And if so, what kind?

I always have Spotify up in the background while writing and what I listen to tends to shift depending on the Roleplay, my mood, and/or the day. I have playlists for specific characters and moods, but for the most part, I tend to just like to listen to my Liked music. Sometimes some weeb stuff is thrown into the mix as well.

What about you all?

i mostly listen to my chemical romance and the band members' solo stuff/side projects while doing stuff like that, i have a whole private playlist for it on spotify :P

i listen to new jack swing because fsr that makes me more energized and creative, i guess.

also avant garde music from various composers

I usually just listen to whatever I tend to listen to or am in the mood for. Right now I've got Orden Ogan in the background playing.

Used to listen to "thematic" music while writing, like listening to Skyrim's OST when writing for a fantasy RP, but I haven't done that in some time.

I generally prefer to listen to ambient and instrumental tracks while I write, either that or lyrics I literally cannot understand. I find that if my mind begins to wander as I'm writing while listening to song lyrics, I'll sometimes start writing out what I'm listening to, rather than what I'm thinking about.

Current favourites are a Japanese post-hardcore/shoegaze band called MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS, and Sea Power's OST for Disco Elysium.

More often than not, yes! Depending on the RP/Character, I either have individual character and/or ship playlists that I put on to get me into the mood for that specific character/ship, if they're well-developed enough.

Or if tis a fairly new character/RP with less development yet, I sometimes just make a "vibes" playlist named after the RP itself, which often turns into little offshoot playlists of the above mentioned variety once I get a better feel for the character and they get more lore.

I can write in quiet/with no music, but more often than not I prefer to have something playing in the background to keep me in the headspace for the particular post I'm working on

Music without lyrics usually. A lot of break core, sometimes lo-fi beats or video game music. I struggle to write with songs with lyrics because I'll be paying attention to the lyrics while also trying to write.

It's also usually for when I'm trying to push myself to write or am writing something intense. Gets the blood pumping. Interestingly I have play list for a lot of my characters too but usually those are just for me to listen to while I day dream or think of my reply.

I almost always have music blasting in my ears, doubly-so for writing. Otherwise my mind has a shouting match with itself.
It becomes a double-edged sword though - can't write if I'm too busy jamming, can't write if I'm not jamming lol.

I don't have anything fancy as a character playlist (which is a great idea), so it's whatever the flavour of the week/month is.
Right now, it's Honkai: Star Rail OSTs dabbled with anime OSTs.
My favs right now is 'Flares of the Burning Sun' (HSR) and はなになって ('Be a Flower' - from The Apothecary Diaries).

When I was younger, I had to listen to music, with specific songs for each game and character. It all sync’d up accordingly. Nowadays, finding time to make a post has become the entire goal. (Reading keeps taking presidency in my hobby hierarchy!) By the time I find time, I forget about setting up my cozy writing environment.

Every once in a while, I can escape to a coffee shop and get lost for a bit while writing a post. The coffee shop plays music, but I wouldn’t say I really entertain the music in my mind as I write.

Most recently, I have been enjoying the sound of silence. I think it started some years ago when my uncle took me out to lunch, and he didn’t play anything in his car. There was something serene and suspenseful about the event. So, in a way, maybe the lack of background noise is a bit more deliberate. ☺️

Depends on what I'm writing. If I'm writing a very specific scene with a very specific atmosphere, I may settle on certain songs to help my brain lock into that. But most of the time when I'm listening to music and writing, I'm actually trying to calm and relax myself down so I let out a solid stream.

Most music I listen to for inspiration or just help my mood settle in tends to be before I start writing so I can start shifting through ides and concepts I like in a more casual manner.

I was asked this recently."Rarely, maybe a few times a year" is the short version. It's weird because on a rare occasion I'll grab music to give people who read my posts something to listen to, but I usually don't listen while writing.

I think there are a few reasons for this. The first is that it almost feels like a handicap when taken too far. I've talked to a few people who need everything to be perfect before they can even think about writing. They need to right soundtrack, to be well rested, to have a nice day without any setbacks, their favorite drink in their favorite cup with that silly straw, to be pain free, etc. Listening to all the things that need to be right for them to be creative is exhausting. It takes more work for them to prepare than write anything.

Really though, I just find music to be distracting. It's hard for me to listen to a song and not be taken to different moments of my past or just think about the media the song is tied to. If I hear "The Only Thing They Fear is You," I'm going to start thinking about Doom Guy and monster slaying. Doom Guy is cool and everything, but I'd rather find my own way through a scene. It feels more original that way.

The few times I do listen to something while writing it's always a song I'm less familiar with. Something that can direct my thoughts without screaming "remember that piece of media I was from?" Or "remember when you first heard me?"

yes. especial when I am typing a story. like movies have soundtracks. I kind of like to make soundtracks in a way for my fan fiction stories. I sometimes listen to music when I roleplay. I only use the song if there is a need for a song in the scene. like for prom or wedding or dances or something like that

Yes. It actually is something i do for most of my literature to be honest. I use it as a way to make sure that i feel out certain clicks or emotions. I'm pretty sure that's a common answer. But it's one of my best ways to really get into it. I even move to the point of actually making play lists for certain characters and such. Which lead to me having a wave of different songs and such. It's mostly used as to just fall into that grip, that sort of taste that lets you flourish in the thoughts of the character you are playing, acting, or writing. Designing even.

Even as i am writing this write now, i am working over a few concepts for a new short story i'll be working on for the character and the themes with the ambience. It's always good in my eyes. :P

As for genre's well...that depends on the muse and the characters. i tend to not fall much into some genre's though. But i have a range of them for each character and their likes and dislikes and such.

A resounding 'yes'. And it's usually something that fits the mood of the scene I'm cooking up. Or something completely unfitting that just helps me focus!

For my personal writing, just like you (directed at OP), I tend to just go to my Liked playlist on Spotify and let anything play. I generally have no preference in artist or genre, but I will sometimes play my R&B playlist or Rock playlist specifically. As far as RP goes, it switches, and I almost always listen to specific genres or songs I feel will better help me write the scene and character.

For my character Ace, in @Mjolnir's Camp Athens roleplay, I lean more towards alternative rock and pop punk. Boston Manor, Nothing but Thieves, and WSTR are generally my go to. For my more recent characters, Cassiel and Obasi in @PatientBean's The Season of the Enlightened RP, I found myself falling back in love with Honey and the Sting. I highly recommend listening to this very lovely, and melancholic, song. For my own Dragon Age roleplay, I tend to lean towards modern day Blues. Slash's Orgy of the Damned has been on repeat, specifically.

If you couldn't tell, I really love music.

Yeah, totally. I found this focus music on Spotify which I use for writing stories and reviews, editing them and, sometimes, even writing RP replies.

yes. it is like music gets my creative juices flowing lol. ok that sound way better in my head

I guess I'm the first to give this a hard 'no' lol, I definitely prefer silence when I'm doing anything solo that requires creativity or concentration, and that includes writing/RPing. I can tolerate background noise when I'm in my office or in public, but I won't impose it on myself when I can have the peace of silence.

I guess I'm the first to give this a hard 'no' lol, I definitely prefer silence when I'm doing anything solo that requires creativity or concentration, and that includes writing/RPing. I can tolerate background noise when I'm in my office or in public, but I won't impose it on myself when I can have the peace of silence.

👍

I should explain the subject we are treating in this way: If a big diamond is cut up into pieces, it immediately loses its value as a whole; or if an army is scattered or divided into small bodies, it loses all its power; and in the same way a great intellect has no more power than an ordinary one as soon as it is interrupted, disturbed, distracted, or diverted; for its superiority entails that it concentrates all its strength on one point and object, just as a concave mirror concentrates all the rays of light thrown upon it. Noisy interruption prevents this concentration. This is why the most eminent intellects have always been strongly averse to any kind of disturbance, interruption and distraction, and above everything to that violent interruption which is caused by noise; other people do not take any particular notice of this sort of thing. The most intelligent of all the European nations has called “Never interrupt” the eleventh commandment. But noise is the most impertinent of all interruptions, for it not only interrupts our own thoughts but disperses them. Where, however, there is nothing to interrupt, noise naturally will not be felt particularly.

Oh, I need background noise for EVERYTHING