The answer is a resounding Yes, especially if I’m writing at a cafe or there is other noise around.

I listen to instrumental music. Anything with lyrics is quite distracting, as is music that is too upbeat.

Spotify is my app of choice, and I’ve built up a sizable playlist of suitable instrumental tracks. It consists of both film scores and classical music tracks. At the time of writing, it had 92 tracks and was over 6 hours long.

Some of my favourites include:

Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major - Yo-Yo Ma (Bach)
Concerning Hobbits - Howard Shore - Lord of the Rings soundtrack
Truman Sleeps - Philip Glass - Truman soundtrack
Far Horizons - Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls game
Comptine d’un autre ete, l’apres-midi - Yann Tiersen - Amelie from Montmartre soundtrack
Cosmos Main Title - Alan Silvestri
Princess Leia’s Theme - John Williams - Star Wars soundtrack

When I hear these tracks, I relax and think…time to write.

Let me know if you’re interested in listening, and I’ll share the playlist with you.