can easily evoke emotions. It is a language of feelings that can give people chills and thrills. We all have our own preferences, but music is a gift that should be used to its fullest potential. Of course, there are times music can be distracting and should be switched off to allow your thoughts to be heard. It really does depend on the mood and the content being consumed and written. I recommend attempting writing while listening to music, it can be an elating experience when the right blend of the music for the scene is found.

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I hope you enjoyed this post. Let me know if I should keep making posts like this. Do you listen to music when you write? Are you willing to give it a try?

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