Some activities are only enjoyable in conjunction with music. Writing, storytelling, parachuting, etc. Without it, they are as awful as they sound. While at times the muses allow me to write for hours in utter silence, they generally get bored and run for the nearest heavy metal concert. However, if you put music on, they will stay and drop a few epiphanies at your feet.

This guide will aid in proper selection of music to get your creatives juices flowing at their finest. All good guides are not complete without a warning, of course.

WARNING:  Do not become distracted. Headbanging to your favorite song on repeat for an hour may feel inspiring. In reality, you have wasted an hour you could have spent writing the next New York Times best seller.

Now that the warning is out of the way, let’s get to the music.

Angsty Cello for the Soul

The advantages of sad cello music are endless. It tears at the smallest of hearts, strangles the soul, and incites a pleasant feeling in the back of the eyeballs. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It also benefits your novel. Now, when your main character’s family and cat Pluto are vanquished by an unexpected volcano, you know what it feels like and can thus express it through your genius writing talents.

Listen to Cello Dark Cello🎻 on Spotify.

Nostalgia for Days

Think about the first time you wrote. The nostalgia from that memory is worth more than any how-to writing book you will ever read. Harness it, and you will be successful. I think about juicy murder mysteries, speakeasies, gangsters, big bands, and secret tunnels, so swing music never fails to restore my creativity.

Listen to Swing Revival on Spotify.

Songs I Grew Up With

The music I inhaled in the past — Libera, Khachaturian, The Messiah — is inspiring because of its familiarity. It reminds me of my youth, when I wrote for fun. You can grab that unbridled creativity and use it now. Although the muses will love the opportunity for blackmail it presents.

Scrounge up favorites from the past and make a playlist on Spotify.

It’s a tree, It’s a bird, It’s a forest!

If you are a bit mad like me, nature sounds come in handy during particularly annoying writing sessions. Did your MC wander alone into the dark dark forest against your explicit instructions? Wrangle them in with roaring rapids then plunge them into icy oblivion. That will show them who’s boss. You can always magically resurrect them later.

Listen to Water Sounds 💦 Sleep & Relaxation on Spotify.

One of these suggestions ought to set you on the path to restored creativity. If they fail, consider meditating in the wilderness for three days. That ought to do the trick.

Do you listen to music when you write, study, or sky dive? Let me know in the comments. Unless you are a hater. Then you are excused.

Cheers,

Lizzy

P. S. This post is not sponsored by Spotify.