Does music help or hinder your RPing experience?

[Behemoth 1]

I find that it's a bit of both! It's helpful when some music inspires me or tickles my muse... it's not so helpful when I'm more focused on the music as I dance in my seat lol. Any kind of background noise helps me though, so if I'm not listening to music then I usually have a Netflix or Youtube video going.

 

Some of my characters have muse playlists - songs that I listen to that help to get me in the mood to write their threads and replies.

Some of my characters even have playlists of their own in their dev forums/threads. Music I think they'd be listening to!

[KellenDeming 29]

Depends on my mood and which RPG that I'm posting for. Most of the time I have the TV on in the background instead of music

[Rem 8]

I write better with music. But it has to be music I've heard before. I can't write nor focus at ALL with a song playing that my ears haven't acclimated to. But having the same song on repeat for 3 hours? My words flow like water. My music choice changes with the character and scene, too. Instrumental, rock, pop, even k-pop. Trying to write in dead silence just pains me on some level.

[Siren 3]

I love listening to music while writing. I tend to listen to Lana Del Rey to get the juices flowing. 😂

[Keaton 133]

I find having any kind of music on, lyricless or otherwise, makes it really difficult to concentrate on creative writing — My brain just wants to shift to the movements of the song. Doing coding, it's great, but not for writing. I'm always so amazed by people whose process includes using background music, but I've known a ton of them.

 

That said, music is still usually super important! With a very few exceptions based on characterization quirks, when I'm developing a character, I put together and refine a playlist for them. It helps with the development process, but it's also a nice fail-safe for when I feel like their voice is a little weak. Typically I can put on a few of those songs, and it gets me back to the right headspace.

[Sunny Flower 3]

I don't typically listen to music while I write. Mainly because I listen to a lot of lyric-based music. I've noticed my efficiency drops when I am listening to anything other than word-less songs or silence. I've been on zoom calls with RP partners so we could chat while making posts and I've noticed that I've been VERY slow! haha! However, I am a huge fan of making character playlist that I listen to BEFORE I start writing their posts! 

[Detrimentum 2]

I think it really depends on my mood? Sometimes it really helps but other times it can really hinder it, especially with writing. I love making playlists for all my characters though, but sometimes I'll definitely opt for lyric-less, classical or jazzy instrumental type of music.

[ulla 7]

I usually write to music! I actually find that sitting in silence very much hinders my ability to concentrate. Normally, I try to stick to instrumental/no vocals playlists, but sometimes I have little issue with whatever I have playing. 

 

I'm a fan of making playlists for characters, and will often tune into those whenever I am writing them. 

[TheOasisXYZ 5]

Oh I love this question. It's kinda funny cuz I write without music about 85% of the time -- depends on if I have a particular song stuck in my head for a mood or not -- but I cannot code a site without listening to something lol Most of the times, it's something like GRiZ or The Floozies. But otherwise, it's practically silent lolol

[Gossamer 4]

So, I find I definitely write more easily when I have music playing.  Strictly instrumentals though, since otherwise I get caught up in singing along with it and write nothing!  

 

Oddly enough though, over this past year I often forget to turn on music.  Whenever I do though I have this "omg, why haven't I been doing this?  It's so much better???" moment, before forgetting the next time.  

[periphescent 4]

I never used to worry about "writing music" until I got onto larger sites where folks would talk about their character/muse/inspiration playlists. I tried making a few, but it honestly took so much time putting them together that could've been spent writing that I gave up. I don't really need any specific noise when I'm writing, but I can't actively watch TV or listen to a podcast during, which I think is pretty common. If it's something I actually want to watch, I won't get anything done. If I had to choose though, I'd pick reruns or reality shows over music. 

[Squirrelly Merriweather 13]

I am a very musical person. I listen to music when I'm doing almost everything.

 

So the majority of the time, music helps me to focus and block out the distractions around me so that I can actually write. However, there are times when the music itself is also a distraction. It all depends on my mindset at the time. But I do have specific playlists for a lot of my characters and ships. 

[psychodrow 10]

It can be powerfully motivating and impact everything the brain babies think and feel and say.

Or, it can be completely distracting when it feels like the wrong genre.

 

🤣

[Sylence 10]

Guilty to say I have several playlists for different 'moods' when sitting down to write. Music tends to help, compared to hearing cats dart around the room in the silence. However, its got to be the right playlist for the right mood. If I can't find a song, then my default is classical piano.

[Asher 1]

I definitely can't help but make mood aesthetic playlists. I sometimes have to make character specific ones (like the android I played), but usually they tend to end up feeling themed, and cover a plethora of characters.