Music to Listen to While Writing

I don't know about you, but I love writing with background music. The right tunes can set the mood for a marathon session and keep my creative juices flowing.

I don't really like listening to music with lyrics, though I do have some exceptions that I'll get into. A lot of the music I listen to I find on YouTube. There are many creators who compile hours of music, specially curated to fit a specific theme. Whether you write horror, fantasy, historical, or romance, I guarantee I can find a video for you to work with.

HORROR

you're an astronaut lost in space discovering things that humanity will never be able to (playlist) - nobody

There's something almost sinister about this one-hour playlist. It evokes a feeling of being uncomfortably alone. If you need something to get you in the mood to write horror, this could be a good place to start. It's ethereal and haunting in more ways than one.

4 am - Conspersa Prometheum

This eerie late-night vibe is the perfect mix to get any writer in the mood to write something spooky. Bad things tend to happen in the middle of the night, and this playlist is "fear of the dark" exemplified.

FANTASY

nostalgic for a fairytale you were once in (classical music) - Hexen

This video offers a mix of different classical music with soft piano playing and enchanting melodies. This playlist gives a very "princess locked in her tower" vibe. It's relaxing, but invigorating at the same time.

You're a Celt sitting in a forest surrounded by Druids|A Cottagecore Folk Music Playlist⚗️🧚🏻‍♀️🍄 - Rhianna Chadwick

Now this one does have lyrics, a mix of both English and Celtic. However, the vibes are immaculate. If lyrics don't bother you, this is the perfect playlist to get anyone in the mood to dawn a suit of armor and scourge the enemy. Whether you're into dragons, fairies, or kings and queens, this is one of the best fantasy-related playlists I've come across.

HISTORICAL

Oldies playing in another room and it's raining (City night Ambience Paris, open window 3 HOURS ASMR - Nemo's Dreamscapes

Nemo's Dreamscapes is one of my all-time favorites. I love their Oldies/ambiance mixes. This music gets me in the mood for anything mid-century and earlier. Obviously, the history it inspires is limited to a very specific time frame, but the mixture of different sounds is heavenly.

This one stands out to me for its Paris street noises and rain mixed with the oldies blaring from a nearby record player. Nemo's Dreamscapes playlists offer the perfect blend of sensory experiences to bring you to a specific time and place.

Debussy, Clair de Lune - Relaxing Piano Music, Rain Sound, Calm piano, Peaceful, Deep Sleep - Relaxing Music & Sound

This audio is great because it combines the rainfall with Debussy's famous classical piano piece, Clair de Lune. I enjoy the repetition, as it gets me in the zone. But I acknowledge listening to the same thing over and over again might not be for everybody.

No matter what I'm writing, I do enjoy classical music, but I can certainly see this three-hour audio being useful for a historical writing marathon.

Romance

[Best Ghibli Collection] 💤 Relaxing Ghibli Piano 🌊 The Best Piano Ghibli Collection Ever - Relaxing Ghibli Piano

If you love Studio Ghibli as much as I do, you're going to love this audio track. It's four hours of Studio Ghibli piano melodies. The music has a light and airy feel to it that is perfect to get any writer in the mood to create works of art that are uplifting and romantic.

a romantic academia playlist for reading love stories - aameliaa

This classical music lineup was curated with romance in mind. It's nearly an hour of piano playing with no interruptions. The songs picked out certainly evoke sensual, intense emotions in the listener. While not the longest playlist on the list by any means, hopefully, it can help get the juices flowing for a steamy enemies-to-lovers story!

Catch-All/Honorable Mentions

this playlist will make you feel like a 19th century villain - ultravclet

I just love this one. It's filled with many famous classical music pieces that are fast-paced, intense, and inspiring.

The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End of Time - Stages 1-6 (Complete) - vvmtest

This 6-and-a-half-hour-long composition is meant to capture the stages of Alzheimer's and dementia. It's haunting, horrifying, beautiful, and unique. It's not for everyone, but it inspires me a lot.

YouTube has so many wonderful playlists to offer, they're often marketed toward studying and reading, but I find they work wonders with writing as well. What do you like to listen to when you write?