Dear Author, are you listening?
Are you a silence-is-golden kind of writer? Do you blast music that matches your book's mood? Do you need the hustle and clatter of a café to hit your word count?
As a single mom, silence was never a good sign when I was at my writing desk. If the house was quiet, then my kids were obviously up to no good. So for me, writing in silence feels less like serenity and more like a crime scene waiting to be discovered.
I used to rely on an app called Coffitivity, which played ambient café noise. It made me feel like I was working in a coffee shop—even if I was just hunched over my laptop at a kitchen table sticky with syrup. These days, I’ve added something new to the mix: subliminal audio tracks. I listen to them on Spotify and YouTube as I fall asleep, and I hit play again when I sit down to write in the morning. Some are for boosting creativity. Others promise to unlock abundance. I may have pressed play on one or two that claim to attract your soulmate… 😂
Since incorporating these subtle sound rituals, I finished my latest WIP ahead of schedule. And I've been moving through my days with a little pep in my step. Coincidence? Maybe. Or maybe sound really is the secret sauce.
The Science of Sound and Productivity
Let’s dig into some research.
1. Ambient noise boosts creativity (to a point).
A 2012 study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that a moderate level of ambient noise (around 70 decibels—the volume of a bustling coffee shop) enhances performance on creative tasks. The background noise essentially nudges your brain into more abstract thinking. Too quiet, and the mind gets rigid. Too loud, and it’s distracting. But just right? Creative flow.
2. Instrumental music helps focus. Lyrics… not so much.
Multiple studies suggest that music without lyrics—especially classical, cinematic scores, or ambient soundscapes—can improve concentration and endurance. Music with lyrics, on the other hand, competes with your verbal processing. Translation? If you’re trying to find the perfect dialogue for your hero’s grovel, Beyoncé’s vocals might not help. Unless he’s literally begging on his knees, in which case… carry on.
3. Personalized sound rituals create habit cues.
Neuroscience tells us that contextual cues can help form habits. If you always start your writing session with the same playlist or background noise, it can become a trigger for your brain to get into “writing mode.” It’s Pavlovian. The music says: we’re writing now. Your brain says: okay, let’s go.
4. Binaural beats and subliminals might help... maybe.
There’s still debate among scientists, but early studies suggest that binaural beats—audio tones played at slightly different frequencies in each ear—can induce relaxation or focus. As for subliminal affirmations? The science is murkier, but plenty of creatives (myself included) swear they help. Whether it’s a placebo effect or real neurohacking, if it works, it works.
What's Your Ideal Soundscape?
When you sit down to write, what do your ears crave?
Do you need silence to think? Or does silence make your brain feel like it’s in detention?
Do you gravitate toward music with a strong beat? Or dreamy instrumental tracks that blend into the background?
Do you need people around you—even if just in sound form—to feel motivated? (Hello, coffee shop ambience!)
Have you experimented with subliminals or affirmations? If so, how do you feel afterward?
There’s no right answer—only your answer.
This week, experiment with your sound environment. Here are a few ideas:
Write with coffee shop noise. (Coffitivity, Noisli, or YouTube has tons of options.)
Try an instrumental playlist. Think movie soundtracks, lo-fi beats, or ambient synths. I love the Bridgerton playlist on Spotify!
Explore binaural beats or focus tracks. Spotify and YouTube have curated playlists for writing, studying, and creativity.
Loop a subliminal affirmation track while you write. (Bonus points if it promises to make you sexy and productive.)
Then, pay attention to how you feel. Was it easier to focus? Did your scene come to life faster? Did your brain offer up the perfect metaphor for your heroine’s heartbreak?
Writing isn’t just a mental process—it’s a sensory experience. Sound matters.
So I ask again, writer friend: are you listening?
All the above!
I embrace silence—to the extent possible with a snoring dog at my feet—while writing. And yet, the mental movie pouring from my mind onto the page definitely has a soundtrack. This is why the protagonist and two other important characters in the current novel I’m working on have their own playlist. Sometimes I write with only the soft sounds of my surroundings to ground me in reality; other times, the whole room moves as music keeps the words flowing.