Writing while listening to music

It seems to depend on the person, really.

Sometimes, music is a necessary mood-setter or white noise. Sometimes it's a distraction.

IIRC, some time ago, I read part of a book on animation, where the author got a job near one of their long-time mentors. He asked the man what kind of music he listened to while he drew (like many of his peers, he usually listened to something, like classical music, to pass time while working), and the older guy turned on him: he didn't listen to anything, he just drew. "I'm not smart enough to do two things at once!" he said. The author tried turning off his music, and found that he was more productive; even if he didn't think he was dividing his attention, he was.

I'm not saying this is necessarily true for all creators, of course, but when I'm "in the zone," I honestly do not hear the music... and if I'm having trouble getting there, music can be more of a distraction than a help. I do sometimes listen, but more when I'm spitballing or not seriously working; I also have an ambient noise track that can be used to drown out background noise without distracting me with a tune.

So, if music works for you, use it. If you find you're not getting as much done, try turning it off once you get past the brainstorming stage and need to focus on production. It might help, or it might not.

JMHO...

I would be distracted having music playing while writing. Music for me provokes emotion, and I feel that in turn would alter the way I express the mood or actions of my characters.

I do find music to be useful when not in my writing environment, to elicit ideas and feelings, often leading me down unexpected avenues that can end up being the catalyst for writing material. Strong music often does that for me.

Not writing specifically, but scientific research into whether music helps people concentrate on difficult tasks (e.g. revising for exams) found that it's what you're used to that makes a difference. People who habitually listen to music while studying etc concentrate better when music's playing. People who don't habitually listen to music concentrate better without music. The take home message of this is that if you have to do an exam in silence, it's better to revise in silence.

Studies like these generally find it hard to separate whether the preference for music is innate and people who like to study with music on have always studied better with music on, or if it's a habit, i.e. you get used to hearing the music so concentrate better with it on. As far as I know the evidence favours more the idea that it's habitual and what you're used to. Hence the advice to study in silence if you have to do the exam in silence.

For writing, personally I listen to music when writing and I also listen to music while working at my day job. I can write with and without music. I don't notice any difference in the quality of the writing, however one thing I'm careful of is that listening to music while reading and writing affects the way your brain interprets the tone of what you're writing. Sad stories sound sadder with sad music - that sort of thing. So when revising/editing you may overestimate how well you've set a sad tone in a scene you're writing if there's sad music in the background. It's advisable to reread the passage without the sad music to check the tone of the writing is still sad enough. On the other hand, when composing the scene, the sad music will probably help. Those are the only circumstances in which I've found music or lack of music to make any difference.

I can't write without my music, and my scenes are pretty good, so there's that. It really depends on the writer.

It depends. Blanket statements either way do not account for the individual.

I usually write with music, often one song on a loop that captures the mood I'm looking for.

However, I've also noticed that when I write without music, I have a better sense of prose and what I need to write next. So, even though my writing is probably better sans music, I still use it.

No scientific study is going to tell you what works for an individual. It depends on so many factors, from how a person was raised (lots of music in the household? none at all?), to a person's mood on the day (sometimes I need music to help turn off some white noise in my brain, other times it becomes a distraction itself), to the environment the person is writing in (I sometimes put on music to drown out ambient noise), to what you're writing (maybe you need to get into the zone for a particularly fun/serious/whatever scene).

I don't have one method. I find, though, that if I put on music, I tune it out after a while and don't even know what I'm listening to.

angeliz2k said:

I don't have one method. I find, though, that if I put on music, I tune it out after a while and don't even know what I'm listening to.

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Sometimes this happens to me as well. I listen to primarily classical music while writing and, while I can still appreciate it, I do expect some of it to go in one ear and out the other.

One thing I sometimes do is listen to Celtic folk. I find it helpful to listen to music when I don't understand the lyrics.

Dave.C.Robinson said:

One thing I sometimes do is listen to Celtic folk. I find it helpful to listen to music when I don't understand the lyrics.

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Also agreed. A lot of classical music, such as operas, is not in English. I find this allows me to focus, strange as that might be.

Music is vital to my creative process, but some music captures so much of my attention that I cannot write and listen at the same time.

I have a huge playlist dedicated to my current fledgling WIP. Music is a big part of the culture and setting, and it really does help get the creative juices flowing...especially if a particular scene features music as part of the setting (it opens at a supper club with a swing band and female singer).

Like someone else mentioned, I'll find a song that captures the mood of the scene I want to write and put it on repeat until the scene is done.

There is a scene I cannot wait to write that I've daydreamed about for ages now that will definitely have Nat King Cole's "Walking My Baby Back Home" on repeat while I'm hammering it out. I've just finished a scene that was set to Ella Fitzgerald's "You Do Something to Me", and I had an earlier scene that relied heavily on Peggy Lee's "Fever".

It makes the scenes more fun to write when I find the perfect song to act as my "soundtrack".

ETA: And it's not always a matter of finding the song to fit the scene. More often that not, the SONG acts as the inspiration for the scene. I listen to music while working outside or mowing or whatever, and a song will inspire a scene. Later, when I'm able to sit and write, I'll put the song on to recapture the inspiration and "see" the scene again.

Yeah, I definitely write to music. Mainly it's to block out background noise. I just need to be careful since it can affect the tone of my writing. I even specifically look for certain music if I'm writing a more depressing scene.

Nah. I like it quiet and peaceful when I'm writing.

I don't tend to listen to music while writing, I tend to need concentration and prefer it as quiet as possible as I'm easily distracted and irritated. I also have serious jiggle feet. When I hear a beat I can't help but start grooving and singing (and my sing terrifies the neighbourhood so...)

Not sure how it can "degrade" the quality. Why did these people think that?

Sometimes I'll start out listening to music but then I'll shut if off as I find it starts to relax my body too much. Where instead of writing I want to take a nap. That said having the TV on while I write doesn't have much of an effect on me, unless I'm watching a sport I care about.

It varies, even for individuals. Sometimes any music drives me absolutely bonkers and I have to turn it off. Other times, I like having the radio on really low. Yet other times, I like having it at a normal volume. Sometimes I like having classical (or other non-word music) on. I think my favorite background noise is coffee shop/restaurant type white noise, and I'll either go out and eat and write, or turn on my coffetivity app. It all depends on my mood. I've never noticed an increase or decrease in productivity relative to music, though.

I like to listen when I'm in certain stages of the writing - planning/plotting, late-draft revising. If I'm doing the initial write or the first few rounds of revision, I tend to get too distracted. I have a few playlists dedicated to each WIP with a mix of instrumental/classical and songs that evoke a range of emotions. Sometimes when I'm in the car I'll listen and start thinking about the various little problems I'm encountering and try to work them out on the drive to work.

I think it depends. There have been times when I listen to music while writing and I'm distracted by the song and my writing comes out like crap. Then there are other times, and I produce some of the greatest writing I'd ever produced.

Writing with music is really something I wish I could get back into. I wrote my very first novel on pen and paper, and when it came time to type it up, I needed music to keep the task from being too boring. I made a playlist of songs that very much became the soundtrack to that book, and I even had a different playlist for when I started writing the sequel. That music is now inextricably tied to that series for me, so much so that when I hear any of the songs on those playlists it makes me want to go back and revisit that book. But somewhere along the way, I became unable to focus on writing while listening to music. I even tried to type up an old hand-written draft with music and found that I could no longer focus unless I had complete silence. I wish I knew why that shift happened. And it wasn't just confined to writing either--I used to listen to music while falling asleep, but now I find it way too distracting.

I guess what I'd say is that if you CAN write while listening to music, you should definitely take advantage of that--it can be downright magical. I wish there were some way I could train myself to do that again. At the very least, I still rely on music for my brainstorming walks when I run through the scene in my head before sitting down to write it.

I often write listening to classic rock. Last night, I was working on my new novel while listening to an album by the Cure posted on YouTube.

I can't listen to music (or even the natural world outside my window) when I'm writing. I have to immerse myself fully in the fictional world in order to write about it. That's why I tend to do my best (or at least most) writing very early in the morning when the house is quiet.

Here’s my opinion for what it’s worth… It depends on the writer; and I suppose it also depends on what you’re writing.

I’m up every day at 04h00 and the ‘silence is golden’!

When writing screenplays I find music helps the scenes flow a great deal, but for some reason it is a bit more distracting when working on novel or short story projects.

Ninten said:

I guess what I'd say is that if you CAN write while listening to music, you should definitely take advantage of that--it can be downright magical. I wish there were some way I could train myself to do that again. At the very least, I still rely on music for my brainstorming walks when I run through the scene in my head before sitting down to write it.

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For me, it comes and goes. There are spells when music helps my brain unlock, and spells when it's nothing but a distraction. Maybe one day you'll find that music works for you again.