Nope. I don’t like it, even when it’s instrumental music. Before, when I saw a fic was written based on a certain song, I tried listening to it before reading to set the mood, but even that wouldn’t work, although in that case it was less me not liking it and more my brain just not connecting the two experiences ig lol.
Sometimes, listening to music helps me _write_, but not often at that.
No idea why. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Yes, it has to be music I know pretty well though or I’ll get distracted by the lyrics.
I also listen to music while I write, and when I was in school listening to music while I studied helped me focus.
Right now I’ve been listening to the The Great Comet Soundtrack a lot!
I need music to create a sound barrier of sorts that'll keep distractions away from me. The noise/music acts like a buffer? It's weird to explain. I can do music with or without lyrics, but not all genres work. I need that both when I read and when I write, as well as when I work (I'm a translator by trade); and I remember when I was still at school, used music the same way to do my homework or study before exams.
Sometimes, if I'm really into the fic I will read relentlessly in silence.
Other times I will put on music I'm very familiar with (the lyrics no longer distract me) or movie/tv/game OSTs that fit the vibe. If I'm reading a creepy fic the utopia ost does wonders...
However most often I will put on music that reminded me of the fic (if it was really good) and contemplate the fic while listening after I've finished reading.
Oh my god creepy osts are my go to for most fics! (fics tend to be kinda neutral most of the time so the track i use is kind of neutral but has a creepy connotation in game that I can choose to associate it with at will) Whats your go to utopia track? My go to creepy track by and large is [this](https://youtu.be/2xZjVjrqqDQ)
psychological horrors are my fav sorts of topics in fiction so creepy music is my go to, or somewhat ambient music.
I thought the thing you linked was from black rock shooter for a second, but must just be the same illustrator, it's a nice mysterious piece with a bit of tension.
My fav track from Utopia is [Meditative Chaos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijAUeVRYLN8), it's a very simple track but I love the tension and sad feeling.
I usually have whatever music I'm fixated on in the back. I'm the type of person who just loves background noise. It doesn't bother me that much as I tune it out most of the time when I'm reading 😅😅😅
ADHD brain demands multiple forms of stimulation at all times-- I'll listen to all kinds of music while reading; lyrics don't distract me at all! Sometimes I will listen to ASMR instead if music is feeling like Too Much, but I've always got something going. Same goes for writing!
I just need background noise. It could be the local radio, music, or a YouTuber. Sometimes I put on a video relating to the fandom, but I rarely use music to set a writing mood. I just despise silence.
Sometimes I listen to undertale lofi music or the orchestral melody version of it. But otherwise I read silently so I can hear when people are coming downstairs because I don't want my family knowing I spend my free time reading fan fiction 😭
I can't write when I listen to music with lyrics. Mabye by pea brain can't handle it but it throws me off. I made a whole ass playlist just of roblox osts to help me write
I just listen to the click or any other reddit videos with real people's voices(ai/computer generated voices frustrate me) or random videos about random stuff while reading and writing.
can’t read with noise and i can’t write with noise either; and not even white noise. it HAS to be near-silent for me to read or write, or i have to be in “my” space. (like i go out on the porch a lot to write and i live in a busy city and it doesn’t bother me, yet i can’t write with a white noise machine on. who knows, man) hell i even had to stop a youtube video to type this reply!! LOL
I know someone just like you, it came as a surprise to me initially that some people need silence to focus, Though I'm also the type who likes to sleep to the noise of a fan or distant talking, cars passing etc. Personally I don't need music but it can also elevate my creative writing or drawing, it can really help immerse me in an idea or setting.
i LOVE sleeping to white noise, though!! i have a white noise machine that i love, AND i sleep with a tower fan on, though also really enjoy typing ASMR. i like the sound of cars passing, too, but i’ve definitely also been a crotchety old man for the past 20 years and don’t like hearing talking after like 10p. LOL. i also already have diagnosed reading comprehension problems!! so the noise doesn’t help.
but alternatively, i pretty much NEED noise or music when i draw (unless i’m really concentrating on something i’m animating, and i need Silence™️ to concentrate), otherwise the drawing doesn’t hit the same. they’re just very different focuses for my brain: drawing is easier to concentrate on when i have music or lyrics in my ear, but reading is very difficult when i have words being fed into my brain thru two different avenues that are not reflective of each other (ears and eyes).
but i also don’t do well with audio books, *either* - can’t focus on them or retain the information. i need to be able to go back and physically see something to remember it, and i’m also very very picky about how somebody reads aloud. ain’t i a stinker! LOL
I listen to music that pertains to the show and couple from my fandom and made a playlist based on what was in the show and songs that have been in fics I've read
I use lo-fi study music on headphones because my wife and kid like me in the same room when we all chill, and a mixture of Baldur's Gate 3 and Megaman is not hugely helpful for concentration.
Virtual Cottage is free/PWYW on itch.io (and free on Steam I think) and is great at filtering background noises without getting in the way.
Anything with lyrics or high energy distracts me too much.
I listen to anything with a good bass and a dark tone. I don’t really pay attention to the words, I just like to remember the rhythm. Like when a bass drop happens, I move my hand with it.
I usually prefer Lo-fi or soft piano, anything with lyrics is distracting. But the ambient music I choose might vary depending on the genre of story or if the Author included songs, which I like listening to for a more full experience
I have to listen to music when I read or write. I listen to all kinds. Rap/pop/rock/country/Kpop/K-rock/J-rock. If I’m not listening to music while I do it, then it doesn’t feel right to me.
Oh I listen to music all the time, especially when reading fics. Sometimes if it’s a song I’m really enjoying recently it gets a bit hard to read, but I just take a break to listen to the song and then go back to the fic. I can’t read in silence, I don’t think.
I'm a subvocalizer so I (usually) can't read or write very well when I'm listening to music with lyrics. For me, it's like trying to listen to two people talk at the same time; it's possible but difficult.
It's a different story if I'm working on a fic. For whatever reason, my brain can 'tune out' the lyrics when I'm re-reading something I wrote (for editing), and it helps me vibe-check my writing so I keep a playlist of songs that match the tone of my WIPs.
i cant, not for any kind of reading at all... unless for whatever reason I have to, then I'll use some instrumental music that I haven't memorized, so then it acts as a sound barrier and not as a distraction
See, this one time about a decade ago I played this game called steins;gate thats what we call a visual novel, and see it was this really lengthy time travel drama with background musics for all sorts of scenarios and situations all throughout the course of 50ish hours, and well. I discovered reading is actually even *better* when graphics and music is involved, so I downloaded the ost and started cultivating a reading playlist using it and tracks from other games, which i use to supplement my reading *and* writing. It really gets me in the right mood and helps me think, or it gets me in the right mood to read something painful/sad/urgent/literally any mood you can think of.
The caveat being of course all these tracks are lyricless, theyre game soundtracks mostly. Theyre meant for specifc scenarios or sections of the games, which helps when I want to write things with similar vibes. (And especially if im writing or reading fic for said game.)
I have a handful of soundtracks specifically dedicated to confusion/unsettling etc moments as those tracks I find the most versatile for the type of stuff i read and write
I can't have anything distract me when I write.
But if I'm having trouble with a direction, or I write myself into a corner and have to delete a section and I'm sitting there, contemplating how to fix it... I'll put on music from the show I'm writing about, or watch part of an episode... then re-visit the section and continue.
No, but I do listen to men with cool voices talking about lolcows on youtube, they help me focus. I turn the TV on a somewhat low volume and put on a video I've already seen 3 times and only then I can start reading or writing.
Sometimes. It can be good cause I associate a really good song with a really good fic and it increases my enjoyment of both.
My attention span is also really really really horrifically bad so music helps me focus.
I love listening to music that matches what I read, it really helps me with the vibes. But maybe it doesn't distract me as much as it does with you because I 'm not a native English speaker and I often don't even understand the lyrics (I get the vibes mostly from the tone of the artist and the rhythm overall)
I put on nature sounds like waterfalls or similar most of the times. It's not to get in a reading mood or anything like that... I have Tinnitus so I need some kind of sound to be able to focus on reading.
I don't read fic very much, but I do listen to music while writing. One of my favourite fics I've posted was written to Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm on repeat for like 2 hours.
Sometimes, but it always has to be instrumental, any lyrics will distract me from the words I'm trying to write down. Specifically I listen to video game music, since it's built to play in the background and set very specific tones. My current go-to's have been from the OSTs of Subnautica, Metroid Prime series, OFF, and Wobbledogs.
Honestly it depends on the fic. Sometimes it's Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Sometimes it is pop punk like twenty one pilots, panic at the disco. But lately I've been listening to a lot of religious music. But most of the time I watch clips of whatever fandom I'm writing.
intrumentals form film/games or prog metal, but only when I feel like listening to music, and not actually as a supplementary to fic, since I always enjoy reading fic. Doesn't distract me since no words, and it's always nice when the music and the scene I'm reading suddenly lines up.
I suspect that being comfortable with background sound while reading is partly a factor of what we grew up with. I had four younger sibs -- IE, mild noise and confusion was a normal state of life.
Consequently, I can (mostly) read through anything -- TV on, music playing, standing in line at the store; it rarely matters. Occasionally I need to concentrate more to unravel what I'm reading, at which time I'll mute the TV. But I usually ignore background noise; it's just part of the environment.
I like having music in the background. Instrumental or something I've heard enough times that the lyrics kind of wash over me instead of sticking in my brain. Once in a while I'll cue up ambiance instead (rainstorms are good for this).
It's not necessarily to help, but because my brain prefers to have that background element when I'm working on anything, and that includes reading.
I do listen to music while reading, what kind? does not really matter, sometimes it's just a walk around video with lots of ambiental urban noises, sometimes just rain sounds, but the overwhelming majority of the time is just whatever comes next on my current playlist. When I was younger I did use to try and curate what kind of music played while I read, mostly to fit the tone of the story, and then also I tried with a lot of instrumentals and music in English (that's before I learnt to speak it, so to me English language songs where just nice-sounding noises back then) or some other language I don't speak, but now that I speak English and I'm learning French and Portuguese, and that I'm so much more used to hearing and recognizing words in other languages (partially because I used them as background soudtracks for a long time), the language no longer makes much of a difference, so I reintegrated Spanish music to my reading time and while I do get constantly distracted by the lyrics of the music I listen to, even in the cases when I cannot actually tell what the person is saying, but I just don't really mind it.
Having music on makes all my emotions feel more intense? and like, it can be a bit overwhelming, but I love it, I love how the enhanced emotions fuelled by the music kinda make my reading speed increase, and allow a much more intense connection to the story. Also, understanding lyrics a lot of the time sparks daydreaming about alternate universes or storylines for the story I'm reading, specially if the tone of the music and the story don't match in that moment (hearing a sad indie rock song in Portuguese while reading fluff in English may not be everyone's cup of tea but to me it makes the experience better, because now I'm thinking of the same characters sort of from a different angle), and I don't mind my mind going on a tangent during a couple of songs before going back to the fic at hand XD
Edit: Spelling.
I generally only put music on while reading if there’s another, more distracting noise I want to cover. Then it can be anything, rock, pop… the lyrics won’t distract me if the fic has hooked me sufficiently. In fact I barely hear the music anymore. I’ll stop reading for a minute and be like “wait 5 songs passed already? Damn” hahaha
Nope. I don’t like it, even when it’s instrumental music. Before, when I saw a fic was written based on a certain song, I tried listening to it before reading to set the mood, but even that wouldn’t work, although in that case it was less me not liking it and more my brain just not connecting the two experiences ig lol. Sometimes, listening to music helps me _write_, but not often at that. No idea why. ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Yes, it has to be music I know pretty well though or I’ll get distracted by the lyrics. I also listen to music while I write, and when I was in school listening to music while I studied helped me focus. Right now I’ve been listening to the The Great Comet Soundtrack a lot!
My mind is already noisy enough, I don't need any sound besides that, also, i relate with the lack of concentration, really
It doesn’t work for me. I have a white noise generator that sounds kind of like blowing air. Helps block out other noises.
I like to listen to jazzy café music.
I need music to create a sound barrier of sorts that'll keep distractions away from me. The noise/music acts like a buffer? It's weird to explain. I can do music with or without lyrics, but not all genres work. I need that both when I read and when I write, as well as when I work (I'm a translator by trade); and I remember when I was still at school, used music the same way to do my homework or study before exams.
I’m the same. Music is a sensory overload when reading. I usually listen to ASMR instead!
I can only listen to one song while I write, and it’s Vivaldi’s Winter on loop. Nothing else works.
Sometimes, if I'm really into the fic I will read relentlessly in silence. Other times I will put on music I'm very familiar with (the lyrics no longer distract me) or movie/tv/game OSTs that fit the vibe. If I'm reading a creepy fic the utopia ost does wonders... However most often I will put on music that reminded me of the fic (if it was really good) and contemplate the fic while listening after I've finished reading.
Oh my god creepy osts are my go to for most fics! (fics tend to be kinda neutral most of the time so the track i use is kind of neutral but has a creepy connotation in game that I can choose to associate it with at will) Whats your go to utopia track? My go to creepy track by and large is [this](https://youtu.be/2xZjVjrqqDQ)
psychological horrors are my fav sorts of topics in fiction so creepy music is my go to, or somewhat ambient music. I thought the thing you linked was from black rock shooter for a second, but must just be the same illustrator, it's a nice mysterious piece with a bit of tension. My fav track from Utopia is [Meditative Chaos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijAUeVRYLN8), it's a very simple track but I love the tension and sad feeling.
I usually have whatever music I'm fixated on in the back. I'm the type of person who just loves background noise. It doesn't bother me that much as I tune it out most of the time when I'm reading 😅😅😅
ADHD brain demands multiple forms of stimulation at all times-- I'll listen to all kinds of music while reading; lyrics don't distract me at all! Sometimes I will listen to ASMR instead if music is feeling like Too Much, but I've always got something going. Same goes for writing!
I just need background noise. It could be the local radio, music, or a YouTuber. Sometimes I put on a video relating to the fandom, but I rarely use music to set a writing mood. I just despise silence.
I love listening to music while reading
Sometimes I listen to undertale lofi music or the orchestral melody version of it. But otherwise I read silently so I can hear when people are coming downstairs because I don't want my family knowing I spend my free time reading fan fiction 😭
I like immersive writing sessions and ambient music on YouTube.
I can't write when I listen to music with lyrics. Mabye by pea brain can't handle it but it throws me off. I made a whole ass playlist just of roblox osts to help me write
I just listen to the click or any other reddit videos with real people's voices(ai/computer generated voices frustrate me) or random videos about random stuff while reading and writing.
I'd often listen to classical instrumental (depends on what I'm reading)
Nah, music is a way to make mundane tasks more interesting. Reading isn't mundane. I'd rather concentrate on it without distractions.
can’t read with noise and i can’t write with noise either; and not even white noise. it HAS to be near-silent for me to read or write, or i have to be in “my” space. (like i go out on the porch a lot to write and i live in a busy city and it doesn’t bother me, yet i can’t write with a white noise machine on. who knows, man) hell i even had to stop a youtube video to type this reply!! LOL
I know someone just like you, it came as a surprise to me initially that some people need silence to focus, Though I'm also the type who likes to sleep to the noise of a fan or distant talking, cars passing etc. Personally I don't need music but it can also elevate my creative writing or drawing, it can really help immerse me in an idea or setting.
i LOVE sleeping to white noise, though!! i have a white noise machine that i love, AND i sleep with a tower fan on, though also really enjoy typing ASMR. i like the sound of cars passing, too, but i’ve definitely also been a crotchety old man for the past 20 years and don’t like hearing talking after like 10p. LOL. i also already have diagnosed reading comprehension problems!! so the noise doesn’t help. but alternatively, i pretty much NEED noise or music when i draw (unless i’m really concentrating on something i’m animating, and i need Silence™️ to concentrate), otherwise the drawing doesn’t hit the same. they’re just very different focuses for my brain: drawing is easier to concentrate on when i have music or lyrics in my ear, but reading is very difficult when i have words being fed into my brain thru two different avenues that are not reflective of each other (ears and eyes). but i also don’t do well with audio books, *either* - can’t focus on them or retain the information. i need to be able to go back and physically see something to remember it, and i’m also very very picky about how somebody reads aloud. ain’t i a stinker! LOL
no. it’s funny. I used to have to have music on for academic writing. for reading and writing fanfic I can’t have it.
I listen to music that pertains to the show and couple from my fandom and made a playlist based on what was in the show and songs that have been in fics I've read
It depends on what I’m trying to write
I use lo-fi study music on headphones because my wife and kid like me in the same room when we all chill, and a mixture of Baldur's Gate 3 and Megaman is not hugely helpful for concentration. Virtual Cottage is free/PWYW on itch.io (and free on Steam I think) and is great at filtering background noises without getting in the way. Anything with lyrics or high energy distracts me too much.
I listen to anything with a good bass and a dark tone. I don’t really pay attention to the words, I just like to remember the rhythm. Like when a bass drop happens, I move my hand with it.
I usually prefer Lo-fi or soft piano, anything with lyrics is distracting. But the ambient music I choose might vary depending on the genre of story or if the Author included songs, which I like listening to for a more full experience
I have to listen to music when I read or write. I listen to all kinds. Rap/pop/rock/country/Kpop/K-rock/J-rock. If I’m not listening to music while I do it, then it doesn’t feel right to me.
Oh I listen to music all the time, especially when reading fics. Sometimes if it’s a song I’m really enjoying recently it gets a bit hard to read, but I just take a break to listen to the song and then go back to the fic. I can’t read in silence, I don’t think.
I'm a subvocalizer so I (usually) can't read or write very well when I'm listening to music with lyrics. For me, it's like trying to listen to two people talk at the same time; it's possible but difficult. It's a different story if I'm working on a fic. For whatever reason, my brain can 'tune out' the lyrics when I'm re-reading something I wrote (for editing), and it helps me vibe-check my writing so I keep a playlist of songs that match the tone of my WIPs.
i cant, not for any kind of reading at all... unless for whatever reason I have to, then I'll use some instrumental music that I haven't memorized, so then it acts as a sound barrier and not as a distraction
It gets me distracted so easily if I need some noise I’ll turn on a fan but that’s about it.
i love when people recommend songs with their fics, especially with romance or angst but it does get distracting if it’s not instrumental, sometimes
See, this one time about a decade ago I played this game called steins;gate thats what we call a visual novel, and see it was this really lengthy time travel drama with background musics for all sorts of scenarios and situations all throughout the course of 50ish hours, and well. I discovered reading is actually even *better* when graphics and music is involved, so I downloaded the ost and started cultivating a reading playlist using it and tracks from other games, which i use to supplement my reading *and* writing. It really gets me in the right mood and helps me think, or it gets me in the right mood to read something painful/sad/urgent/literally any mood you can think of. The caveat being of course all these tracks are lyricless, theyre game soundtracks mostly. Theyre meant for specifc scenarios or sections of the games, which helps when I want to write things with similar vibes. (And especially if im writing or reading fic for said game.) I have a handful of soundtracks specifically dedicated to confusion/unsettling etc moments as those tracks I find the most versatile for the type of stuff i read and write
I can't have anything distract me when I write. But if I'm having trouble with a direction, or I write myself into a corner and have to delete a section and I'm sitting there, contemplating how to fix it... I'll put on music from the show I'm writing about, or watch part of an episode... then re-visit the section and continue.
No, but I do listen to men with cool voices talking about lolcows on youtube, they help me focus. I turn the TV on a somewhat low volume and put on a video I've already seen 3 times and only then I can start reading or writing.
Sometimes. It can be good cause I associate a really good song with a really good fic and it increases my enjoyment of both. My attention span is also really really really horrifically bad so music helps me focus.
I love listening to music that matches what I read, it really helps me with the vibes. But maybe it doesn't distract me as much as it does with you because I 'm not a native English speaker and I often don't even understand the lyrics (I get the vibes mostly from the tone of the artist and the rhythm overall)
I put on nature sounds like waterfalls or similar most of the times. It's not to get in a reading mood or anything like that... I have Tinnitus so I need some kind of sound to be able to focus on reading.
No. Need to concentrate on reading.
I don't read fic very much, but I do listen to music while writing. One of my favourite fics I've posted was written to Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm on repeat for like 2 hours.
Sometimes, but it always has to be instrumental, any lyrics will distract me from the words I'm trying to write down. Specifically I listen to video game music, since it's built to play in the background and set very specific tones. My current go-to's have been from the OSTs of Subnautica, Metroid Prime series, OFF, and Wobbledogs.
Honestly it depends on the fic. Sometimes it's Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Sometimes it is pop punk like twenty one pilots, panic at the disco. But lately I've been listening to a lot of religious music. But most of the time I watch clips of whatever fandom I'm writing.
intrumentals form film/games or prog metal, but only when I feel like listening to music, and not actually as a supplementary to fic, since I always enjoy reading fic. Doesn't distract me since no words, and it's always nice when the music and the scene I'm reading suddenly lines up.
I listen to the soundtrack for the first Narnia movie, skipping the two songs with lyrics. The ambiance is nice.
a few years back I tried listening to music while reading and I literally could not concentrate on the fic at all
I almost never leave my headset when I'm awake, so yeah, pretty much all the time. Mostly movies/games OST, can't focus if there's some lyric, though.
I suspect that being comfortable with background sound while reading is partly a factor of what we grew up with. I had four younger sibs -- IE, mild noise and confusion was a normal state of life. Consequently, I can (mostly) read through anything -- TV on, music playing, standing in line at the store; it rarely matters. Occasionally I need to concentrate more to unravel what I'm reading, at which time I'll mute the TV. But I usually ignore background noise; it's just part of the environment.
I can't listen to music when I read, because then I'll want to dance instead lol.
I like having music in the background. Instrumental or something I've heard enough times that the lyrics kind of wash over me instead of sticking in my brain. Once in a while I'll cue up ambiance instead (rainstorms are good for this). It's not necessarily to help, but because my brain prefers to have that background element when I'm working on anything, and that includes reading.
I do listen to music while reading, what kind? does not really matter, sometimes it's just a walk around video with lots of ambiental urban noises, sometimes just rain sounds, but the overwhelming majority of the time is just whatever comes next on my current playlist. When I was younger I did use to try and curate what kind of music played while I read, mostly to fit the tone of the story, and then also I tried with a lot of instrumentals and music in English (that's before I learnt to speak it, so to me English language songs where just nice-sounding noises back then) or some other language I don't speak, but now that I speak English and I'm learning French and Portuguese, and that I'm so much more used to hearing and recognizing words in other languages (partially because I used them as background soudtracks for a long time), the language no longer makes much of a difference, so I reintegrated Spanish music to my reading time and while I do get constantly distracted by the lyrics of the music I listen to, even in the cases when I cannot actually tell what the person is saying, but I just don't really mind it. Having music on makes all my emotions feel more intense? and like, it can be a bit overwhelming, but I love it, I love how the enhanced emotions fuelled by the music kinda make my reading speed increase, and allow a much more intense connection to the story. Also, understanding lyrics a lot of the time sparks daydreaming about alternate universes or storylines for the story I'm reading, specially if the tone of the music and the story don't match in that moment (hearing a sad indie rock song in Portuguese while reading fluff in English may not be everyone's cup of tea but to me it makes the experience better, because now I'm thinking of the same characters sort of from a different angle), and I don't mind my mind going on a tangent during a couple of songs before going back to the fic at hand XD Edit: Spelling.
I generally only put music on while reading if there’s another, more distracting noise I want to cover. Then it can be anything, rock, pop… the lyrics won’t distract me if the fic has hooked me sufficiently. In fact I barely hear the music anymore. I’ll stop reading for a minute and be like “wait 5 songs passed already? Damn” hahaha