Do you listen to music while you write?
I came across this article from The Washington Post. It discusses a study that shows that listening to music that you enjoy can help you to focus your thoughts by increasing your “default mode network” (DMN). The DMN is active when your brain is in a state of wakeful rest and you aren’t focused on the outside world, but instead on inner thought. When you are daydreaming you are in a DMN state and your imagination might work best in this state as well. An active imagination helps the writing to flow.
If music, even music you like, is a distraction to you while you write, you might be more of a TPN or “task-positive network” writer. TPN is when your brain is active in a task or while you are doing something that demands your attention. I would imagine that some writers write best in this state of mind while others might work better while in DMN. Writing is a mix of hard work and creativity, so music might help some and be a hindrance to others. (Read more about DMN or TPN.)
If music does help you write, this study supports creating your own playlist filled with tunes you enjoy. Turning on the radio or going to a coffee shop to listen to the random playlist there could be distracting for you. Having your favorite songs playing is likely best.
Do you think you are a “task-positive network” or “default mode network” writer?
Do you enjoy writing with music playing? What are some tunes on your current writing playlist?
The Never-Always Myth
I do love writing to music, even instrumental. I only struggle to write when people are talking to me.
I’m definitely a TPN writer. I can’t write to music unless I’m in a coffee shop in which case I am able to ignore it by catagorizing it as coffee shop background noise. For some reason, this is more difficult at home, ha!
It was way back in the day
that I used to double-task,
listen to the music play
while writing what the muse might ask.
But now things have caught up with me,
not enough O2 for my brain,
and just the act of trying to be
there for two things is a strain
that makes have to stop and wait
until the muddied mind doth clear.
The situation’s not too great,
but what the heck, I am still here
tp vex my readers, one and all,
with poems that go beyond the wall.
This is so interesting, Rachel! Your insights help explain why some writers write well to music and some need silence. When I’m drafting a new story, I do find music helpful at times, especially to kind of “get in the zone,” so I guess that would relate to the DMN side. Other times, though, I need silence – it just depends! Thanks for sharing . 🙂