Music Has Charms To Make You a Better Writer

When my son Dave was in high school, he had a long walk every morning from our house to the BART station. He loves music, so he listened to music while he walked. One day, he noticed that walking to the train station with some music took him less time than with others.

Over the next few weeks, he tried different music on his walks to and from the station. And he discovered that what he listened to really made a difference in his performance. At about the same time, I was researching methods of accelerated learning.

I learned I could improve my reading and writing results if I paid attention to the music I listened to. I spent hours creating mix tapes to give me music for specific situations.

“Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.” That’s true. It’s also true that music has charms that will make you a better writer. That won’t happen by accident, and not just any music will do. You must learn what works for you and choose what you listen to and when.

My son is 50 now, and we’re a long way from the days of spending hours putting mix tapes together. Technology has made everything a lot better on that front. What’s still true is that the music that you listen to can influence your performance. Here’s what I’ve learned from research, my own experience, and my clients' experience to help you choose the music that’s best for you.

Music Hath Benefits

Paying attention to what you listen to while you write or edit and making wise choices based on your preferences will improve your writing performance. Music can help you increase your focus, block out distractions, and get your brain in the writing game.

There is no one-size-fits-all in writing. That’s true for writing and listening at the same time. Find what works for you.

Keep Other People’s Words Out of Your Head

If you listen to music with lyrics, those words can distract you. So, don’t listen to songs with words. Not only that, don’t listen to familiar tunes from songs you know. You’ll start remembering the lyrics, and they’ll get in your head where your words should be.

What To Listen To

Just about any instrumental music will work, but there’s one kind that seems to work best for most people. That is Baroque music.

A lot of Baroque music features a melody with a steady base accompaniment that runs about 60 beats per minute. You’ll find it in music by Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Telemann. If that doesn’t work for you, remember that the individual musical style is not that important as long as it delivers a steady beat that can match your working rhythm.

What if Music Distracts You?

For some people, any music is a distraction. If that’s what you, try using natural sounds or silence. One of my clients listens to the sound of the surf. Several other clients find any sound distracting and prefer to work in silence. Find out what works for you.

Technology Is Our Friend

It used to take me several hours to put together a mix tape. Today, there are prerecorded playlists and the ability to make up your own playlists, all thanks to technology.

Apple Music, Spotify, and Alexa all have curated playlists that you can choose from. You can also create your own playlists.

Noise-canceling headphones are great. Several clients wear them, and some listen to music through them. You can even take your music when you go for a walk.

How It Works for Me

We’re all unique, but this is how I use music to enhance my writing productivity. I have three kinds of playlists.

When I’m writing, I listen to playlists composed almost exclusively of Baroque music. Over the years, I’ve refined those lists, and they work better for me now than they did ten years ago.

For editing, I need a different kind of energy. My preference here is for Rumba guitar, especially the music of Jesse Cook.

When I’m in the idea stage of a project, I’ll usually try several different kinds of music. The most important thing is that it has good, strong energy.

I usually don’t wear headphones because I find them uncomfortable and distracting. I only use headphones for music when I take a walk, but most of the time, I walk without music, so I can listen to the sounds of the world around me.

Making It Work for You

First, figure out what your preference is. Is it music, some other sound like white noise, or silence? Experiment until you identify your preferences. Once you’ve got that down you can curate available playlists and refine your own.

Work out the details. Do you like to use headphones? Try using different musical selections for different kinds of work. Integrate your music choices into your writing routines.

Music, indeed, has charms to make you a better writer. It can help you increase focus, block distractions, and get your brain in the game. To reap the benefits, you have to figure out what works for you and then put it into practice.