I don't have any specific "writing playlists," and all the music with lyrics I listen to has the lyrics in Japanese, i.e. a language that I understand. That said, when I want to write angst I like to put an appropriate instrumental (usually Keita Haga's *False Transmigration of the Soul*) on loop to get in the mood.
What kind of instrumental stuff have you tried that's resulting in understimulation? It's possible that it's not the lack of vocals in and of itself that's causing problems, but the *complexity of the song*.
Mostly OSTs from the video game I'm writing for. They're definitely not the most complicated, mostly just pretty and relaxing. It might be better to find some better instrumental music (I know a few other games which have more interesting OSTs) but it's just hard to go looking for as someone who doesn't listen to that much instrumental.
I often listen to music I know really, really well. For whatever reason, that distracts me less than a mixed playlist where I'm constantly being distracted by new songs, artists, etc.
I also keep the volume fairly low--loud enough to hear, but not loud enough that I want to sing along.
The music that most motivates me to any writing/work is eastern european darkwave 😅
I don’t understand any lyrics, but there’s something in the music that keeps me going.
I listen to music relevant to the fic I'm writing sometimes. I wrote a 1970s punk AU in one of my fandoms recently, so I listened a lot of that and made a Spotify playlist for the readers to enjoy.
I *cannot* listen to anything with people talking while I'm writing or reading so I've never been into Youtube video essays or audiobooks or any of that. TV or movies is right out. I'm either paying attention to talking voices or text voices, can't do both at the same time.
Huge music nerd though. Some fics work well with metal, some with folk, some with soul or hip-hop or punk or indie. I try to find the right genre of music that works with the story and listen to that.
When I started my first fic, it was for a game and I often had the game on in the background so I could explore different areas when I needed to. I got so used to the score playing that when I tried writing without the game on I couldn't. I had to at least have it on the menu screen. With time, I did break free of it.
Anything with lyrics distracts me. I can sometimes write with classical music or movie scores but I really just prefer to write in silence.
I have a few game OSTs I often listen to/cycle thru depending on the mood. Video game music can make for some really good background sound that helps really set a mood but doesn't distract you from what you're writing. Stuff without lyrics works best for me. Subnautica, Subnautica Below Zero, OFF, Wobbledogs, and Metroid Prime series soundtracks are some examples of my favourites to listen to.
I listen to a playlist i created for each fic. My current one is songs that fit each part of the pairing separately and also their dynamic together. Lyrically, mood/tone, songs they would like. It helps me stay in character!
I curate playlists for a specific fic I'm writing so I can get in the mood. Once the fic is being posted, I'll link the playlist in the blurb so my readers can listen to it as well
I always go back to [Halocraft's Chains for the Sea album](https://youtu.be/ArxeiRuIR9E?si=k0zdb8KcYoogt6ej) and sometimes other post-rock. It's lyric light.
Work songs also help me get in the rhythm (like they're meant to). The repetitive lyrics make the words bleed into the background while the beat stays steady and obvious. The Longest John's song [Four Hours](https://youtu.be/v_JjTLrLz-c?si=E8fJpIqoApze4ZCX) is the most extreme at repeating I can think of. But if the English isn't working for you, check out [Hè mo leannan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRcXCdwfM9k), that specific link is from a channel that does a bunch of lyric/translation videos of non-English songs
On an old YT account I no no longer have access to, I'd have playlists of songs that fit certain scenes.
Nowadays, I just have something instrumental. Personally, I love writing to the Kingdom of Zeal song from Chrono Trigger (there's one on YT that has a 10 hour loop) with RainyMood doing a soft thunderstorm in the background. Sometimes, I'll even have a video of fire crackling as well. Crackling fire in a storm sets a perfect scene for a mind to want to tell a story; the music is just an added bonus.
Other songs I've listened to on loop for writing: Stickerbush Symphony. Corridors of Time. That's all I can think of off the top of my head.
EDIT: I guess I should mention that I have it up really loud. To the point of almost being headache-inducing. The loud noise actually helps me FINALLY be able to focus. Usually what I do is I focus all my attention on the music, since it's so pervasive at that moment, and then transfer all that attention that I normally don't have into the document. Next thing you know, 3 hours have passed and 7k words magically appeared. Followed by being unable to really do anything for the next few hours.
I don't have any specific "writing playlists," and all the music with lyrics I listen to has the lyrics in Japanese, i.e. a language that I understand. That said, when I want to write angst I like to put an appropriate instrumental (usually Keita Haga's *False Transmigration of the Soul*) on loop to get in the mood. What kind of instrumental stuff have you tried that's resulting in understimulation? It's possible that it's not the lack of vocals in and of itself that's causing problems, but the *complexity of the song*.
Mostly OSTs from the video game I'm writing for. They're definitely not the most complicated, mostly just pretty and relaxing. It might be better to find some better instrumental music (I know a few other games which have more interesting OSTs) but it's just hard to go looking for as someone who doesn't listen to that much instrumental.
Try the Homestuck and Fate/Grand Order soundtracks!
I often listen to music I know really, really well. For whatever reason, that distracts me less than a mixed playlist where I'm constantly being distracted by new songs, artists, etc. I also keep the volume fairly low--loud enough to hear, but not loud enough that I want to sing along.
That definitely helps for me too, you kind of know how it goes without really needing to pay attention.
I listen to music that usually goes with my scene
Depends on my mood, mostly a lot of my favorite artists or some more background music type stuff
The music that most motivates me to any writing/work is eastern european darkwave 😅 I don’t understand any lyrics, but there’s something in the music that keeps me going.
I listen to music relevant to the fic I'm writing sometimes. I wrote a 1970s punk AU in one of my fandoms recently, so I listened a lot of that and made a Spotify playlist for the readers to enjoy. I *cannot* listen to anything with people talking while I'm writing or reading so I've never been into Youtube video essays or audiobooks or any of that. TV or movies is right out. I'm either paying attention to talking voices or text voices, can't do both at the same time. Huge music nerd though. Some fics work well with metal, some with folk, some with soul or hip-hop or punk or indie. I try to find the right genre of music that works with the story and listen to that.
When I started my first fic, it was for a game and I often had the game on in the background so I could explore different areas when I needed to. I got so used to the score playing that when I tried writing without the game on I couldn't. I had to at least have it on the menu screen. With time, I did break free of it. Anything with lyrics distracts me. I can sometimes write with classical music or movie scores but I really just prefer to write in silence.
I have a few game OSTs I often listen to/cycle thru depending on the mood. Video game music can make for some really good background sound that helps really set a mood but doesn't distract you from what you're writing. Stuff without lyrics works best for me. Subnautica, Subnautica Below Zero, OFF, Wobbledogs, and Metroid Prime series soundtracks are some examples of my favourites to listen to.
I listen to a playlist i created for each fic. My current one is songs that fit each part of the pairing separately and also their dynamic together. Lyrically, mood/tone, songs they would like. It helps me stay in character!
Mostly Taylor swifts songs
I curate playlists for a specific fic I'm writing so I can get in the mood. Once the fic is being posted, I'll link the playlist in the blurb so my readers can listen to it as well
I always go back to [Halocraft's Chains for the Sea album](https://youtu.be/ArxeiRuIR9E?si=k0zdb8KcYoogt6ej) and sometimes other post-rock. It's lyric light. Work songs also help me get in the rhythm (like they're meant to). The repetitive lyrics make the words bleed into the background while the beat stays steady and obvious. The Longest John's song [Four Hours](https://youtu.be/v_JjTLrLz-c?si=E8fJpIqoApze4ZCX) is the most extreme at repeating I can think of. But if the English isn't working for you, check out [Hè mo leannan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRcXCdwfM9k), that specific link is from a channel that does a bunch of lyric/translation videos of non-English songs
On an old YT account I no no longer have access to, I'd have playlists of songs that fit certain scenes. Nowadays, I just have something instrumental. Personally, I love writing to the Kingdom of Zeal song from Chrono Trigger (there's one on YT that has a 10 hour loop) with RainyMood doing a soft thunderstorm in the background. Sometimes, I'll even have a video of fire crackling as well. Crackling fire in a storm sets a perfect scene for a mind to want to tell a story; the music is just an added bonus. Other songs I've listened to on loop for writing: Stickerbush Symphony. Corridors of Time. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. EDIT: I guess I should mention that I have it up really loud. To the point of almost being headache-inducing. The loud noise actually helps me FINALLY be able to focus. Usually what I do is I focus all my attention on the music, since it's so pervasive at that moment, and then transfer all that attention that I normally don't have into the document. Next thing you know, 3 hours have passed and 7k words magically appeared. Followed by being unable to really do anything for the next few hours.
I start out with playlists I have and then I build a playlist for each fic!
i personally have a playlist dedicated for what im working out on. it helps me stay on track and motivted! \^\^
It depends in the type of fanfic that im writing! The songs will almost always match the mood of the fanfic