If there’s one thing guaranteed to help me with my writing, it’s having the right playlist in the background. Having some good tunes in my ears keeps me focused and motivated, and maybe helps me feel a little more creative as well. I have playlists saved for all occasions, from gentle background music, to ambient noise, upbeat songs, a touch of metal, and everything in between. Thank goodness for Spotify and their endless supply of pre-made playlists so I don’t have to waste time searching for all the good songs myself. 90% of my time spent working on a computer is soundtracked by some sort of music, and the other 10% is made up of those sad occasions where I forgot to bring my headphones.
While I like to keep a variety of music on hand to suit whatever mood I happen to be in when I sit down to write, some of my most reliable and favourite writing music comes from movies and games. They’re perfect for listening to while writing, because they’re designed for listening to in the background. They’re emotive, conjuring up images. Finding the right one for the scene I’m writing at the moment can make all the difference to how well it goes, particularly when it comes to writing descriptions.
One of my current favourite game soundtracks comes from the Marvel’s Spider-Man. It has pieces for every mood, some optimistic, some sad, some driving, and others triumphant. And, because it’s made for a game, I can listen to them on endless loop and not get tired of them. I love how game music is written to be perfect for looping in the background, over and over and over again.
I’d love to hear from you. Do you link to listen to music while you’re writing? Ambient noise? Do you like lyrics or instrumentals? Do you have a favourite game or movie soundtrack that always gets you in the mood to write?
I adore movie and game soundtracks too. They’re so good to listen to, and they seem to make time go so fast. You look down and can hardly remember getting so much work done.
I’m not much for ambient noise though, I find it distracting. But I do love to blast my various metal albums and get into some hardcore writing.
I’m the same with ambient noise usually, unless I’m listening to something to help me sleep. Then the sound of waves is nice and soothing. I’m more of a music girl when it comes to listening while writing though. I’ve started listening to a little metal while writing (mostly just a playlist by Spotify). Would be interested for any recommendations to try out!