I tend to write to music that fits the theme of what I'm writing. Helps me immerse myself.
For instance: I have a story about a girl who has a psychotic obsession with her history teacher that turns violent. Every chapter is named after a classic Do-Wop love song that pertains to the events of the chapter. So I wrote while listening to a play list of those songs haha
Yes to thematically immersive music and playlists.
Also, I love everything about this story and the fact that it’s set to Doo-Wop. I’d totally listen to that playlist!
Haha thank you! And if you're interested in reading it I'm open to opinions on the story! It's in beta reading phase right now haha I can send you a Google link
Same! It's great for writing, but also a problem, because I now have hundreds of playlists from everything to a whole arc of a book, to a dynamic of two characters, down to a specific scene I've choreographed in my head but have yet to write for some reason.. ~~Not to mention "AU" playlists because I thought up something quirky in my head that turned out to be a great character study, then got attached enough to want songs for it~~
I also made the mistake of Youtube being my prime playlist spot, so every time a soundtrack from a movie/video game is taken down, I have sad waffled playlists lol.
I title all of my work after songs and so I usually listen to the title song or something very much in the same vein and it’s mostly different for every work.
I agree with this. I don't listen to any music while I'm writing, or for certain times of the day like when I'm on public transportation. However, in other moments, like when I'm jogging, I'd have a playlist that is in line with the song that I want to write.
I have a question for you and all. Do you copyright your work before you put it out there for people to read? I have great respect for the work of others and would never plagiarize, but I'm always mindful that it can happen. Thank you. 💜
The time stamped file/doc is all the proof Id need for it being mine if it came to it. The general idea is a copyright over a work comes into existence moment the work is!
Classical music is what does it for me, usually Mozart, sometimes ballet music like Tchaikovsky. I once wrote an entire scene that was inspired by Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 'Andante'.
Second this, and haven’t written in a while, but my writing peak was also peak Game of Thrones, so I mixed in some Ramin Djawadi too. Specifically “Light of the Seven.”
Loveee upbeat jazz! Plus depending on the time of day and my mood/the mood of the scene I can change it to a style something more fitting. Also no lyric jazz covers of video game/tv soundtracks also hit incredibly hard at times
I've been listening to that while writing for years now! Hans Zimmer is a musical genius, I can't imagine anyone else from the modern era composing both 'Mountains' and 'Message from Home' for the same film.
I usually play this dark, creepy piano playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2kwoRRy0b2XY1XUuKOtq01?si=hTHoJwIJRMqPt1f3LCEtQg&pi=ekaorlkWSOSPQ) or rock music that is more heavy and aggressive. The fantasy story I'm working on has a mix of horror and odd elements to it, so that's why I listen to those things.
Particular things of these genres, I'm sorry for confusion, not necessary combining them. :> I like to listen to both of those, too, and I'd love to find more!
Jazz albums. I’m really big on Bill Evans right now. Love his albums Undercurrent and Intermodulation as well as his trio work with albums like Live At The Village Vanguard, Moonbeams and A Portrait in Jazz.
I also like post rock, any album by Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Tortoise or Don Caballero.
I’m a big fan of writing to their album Yanqui UXO which is their only album with no vocal samples. That whole album is great writing/thinking/reading music
Videogames music and movies OST are generally instrumental only which makes them good picks for writing. I'll try to curate based on what I'm writing.
I've been listening to the Wheel of Time OST. Pretty cool vocals in a made up language so not to distracting either.
Assassin's Creed is great because they have a ton of different genre. Writing a pirate story? Have some sea shanty and pirate song from Black Flag. Writing some more primal material? Here, take the music we made for our Native America. Protag in another of ours.
Arcane and League of Legends have a couple of very good ones too. CK3 has some middle ages music. Interstellar has amazing soundtracks. Dune is a really cool mix of retro sci-fi and primeval song track; quite specific in its tone but if you match it with the right scene or book, epic.
For instrumentals, I write to Bladerunner-esque music and dark academia.
For my personal book inspiration music, these are the songs on my playlist so far:
All I Want - Dawn Golden / Pain - The War on Drugs / Runaway - The National / Prior Warning - Marcus Mumford / Bixby Canyon Bridge - Death Cab for Cutie (apologizing now for crappy formatting)
Death metal (particularly of the dissonant or atmospheric variety, such as Gorguts or Ulcerate)
Mostly because it's my favourite genre of music, but also because its sonic density makes it easier to focus imo.
I find music distracting, but I can't write in silence, so I put the TV on. Shows I've watched before (so they don't need my full attention), nature documentaries, or nature live cams from explore.org work for me. Slow TV stuff works well, too, especially ones with trains.
This might be the only artist with lyrics I can listen to when writing, and I try to before I sit down rather than during.
Suzanne Vega, anything by her, Tom’s Diner specifically tho.
I've been writing to the 'Space Banjos' playlist on Spotify, pretty much all instrumental, if you're into bluegrass/country type stuff with a twist it's a genre I can only describe as 'What if Firefly (the TV show) was a music genre', or if you've played itm the Hardspace: Shipbreaker OST (which is in the playlist in pretty much it's entirety.
Usually music from movies or TV shows. I have an "Inspire" playlist dedicated to these types of songs, and its mainly filled with some of the more emotional soundtracks - e.g. His Dark Materials Theme Tune, The Shepard's Boy (from Dr Who), and Captain Jack Sparrow (from At World's End).
if you liked walking up with you, it's not necessary similar but I think you might like Avril 14th by Aphex Twin, please give it a listen! It's my favorite thing to write to.
Offering — Ravi Shankar. A seminal sitarist who was one of George Harrison’s biggest influences and his gateway to bringing a lot of Eastern music to the West. I could listen to Shankar for hours. The above is one of my favorites. Entirely instrumental, beautiful, haunting, dramatic, uplifting…
If you’re into other classic instrumental virtuosos, listen to anything by Dorothy Ashby.
It depends of what I write. It can be Dungeon Synth, like Galdur, Umarth, Arsule (The Dungeon Synth archives is your friend), or Synthwave (Midnight Danger, Orax, Zombie Hyperdrive… New Retro Wave stuff…). There can be others…
Anything in synth wave does it for me! Gunship has a lot of good stuff, as does youtube in general. I can’t explain it.
Two Steps From Hell, also, is absolutely glorious for writing and envisioning stuff.
I get a lot of mileage from horror film scores, which lately are shockingly beautiful. Midsommar, hereditary, annihilation, Men. Also I love the scores for Zoe, Everything Everywhere.
I tend to make playlists that fit the vibe of whatever I’m writing! Sometimes, if I’ve found a perfect song for a particular scene or type of scene that’ll play on repeat while I write.
Depends on what I'm writing, but usually black metal does it for me. Right now I'm fondly into Urfaust and Deathspell Omega because their atmosphere fit what I'm trying to create
I've been listening to The Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of Black Pearl) sound track. Also I like to listen to the Howl's Moving Castle soundtrack as well.
I use music that will keep me focused, allow me to tune out surrounding sounds, and occupy the part of my brain that wants to let itself get distracted. This is typically video game OSTs as they are typically meant to be in the background without being to distracting anyway. Lately, I've been listening to a compilation of jazz versions of mario music and a compilation of calm/cheery zelda music. They do wonders for my focus.
Starry Night by Jordan Critz is such a beautiful song and I listen to it often when reading thrillers or books with alot of drama. It just has such a beautiful melody and really makes me invision the scenes as I read them as if it were a movie in my head :]
Saint-Säens, "Danse Macabre"
Bach, basically anything
Oakenfold, "Stonehenge" or "Hold that Sucker Down"
Crystal Method, "Drown in the Now" or "Comin Back"
Depends what I’m writing, but I also never listen to with lyrics. I match the tone to whatever scene I’m working on. Often with movie soundtracks, classical, jazz, or just ambient whatever that can help set a mood
Thomas Bergersen's album Miracles is one I've been listening to a lot lately while writing a character focused drama since it's very mellow, enough to slip into the background when it needs to, but has a lot of variety and big moments that set a good mood for what I'm working on now. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0sdVX8ru8&ab\_channel=EtherealSounds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0sdVX8ru8&ab_channel=EtherealSounds)
I can recommend:
Randy Weston - In Memory of
Herbie Hancock - Vein Melter
Soft Machine - Slightly All the Time
Billy Cobham - Heather
King Crimson - The Sheltering Sky
It´s been a while since i dont sit and write, but five years ago when i was doing it from eight to three am every saturday, i used to put the OST of the Fate series.
Man, how i miss that
I really like writing to certain vapor wave for some reason, mainly playlists from “Haircuts for Men”. It’s just very ambient music that’s easy to ignore but helps me focus.
For some reason *Snow (Hey Oh)* by red hot chili peppers. The verse melodies are melodic and have a complex rhythm, but it's very calming and soothing. Makes me want to move my pencil as fast as the guitar strumming.
The OsT to Inception, The Dark Knight, Black Swan, Aerial by Kate Bush, Florence and the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, 63daysofstatic, the Fuck Buttons, etc.
Anything easy listening, honestly. I listen to a lot of Josh Groban, some Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli. Something soothing. Right now my MC just lost her mother figure in a tragic accident, so listening to something soft allows me to get into the mindset.
I'm constantly listening to Spotify, so I hand tailor playlists to whatever I'm working on. I've got a steampunk playlist, a few fantasy ones, a few piratey ones, etc.
I also DM for D&D and I make playlists for my PCs and my favorite NPCs, haha.
I'd be here all day to list every song. I generally have playlists for "moods." High action scenes come with metal and harder electronic. Cattle Decapitation, Infant Annihilator, Perturbator, Psyclon Nine, Sybreed.
Introspective, angsty, or darker scenes get the gothy/alt playlist. The Birthday Massacre, This Misery Garden, Breaking Benjamin, Cyan Velvet Project.
As far as things with no vocals Perturbator is a good way to go for something energetic. About 99% of his music is instrumental with a rare track here and there with either a vocal sample or guest vocalist.
D.notive is another good example but more on the chill, vaporwave side of things.
I mostly hit shuffle on my playlist and write from their
There are times when the scene suddenly takes a sudden shift because a hype song or a depressing song suddenly came on, but that’s just me liking to have some randomness when writing
I try and make playlists to fit the theme, as music usually inspires my writing.
Bluejay, a story about a prostitute stuck in drug addiction- Jenny by nothing more, Roxanne by the police, the a team by ed Sheeran, voodoo doll by the funeral portrait
Whisper, a story about a girl being led astray by a leader in a Catholic Church to fulfill his “needs” while fighting alcoholism which killed her father- whisper by burn the ballroom, unholy by Ana eclipse, all the saints of notre dame by baby Jane,
And there’s many more but I try and find songs that feel similar to the vibe or plot and listen so I get “stuck there” if that makes sense?
I have a jazz playlist for writing- lot of Miles and Coltrane, that sort of thing- but generally I write in silence.
While I don't dislike music, I rarely actively seek it out or play it. If I driving it's silence or maybe a podcast, if I'm writing it's mostly silence, I do not make sound tracks for my stories
I go with classic video game music. It's usually meant to be non intrusive/background noise and nostalgic enough that it distracts the part of my brain going "This is boring!" just enough that I can focus. My Playlist has something like 400 songs on it.
I used to write to whatever was in my playlist, typically classic rock. I've written to only a couple of songs on repeat in the past (The Raven by Glass Prism and The Raven by Alan Parsons Project), but now I tend to write to instrumental stuff.
A lot of movie soundtracks, mostly John Williams (Harry Potter soundtracks) but also Jeff Russo (Star Trek Picard season 1-2), Stephen Barton, Frederik Wiedmann (Star Trek Picard season 3), Alan Silvestri (Avengers), Nami Melumad (Star Trek Strange New Worlds) to name a few. See also The Orville and Star Trek Lower Decks soundtracks.
I try to match the scene. For example, when writing my big love scene, which I’d been planning for almost a year, my theme song for that scene was “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner ❤️ (and yes, the scene turned out well)
I try to listen to music I think the POV character would listen to or stuff that gets me into their head. It’s typically rough at the start as I’m feeling the character out, but eventually I’ll find a collection of (or even just a handful of) songs that instantly let me slip into writing them.
A few characteristics tend to be shared:
- Usually the songs have lyrics. I (probably) have ADHD so the lack of lyrics makes me lose my train of thought as the songs blend.
- Usually, there is at least one Taylor Swift song initially on the playlist. I start by adding a bunch of songs I know that mostly fit the vibe and character, and she has so many to chose from. I typically remove those if they don’t fully fit (especially for a male POV character) once I’ve accumulated fifteen to twenty songs.
- Once I find a track that resonates with the overall story and themes, I look for covers of it for each POV character. For my current WIP, it’s Avid/Voices of the Chord.
Otherwise, the music I listen to for writing is pretty eclectic. Broadway songs, Disney songs, pop music, country ballads, folk, alternative, hard rock, heavy metal, J-pop, etc.
There’s a game called “Spiritographer: Low-fi city” that I pull up on Steam whenever I need to focus on something like writing. It has custom low-fi playlists built in that I can overlap with rain, bird noises, wind, etc. that helps me get into the vibe of whatever I’m writing. It also has a YouTube feature where you can pull up your own playlists & videos to watch with the overlays, has task lists, timers, etc.
Video game music! They're designed to be catchy, but not to interfere with your flow.
Maplestory has a lot of good music. [Above the Treetops is one of my favorites ](https://youtu.be/F6LIFBVhObQ?si=bnXUfWn96NArmJwj), but [When the Morning Comes really sets a mood as well!](https://youtu.be/gfgBDs8z6WE?si=0Lgzke3P8vyFBmp5)
I'm also very fond of Final Fantasy 7 and 8.
[Flowers Blooming in the Church sounds very heavenly ](https://youtu.be/lhb2ePyiIB4?si=eDXwGT8u75PSNbYF), and [Balamb Garden is such a nice, peaceful song](https://youtu.be/UmYfkfm7GpA?si=Qsdc289VpMovK6TG)
I tend to listen to a lot of EDM when I write, all different kinds of genres. Funny enough the crazier the better. In particular I've found Kai Wachi's [Skins ](https://open.spotify.com/album/6MQeqXw9V1TmwvQRmZCSfP?si=to5mKKiDSgGSJwhz7ptWRQ)& [Morphosia](https://open.spotify.com/album/1X9jTW0lowgyUb5ybtp9rt?si=4mplM-7cRsubqfujfRu4NQ) EPs to be great to listen to while I write recently
I listen to the Oh Hellos Christmas album any time of year, which is irregular for me. They do a very relaxing medley of classic carols, but not without its more exciting parts.
Wax Fang's album The Astronaut
Glass Animals's album ZABA.
A few Ennio Morricone things. Main title of A Few Dollars More, The Ecstasy of Gold, The Mission.
It varies depending on the mood I'm going for of course- but recently I've been writing to the Disco Elysium soundtrack and some Russian Soviet-wave playlists on Spotify.
I find that music with lyrics in languages I don't understand has a similar effect on me to lyric-less music. But I don't know if that's universal or not?
Depending on what I’m writing I like to listen to rap for fast paced fight scenes and instrumentals whenever working on wider scope chapters like for world building or character introspection. I’ve enjoyed the instrumental rendition of the ‘Rains of Castamere’ from Game of Thrones most recently
I usually listen to stuff by Pye Corner Audio, Explosions in the sky, Godspeed you black emperor, or this youtube channel called the Prime Thanatos. Most of these don't have lyrics and are great for background music to get the imagination going.
I once wrote to classical gas on repeat for hours. I've been on a kick listening to space banjo as I write a sci-fi western.
I like something with no lyrics. Chill edm preferably, like Emancipator.
I have a different playlist for every project, and this is my current one:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy1mngLmB5rFkrkdcUFn3lWesyI8P7GUj&si=a_1N6R8jyQ0CaPZ7
beyond the bounds of joy - Sound adventures. For those whimsical carefree moments.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-huDk0\_Go&ab\_channel=SoundAdventuresMusic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-huDk0_Go&ab_channel=SoundAdventuresMusic)
Seeds - Tony Anderson. For more pensive, melancholy vibes.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNZSSwAo9M&ab\_channel=TonyAnderson-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNZSSwAo9M&ab_channel=TonyAnderson-Topic)
And pretty much everything from Phil Ray Gibbons
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhVo\_HEesaM&list=RD1-4F88WuUX4&index=3&ab\_channel=PhilReyGibbons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhVo_HEesaM&list=RD1-4F88WuUX4&index=3&ab_channel=PhilReyGibbons)
I don't have specific songs I write to, HOWEVER, when I write action scenes I listen to hard, aggressive phonk. It doesn't matter what song, just hard and aggressive. Something about it screams violence and the fast pace makes it easier for me to write quick, snappy scenes.
similar to another comment, i listen to what fits the theme of my writing. i am currently writing a pirate story with romance and fantasy elements, so i have some romance songs on there as well as music that would fit the action and angst in it. for example i have rewrite the stars, "syracuse" from sinbad, and shostakovich waltz 2 in my playlist, just to name a few.
It honestly depends on what I’m writing. Right now the piece of working on, every chapter is a song title, so I just keep adding to that particular playlist.
Recently been jamming to Blackbriar. I'm a pretty big fan of writing to various flavors of metal and symphonic metal, especially where the vocalists are particularly outstanding, like Nightwish and the aforementioned band.
I would recommend that any song that heavily inspires you, you listen to the instrumental version of the song when you write.
I also often use like binearal beats and creative frequencies to write. May be placebo, but if it works it works.
Hans Zimmer soundtracks, white noise, or nature sounds are my go too. I would love to just listen to the birds outside, but I live next to a semi busy road and that gets distracting quickly.
Yeah I make playlists around the theme of what I’m writing. Generally to get excited and start visualizing quick snips of the story I will add music as I imagine scenes playing out. If it clicks it goes on the list.
This music always gets me in the headspace to write. I have a list of like, 50 more similar themed compilations.
https://youtu.be/n--SX54AUZU?si=6_oyppsyqtsGh_Vy
Usually this playlist i made: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ_ANLDn-Ll0NnVfvrPx_IdH14V3GF8jz&si=kH_o9MineEPd67TL
I call it : "Songs To Write Fanfics To"
I tend to write to music that fits the theme of what I'm writing. Helps me immerse myself. For instance: I have a story about a girl who has a psychotic obsession with her history teacher that turns violent. Every chapter is named after a classic Do-Wop love song that pertains to the events of the chapter. So I wrote while listening to a play list of those songs haha
Yes to thematically immersive music and playlists. Also, I love everything about this story and the fact that it’s set to Doo-Wop. I’d totally listen to that playlist!
Haha thank you! And if you're interested in reading it I'm open to opinions on the story! It's in beta reading phase right now haha I can send you a Google link
That sounds great! I’m definitely interested!
Hey alright! I'll DM you the link!
can you also DM me the link?
Sure! In coming!
Me too?
Of course!
Yo I wanna read this too!
If you are looking for beta readers feel free to send me the story too, would love to take a look
i’ve never beta read so i’m not sure how it works but can i read it too 🥺
Can I get the link too?
Hi, i would love to read this!!
Could I also read it? I likely won’t be able to give super great feedback but honestly it just sounds really intriguing!!! I
you can dm me the link too if you want more feedback, sounds cool!
I'm interested, my friend. Put me on your list! Congratulations on all of your hard work! 💜
id love to beta read as well!
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Haha close. Except in that song the teacher is tempted by the student. Not here my friend!
Nabokov is so disappointed
Idk I think he'd be happy I didn't bite his work
This just reminded me of glee lol
Same! It's great for writing, but also a problem, because I now have hundreds of playlists from everything to a whole arc of a book, to a dynamic of two characters, down to a specific scene I've choreographed in my head but have yet to write for some reason.. ~~Not to mention "AU" playlists because I thought up something quirky in my head that turned out to be a great character study, then got attached enough to want songs for it~~ I also made the mistake of Youtube being my prime playlist spot, so every time a soundtrack from a movie/video game is taken down, I have sad waffled playlists lol.
I title all of my work after songs and so I usually listen to the title song or something very much in the same vein and it’s mostly different for every work.
I agree with this. I don't listen to any music while I'm writing, or for certain times of the day like when I'm on public transportation. However, in other moments, like when I'm jogging, I'd have a playlist that is in line with the song that I want to write.
..... What genre is agony?
This is one hell of a pitch for your story, I *really* want to read this!
That sounds like such a psychologically fun book! When you’re finished/ have a chapter done I would love to read it!!
The whole thing is done actually haha if you want I can DM you the Google link! I'd love to hear people's thoughts!
Omg yes please! I want to read at least a book bi-monthly so this will be my first one to start of 2nd half of June :)
Add me to the list of people wanting the link, please! That sounds super interesting!
I have a question for you and all. Do you copyright your work before you put it out there for people to read? I have great respect for the work of others and would never plagiarize, but I'm always mindful that it can happen. Thank you. 💜
The time stamped file/doc is all the proof Id need for it being mine if it came to it. The general idea is a copyright over a work comes into existence moment the work is!
Thank you for explaining this to me, my friend! 💜
Could you link the playlist? Would love to listen
Hey, that sounds pretty good. Keep it up, I would love to read it
I could just imagine reading about a violent beating while listening to Breaking Up is Hard to Do.
This sounds incredibly interesting. I wanna read it too!
Classical music is what does it for me, usually Mozart, sometimes ballet music like Tchaikovsky. I once wrote an entire scene that was inspired by Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 'Andante'.
Second this, and haven’t written in a while, but my writing peak was also peak Game of Thrones, so I mixed in some Ramin Djawadi too. Specifically “Light of the Seven.”
I prefer waltzes, mostly Strauss.
Mozart's Requiem always makes me feel diabolical lol
I like jazz. It is more upbeat and has that creative spirit already there. Plus, no lyrics
I read this in the voice of the dude from Bee Movie 😂
Loveee upbeat jazz! Plus depending on the time of day and my mood/the mood of the scene I can change it to a style something more fitting. Also no lyric jazz covers of video game/tv soundtracks also hit incredibly hard at times
T Monk is my writing background music 9 times out of 10.
I’ve been into the soundtrack from Interstellar.
I've been listening to that while writing for years now! Hans Zimmer is a musical genius, I can't imagine anyone else from the modern era composing both 'Mountains' and 'Message from Home' for the same film.
THIS
I have a sci-fi project I'm working on and I use the soundtrack from Interstellar, Blade Runner, Starfield, etc. when I write that project.
Very incredible soundtrack. Solid choice and I may need to try that too!
an album, Punisher by Pheobe Bridgers It definitely has lyrics and usually that bothers me, but this one doesn't.
I'd second this, though whenever it comes on while writing I don't get any work done because I have to sit back and listen to the whole thing
phoebe bridgers is an incredible singer and songwriter so i second this!
I love this one lol, but i was gonna say waiting room
I usually play this dark, creepy piano playlist [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2kwoRRy0b2XY1XUuKOtq01?si=hTHoJwIJRMqPt1f3LCEtQg&pi=ekaorlkWSOSPQ) or rock music that is more heavy and aggressive. The fantasy story I'm working on has a mix of horror and odd elements to it, so that's why I listen to those things.
Would you like to link something specific and your favorite, both creepy piano and rock?
Like a song that combines both of those things that I listen to? Or two things in particular that I like of the things?
Particular things of these genres, I'm sorry for confusion, not necessary combining them. :> I like to listen to both of those, too, and I'd love to find more!
Jazz albums. I’m really big on Bill Evans right now. Love his albums Undercurrent and Intermodulation as well as his trio work with albums like Live At The Village Vanguard, Moonbeams and A Portrait in Jazz. I also like post rock, any album by Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Tortoise or Don Caballero.
Godspeed is a great call. Any particular songs?
I’m a big fan of writing to their album Yanqui UXO which is their only album with no vocal samples. That whole album is great writing/thinking/reading music
Videogames music and movies OST are generally instrumental only which makes them good picks for writing. I'll try to curate based on what I'm writing. I've been listening to the Wheel of Time OST. Pretty cool vocals in a made up language so not to distracting either.
Agree. Skyrim ambiance videos on YouTube are my writing go to
Agreed So far I love Assassin's creed
Assassin's Creed is great because they have a ton of different genre. Writing a pirate story? Have some sea shanty and pirate song from Black Flag. Writing some more primal material? Here, take the music we made for our Native America. Protag in another of ours. Arcane and League of Legends have a couple of very good ones too. CK3 has some middle ages music. Interstellar has amazing soundtracks. Dune is a really cool mix of retro sci-fi and primeval song track; quite specific in its tone but if you match it with the right scene or book, epic.
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Placebo is my favorite band, love Sigur Ros and I'm currently in a kpop/jpop phase, so I wanted to commend your immaculate taste.
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For instrumentals, I write to Bladerunner-esque music and dark academia. For my personal book inspiration music, these are the songs on my playlist so far: All I Want - Dawn Golden / Pain - The War on Drugs / Runaway - The National / Prior Warning - Marcus Mumford / Bixby Canyon Bridge - Death Cab for Cutie (apologizing now for crappy formatting)
Have you discovered Really Slow Motion yet? It’s soundtracks for movies that don’t exist. Perfect writing music.
I haven’t yet!! I’m gonna try it today during my writing session!
Rock, Metal and Ballads
Death metal (particularly of the dissonant or atmospheric variety, such as Gorguts or Ulcerate) Mostly because it's my favourite genre of music, but also because its sonic density makes it easier to focus imo.
Fuck yeah. New Ulcerate rips
I've listened to it twice already. I'd say it's my favourite album of theirs, though Everything is Fire is close behind.
I find music distracting, but I can't write in silence, so I put the TV on. Shows I've watched before (so they don't need my full attention), nature documentaries, or nature live cams from explore.org work for me. Slow TV stuff works well, too, especially ones with trains.
Anything Hans Zimmer.
This might be the only artist with lyrics I can listen to when writing, and I try to before I sit down rather than during. Suzanne Vega, anything by her, Tom’s Diner specifically tho.
definitely lord huron, the oh hellos, phoebe bridgers etc. most of my stories are quite ‘hippie’ and take place in nature.
Atmospheric black metal, melodic death metal, and classical music
Atmospheric black metal>>> I know this isn't atmospheric but have you ever listened to Blackbraid Dimmu Borgir or Lorna Shore
Metro boomin instrumental tapes
I've been writing to the 'Space Banjos' playlist on Spotify, pretty much all instrumental, if you're into bluegrass/country type stuff with a twist it's a genre I can only describe as 'What if Firefly (the TV show) was a music genre', or if you've played itm the Hardspace: Shipbreaker OST (which is in the playlist in pretty much it's entirety.
Looking this up right now, you made it sound so interesting!
Music distracts me personally.
Cbat
I prefer simple music with no lyrics or fanfare as that is distracting for me.
Usually music from movies or TV shows. I have an "Inspire" playlist dedicated to these types of songs, and its mainly filled with some of the more emotional soundtracks - e.g. His Dark Materials Theme Tune, The Shepard's Boy (from Dr Who), and Captain Jack Sparrow (from At World's End).
if you liked walking up with you, it's not necessary similar but I think you might like Avril 14th by Aphex Twin, please give it a listen! It's my favorite thing to write to.
River flows in you by yiruma, wildcat by ratatat, with you friends by skrillex are a few of my go-tos
Ludovico Einaudi is amazing to write to.
Anything by explosions in the sky :)
Offering — Ravi Shankar. A seminal sitarist who was one of George Harrison’s biggest influences and his gateway to bringing a lot of Eastern music to the West. I could listen to Shankar for hours. The above is one of my favorites. Entirely instrumental, beautiful, haunting, dramatic, uplifting… If you’re into other classic instrumental virtuosos, listen to anything by Dorothy Ashby.
I enjoy video game OSTs from DK2, Chrono Trigger and the Final Fantasy games.
If I write with anything I know playing, I just start singing. Only classical music or no music for me
It depends of what I write. It can be Dungeon Synth, like Galdur, Umarth, Arsule (The Dungeon Synth archives is your friend), or Synthwave (Midnight Danger, Orax, Zombie Hyperdrive… New Retro Wave stuff…). There can be others…
I had to scroll way too far to find Dungeon Synth! Fogweaver in particular lately has been my writing music
I usually have Lana Del Rey's full discography on very quietly while I write lol I dunno why, but it's just what I always put on.
Anything in synth wave does it for me! Gunship has a lot of good stuff, as does youtube in general. I can’t explain it. Two Steps From Hell, also, is absolutely glorious for writing and envisioning stuff.
Chopin, lofi, movie soundtracks like Ghibli. Sometimes I listen to white noise like a fire or rainforest
I usually listen to jazz.
I love to put on fight music when I make fight scenes, I've been told that they come out great
I get a lot of mileage from horror film scores, which lately are shockingly beautiful. Midsommar, hereditary, annihilation, Men. Also I love the scores for Zoe, Everything Everywhere.
I tend to make playlists that fit the vibe of whatever I’m writing! Sometimes, if I’ve found a perfect song for a particular scene or type of scene that’ll play on repeat while I write.
Depends on what I'm writing, but usually black metal does it for me. Right now I'm fondly into Urfaust and Deathspell Omega because their atmosphere fit what I'm trying to create
Anything postpunk/new wave
I listen to Soma FM, specifically the Groove Salad Classic channel. https://somafm.com
I've been listening to The Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of Black Pearl) sound track. Also I like to listen to the Howl's Moving Castle soundtrack as well.
I use music that will keep me focused, allow me to tune out surrounding sounds, and occupy the part of my brain that wants to let itself get distracted. This is typically video game OSTs as they are typically meant to be in the background without being to distracting anyway. Lately, I've been listening to a compilation of jazz versions of mario music and a compilation of calm/cheery zelda music. They do wonders for my focus.
Starry Night by Jordan Critz is such a beautiful song and I listen to it often when reading thrillers or books with alot of drama. It just has such a beautiful melody and really makes me invision the scenes as I read them as if it were a movie in my head :]
I listen to a lot of Beethoven or Satie
Anything by two steps from hell, just phenomenal
Saint-Säens, "Danse Macabre" Bach, basically anything Oakenfold, "Stonehenge" or "Hold that Sucker Down" Crystal Method, "Drown in the Now" or "Comin Back"
4’33” by John Cage.
For the past 30 years, the 10,000 Maniacs.
[удалено]
I listen to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now". It directs my thoughts in a more philosophical way
Either rock or hip hop! For some reason I can’t get anything done if I don’t have ridiculously loud noise on.
Depends what I’m writing, but I also never listen to with lyrics. I match the tone to whatever scene I’m working on. Often with movie soundtracks, classical, jazz, or just ambient whatever that can help set a mood Thomas Bergersen's album Miracles is one I've been listening to a lot lately while writing a character focused drama since it's very mellow, enough to slip into the background when it needs to, but has a lot of variety and big moments that set a good mood for what I'm working on now. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0sdVX8ru8&ab\_channel=EtherealSounds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl0sdVX8ru8&ab_channel=EtherealSounds)
Giuseppe Tartini - Devil's trill, Gwenifer Raymond - Sometimes There’s Blood
I can recommend: Randy Weston - In Memory of Herbie Hancock - Vein Melter Soft Machine - Slightly All the Time Billy Cobham - Heather King Crimson - The Sheltering Sky
It´s been a while since i dont sit and write, but five years ago when i was doing it from eight to three am every saturday, i used to put the OST of the Fate series. Man, how i miss that
I go with EDM and soundtracks usually. Occasionally it is some Modest Mouse or Pink Floyd
[The 'Made in Abyss' OST](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDdgYhe4Fts). It's sublime.
I have a playlist I write to that contains mostly score from movies, TV shows, anime and video games. I’d be happy to share it with you.
i know "pretty much anything depending on the mood" is a given, but if i'm really needing inspo i put on sleep token for intensity and cuco for calm
I really like writing to certain vapor wave for some reason, mainly playlists from “Haircuts for Men”. It’s just very ambient music that’s easy to ignore but helps me focus.
For some reason *Snow (Hey Oh)* by red hot chili peppers. The verse melodies are melodic and have a complex rhythm, but it's very calming and soothing. Makes me want to move my pencil as fast as the guitar strumming.
Lofi beats stream... Pretty much
1940s Swing.
For my one book I mostly listen to/am inspired by 2010s alt/rock music
The OsT to Inception, The Dark Knight, Black Swan, Aerial by Kate Bush, Florence and the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, 63daysofstatic, the Fuck Buttons, etc.
Myuu piano
Kpop because I don't understand the lyrics but I like the vibes. Usually Prague by Kim Sawol. On repeat, for the whole day.
Anything easy listening, honestly. I listen to a lot of Josh Groban, some Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli. Something soothing. Right now my MC just lost her mother figure in a tragic accident, so listening to something soft allows me to get into the mindset.
I'm constantly listening to Spotify, so I hand tailor playlists to whatever I'm working on. I've got a steampunk playlist, a few fantasy ones, a few piratey ones, etc. I also DM for D&D and I make playlists for my PCs and my favorite NPCs, haha.
I'd be here all day to list every song. I generally have playlists for "moods." High action scenes come with metal and harder electronic. Cattle Decapitation, Infant Annihilator, Perturbator, Psyclon Nine, Sybreed. Introspective, angsty, or darker scenes get the gothy/alt playlist. The Birthday Massacre, This Misery Garden, Breaking Benjamin, Cyan Velvet Project. As far as things with no vocals Perturbator is a good way to go for something energetic. About 99% of his music is instrumental with a rare track here and there with either a vocal sample or guest vocalist. D.notive is another good example but more on the chill, vaporwave side of things.
I've been writing to *very* noisy noise rock. An example being The Last One by Les Rallizes Denudes. Acquired taste.
I mostly hit shuffle on my playlist and write from their There are times when the scene suddenly takes a sudden shift because a hype song or a depressing song suddenly came on, but that’s just me liking to have some randomness when writing
I try and make playlists to fit the theme, as music usually inspires my writing. Bluejay, a story about a prostitute stuck in drug addiction- Jenny by nothing more, Roxanne by the police, the a team by ed Sheeran, voodoo doll by the funeral portrait Whisper, a story about a girl being led astray by a leader in a Catholic Church to fulfill his “needs” while fighting alcoholism which killed her father- whisper by burn the ballroom, unholy by Ana eclipse, all the saints of notre dame by baby Jane, And there’s many more but I try and find songs that feel similar to the vibe or plot and listen so I get “stuck there” if that makes sense?
I have a jazz playlist for writing- lot of Miles and Coltrane, that sort of thing- but generally I write in silence. While I don't dislike music, I rarely actively seek it out or play it. If I driving it's silence or maybe a podcast, if I'm writing it's mostly silence, I do not make sound tracks for my stories
usually i put on Two Steps from Hell radio on spotify, the "epic" vibes are very motivating lol.
Ave Maria
Hi Ren - Ren
[Portugal (A Lift) -- Sea Oleena](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ6qGf-QmcU)
I go with classic video game music. It's usually meant to be non intrusive/background noise and nostalgic enough that it distracts the part of my brain going "This is boring!" just enough that I can focus. My Playlist has something like 400 songs on it.
My favourite right now is Olde Tyme Mem’ry by Mischeif Brew. Though it probably isn’t the best for this…
I used to write to whatever was in my playlist, typically classic rock. I've written to only a couple of songs on repeat in the past (The Raven by Glass Prism and The Raven by Alan Parsons Project), but now I tend to write to instrumental stuff. A lot of movie soundtracks, mostly John Williams (Harry Potter soundtracks) but also Jeff Russo (Star Trek Picard season 1-2), Stephen Barton, Frederik Wiedmann (Star Trek Picard season 3), Alan Silvestri (Avengers), Nami Melumad (Star Trek Strange New Worlds) to name a few. See also The Orville and Star Trek Lower Decks soundtracks.
The entirety of the Baldur’s Gate III soundtrack. It’s just so great to lose yourself into.
I try to match the scene. For example, when writing my big love scene, which I’d been planning for almost a year, my theme song for that scene was “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner ❤️ (and yes, the scene turned out well)
I find cake works pretty well they have such a weird style that it lends itself to inspiration. Shadow stabbing is particular.
Any death metal with lots of vocal fry and screamo. The fast past helps me write a lot and then I take a break to edit what I wrote.
Instrumental or solfeggio frequencies (417 hz for creativity) or good old 432 for healing and well being. After writing - dance party!
I was writing to some J Cole, Deftones the other night. Wide range there, but it was a nice vibe. I got some emotions out.
I've found that listening to Radiohead's album Kid A and maybe Ok Computer are good to have on a sort of low volume in the background while writing.
Digital Love by Daft Punk
I try to listen to music I think the POV character would listen to or stuff that gets me into their head. It’s typically rough at the start as I’m feeling the character out, but eventually I’ll find a collection of (or even just a handful of) songs that instantly let me slip into writing them. A few characteristics tend to be shared: - Usually the songs have lyrics. I (probably) have ADHD so the lack of lyrics makes me lose my train of thought as the songs blend. - Usually, there is at least one Taylor Swift song initially on the playlist. I start by adding a bunch of songs I know that mostly fit the vibe and character, and she has so many to chose from. I typically remove those if they don’t fully fit (especially for a male POV character) once I’ve accumulated fifteen to twenty songs. - Once I find a track that resonates with the overall story and themes, I look for covers of it for each POV character. For my current WIP, it’s Avid/Voices of the Chord. Otherwise, the music I listen to for writing is pretty eclectic. Broadway songs, Disney songs, pop music, country ballads, folk, alternative, hard rock, heavy metal, J-pop, etc.
Anything by Glitch Mob, Deadmau5, Two Steps from Hell, Clint Mansell
Specifically anything from Arctic Monkeys because Alex is my all-time favorite lyricist and I wish to write as good as he does!
Classical, instrumental, and indie songs give me inspiration for later stuff to write
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There’s a game called “Spiritographer: Low-fi city” that I pull up on Steam whenever I need to focus on something like writing. It has custom low-fi playlists built in that I can overlap with rain, bird noises, wind, etc. that helps me get into the vibe of whatever I’m writing. It also has a YouTube feature where you can pull up your own playlists & videos to watch with the overlays, has task lists, timers, etc.
Flags-Coldplay Makes me feel like I'm a mini Jesus
Video game music! They're designed to be catchy, but not to interfere with your flow. Maplestory has a lot of good music. [Above the Treetops is one of my favorites ](https://youtu.be/F6LIFBVhObQ?si=bnXUfWn96NArmJwj), but [When the Morning Comes really sets a mood as well!](https://youtu.be/gfgBDs8z6WE?si=0Lgzke3P8vyFBmp5) I'm also very fond of Final Fantasy 7 and 8. [Flowers Blooming in the Church sounds very heavenly ](https://youtu.be/lhb2ePyiIB4?si=eDXwGT8u75PSNbYF), and [Balamb Garden is such a nice, peaceful song](https://youtu.be/UmYfkfm7GpA?si=Qsdc289VpMovK6TG)
Metropolis Rescore by The New Pollutants
I tend to listen to a lot of EDM when I write, all different kinds of genres. Funny enough the crazier the better. In particular I've found Kai Wachi's [Skins ](https://open.spotify.com/album/6MQeqXw9V1TmwvQRmZCSfP?si=to5mKKiDSgGSJwhz7ptWRQ)& [Morphosia](https://open.spotify.com/album/1X9jTW0lowgyUb5ybtp9rt?si=4mplM-7cRsubqfujfRu4NQ) EPs to be great to listen to while I write recently
The Caretaker, especially if you're writing horror or psychological-[genre]
I listen to the Oh Hellos Christmas album any time of year, which is irregular for me. They do a very relaxing medley of classic carols, but not without its more exciting parts.
Guitar-based jazz
One of my favorites is Structure No. 3 by BADBADNOTGOOD. It’s a jazz song that helps get my mind into the flow of writing.
Wax Fang's album The Astronaut Glass Animals's album ZABA. A few Ennio Morricone things. Main title of A Few Dollars More, The Ecstasy of Gold, The Mission.
It varies depending on the mood I'm going for of course- but recently I've been writing to the Disco Elysium soundtrack and some Russian Soviet-wave playlists on Spotify. I find that music with lyrics in languages I don't understand has a similar effect on me to lyric-less music. But I don't know if that's universal or not?
Depending on what I’m writing I like to listen to rap for fast paced fight scenes and instrumentals whenever working on wider scope chapters like for world building or character introspection. I’ve enjoyed the instrumental rendition of the ‘Rains of Castamere’ from Game of Thrones most recently
Chet baker sings
I usually listen to stuff by Pye Corner Audio, Explosions in the sky, Godspeed you black emperor, or this youtube channel called the Prime Thanatos. Most of these don't have lyrics and are great for background music to get the imagination going.
My novel is set in Cornwall (my birthplace), so I’ve made a playlist of Cornish folk music
Beach House!
Dream by Rabpit. Specifically the older version
I once wrote to classical gas on repeat for hours. I've been on a kick listening to space banjo as I write a sci-fi western. I like something with no lyrics. Chill edm preferably, like Emancipator.
I have a different playlist for every project, and this is my current one: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLy1mngLmB5rFkrkdcUFn3lWesyI8P7GUj&si=a_1N6R8jyQ0CaPZ7
Anything by Two Steps From Hell! I can let my imaginations run wild to the tune of epic dramatic orchestral music with a dash of electric guitar
The entire Blade Runner soundtrack. Since I was 13.
beyond the bounds of joy - Sound adventures. For those whimsical carefree moments. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-huDk0\_Go&ab\_channel=SoundAdventuresMusic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb-huDk0_Go&ab_channel=SoundAdventuresMusic) Seeds - Tony Anderson. For more pensive, melancholy vibes. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNZSSwAo9M&ab\_channel=TonyAnderson-Topic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnNZSSwAo9M&ab_channel=TonyAnderson-Topic) And pretty much everything from Phil Ray Gibbons [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhVo\_HEesaM&list=RD1-4F88WuUX4&index=3&ab\_channel=PhilReyGibbons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhVo_HEesaM&list=RD1-4F88WuUX4&index=3&ab_channel=PhilReyGibbons)
The horror! It must be silent..
I don't have specific songs I write to, HOWEVER, when I write action scenes I listen to hard, aggressive phonk. It doesn't matter what song, just hard and aggressive. Something about it screams violence and the fast pace makes it easier for me to write quick, snappy scenes.
similar to another comment, i listen to what fits the theme of my writing. i am currently writing a pirate story with romance and fantasy elements, so i have some romance songs on there as well as music that would fit the action and angst in it. for example i have rewrite the stars, "syracuse" from sinbad, and shostakovich waltz 2 in my playlist, just to name a few.
It honestly depends on what I’m writing. Right now the piece of working on, every chapter is a song title, so I just keep adding to that particular playlist.
Recently been jamming to Blackbriar. I'm a pretty big fan of writing to various flavors of metal and symphonic metal, especially where the vocalists are particularly outstanding, like Nightwish and the aforementioned band.
I would recommend that any song that heavily inspires you, you listen to the instrumental version of the song when you write. I also often use like binearal beats and creative frequencies to write. May be placebo, but if it works it works.
The USSR Theme from COD: WAW, or usually some random youtube channel as background noise
Hans Zimmer soundtracks, white noise, or nature sounds are my go too. I would love to just listen to the birds outside, but I live next to a semi busy road and that gets distracting quickly.
Yeah I make playlists around the theme of what I’m writing. Generally to get excited and start visualizing quick snips of the story I will add music as I imagine scenes playing out. If it clicks it goes on the list.
This music always gets me in the headspace to write. I have a list of like, 50 more similar themed compilations. https://youtu.be/n--SX54AUZU?si=6_oyppsyqtsGh_Vy
Usually this playlist i made: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ_ANLDn-Ll0NnVfvrPx_IdH14V3GF8jz&si=kH_o9MineEPd67TL I call it : "Songs To Write Fanfics To"
Welcome to Night Vale soundtrack
I like to listen to Solfeggio frequencies for the sacral chakra. Major creation energy