30 Playlists to Super-Boost Your Writing Process

I'm one of those people that can't focus on a single thing (yes, even writing this blog post) without music playing in the background. Let me tell you, my friend, that Spotify and my noise-canceling earbuds have become necessities when I sit down to write my story. Music helps me set the mood, get in the right headspace, and be WAY more productive when I tackle my writing projects. I'm guessing it's the same for you.

However, it can be hard (and highly distracting) to find music that fits your genre and doesn't avert your mind from your awesome story. And believe me, I've experienced firsthand how frustrating it can be to create the right playlist.

That's why I've curated and compiled a WHOLE BUNCH of writing music for you guys to use. These consist of all the different moods and genres I could think of, plus a few more such as gentle background music and rain sounds. (Yes, I know I'm kind of obsessed with making playlists. In case you couldn't tell by now. XD)

Most of these are instrumental because I find lyrics to be distracting when I write, but I do know several of you enjoy writing with lyrics, so I'm definitely planning on making some more of those. I've tried to include a lot of variety in these playlists, so there should be something for everyone here! If not, let me know in the comments if you have any ideas/requests for future playlists.😉

I loved making these for you guys, and I hope you enjoy listening to them! So, without further ado... le music...

01: FANTASY QUEST

Adventurous, daring, sweeping, and magical. This is for all you fantasy authors or really any story that includes magical elements, epic quests, or DRAGONS (because who doesn't love dragons??).

02: SPY MISSION

Dangerous, curious, mysterious, and suspenseful. This is for all your spy needs — whether you're writing a mystery, thriller, or pretending to be a spy yourself. (Or you're actually an FBI agent because who knows? Maybe you are.)

03: THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Daring, hopeful, confident, and adventurous. This is a playlist for when your characters embark on a new adventure or set out to accomplish what they think will bring them true happiness. They're hopeful for the future, but little do they know... they're in for a wild ride.

04: ROMANCE

Dreamy, tender, emotional, and beautiful. For when your characters profess their undying love for one another or have their first dance. It's a romance playlist. 'Nuff said.

05: HEARTBREAK

Heavy, deep, mournful, slow. This is a playlist for writing those sad, depressing, and lonely scenes... or for when your character's heart shatters into a million pieces.

06: CONTEMPORARY

Calm, imaginative, hopeful, and uplifting. This is for writing everyday life and moments of inspiration for your characters. I usually use this playlist to write romance or the thoughtful parts of my book. It also works great for those in-between scenes where you're not really sure what music fits with.

07: CAUSING MISCHIEF

Humorous, sneaky, tense, and playful. Your characters are trying to accomplish something without getting caught. This is for all the mischievous characters and pranksters.

08: WHISPERS OF AUTUMN

Shimmering, nostalgic, and elegant. I originally made this playlist for a book I was writing that was set in autumn, but I loved I so much that I had to share it! I find this works wonderfully for writing bittersweet and sentimental scenes, but really, it can be used for anything.

09: CREATIVITY

Inspirational, calm, and relaxing. This consists of more gentle tracks that fade into the background and ignite creativity, motivation, and focus.

10: DEEP FOCUS

Peaceful, soothing, and deeply immersive. This creates a more ethereal and meditative atmosphere to relax you and help you get work done. It also has an ambient quality to it, which I find really lovely to write with.

11: HEROES

Thrilling, gritty, daring, and intense. This is for superheroes, spies, and fast-paced stories. This pairs really well with writing action sequences, thrillers, and dramatic climaxes.

12: THE CLOCK IS TICKING

Tense, suspenseful, and cliffhanging. This is for when your character is deeply wrestling with their internal conflict or waiting anxiously for something to happen. I added a lot of Hans Zimmer tracks to this, so you can hear a ticking clock in the background if you listen closely.

13: ADVENTURE AWAITS

Spirited, adventurous, and inspired. This is for those happy stories or for characters who love to travel and explore the world.

14: LIGHT ACADEMIA

Thoughtful, soulful, and relaxing. Here is another playlist I made for my autumn work-in-progress that has more of a light academia feel to it. This is for the ponderous characters that love to get lost in reveries, museums, and art galleries.

15: EPIC TRAILER MUSIC

This is a collection of some of my favorite epic instrumentals. It's perfect for writing war, fantasy, and dystopian stories; or for imagining your book as an epic motion picture.

16: STARGAZING

Mesmerizing, deep, magical, and twinkling. This playlist captures the overwhelming feeling of smallness, wonder, and intrigue when looking at the stars. (It also works well for romance scenes.😉)

17: PATHLESS FOREST

Towering, haunting, deep, and peaceful. This is another fantasy playlist with ambient vocals that evokes the sacred and curious feeling of being surrounded by trees. Think of an enchanted forest setting or a gothic fantasy novel.

18: APOCALYPSE

Eerie, chasmic, hopeful, dark. This playlist is a collection of haunting instrumentals for writing apocalyptic and dystopian settings.

19: COMING OF AGE

So far, this is my only writing playlist with lyrics. This one is for writing YA contemporary, coming-of-age stories, summer vibes, and teenage rom-coms. (And of course, all the songs on here are clean.😊)

20: INSTRUMENTAL WORSHIP

Worshipful, motivating, and restful. This is a collection of my favorite instrumental worship songs that I put together for you guys. I love having worship music in the background while I'm working, and this playlist helps keep my attention on my project while inviting an atmosphere of praise into my heart and workspace.

21: LOFI STUDY

Here's a collection of some of my favorite lofi music to write to. This playlist is made to help you relax, focus, and feel like you're in a coffee shop. (Plus, I'm constantly adding to this one because I love it so much.)

22: GENTLE RAINFALL

Content, delicate, relaxing, and reflective. This is a mix of light rain ambience for concentration, focus, and relaxation. It has little to no thunder which makes for a more calm and gentle listening experience.

23: NOSTALGIA

Reminiscent, bitter-sweet, and emotional. This is for when your characters are pondering through their memories and wondering where all the time went. This playlist has a more tender and thoughtful energy than the heartbreak playlist — almost like the sadness and joy of growing up.

24: INTENSE SUSPENSE

Scary, haunting, and anxious. This is for writing those frightening, intense, and suspenseful scenes. Something is about to happen to your characters, and they're not prepared to face it.

25: UNDERWATER WORLD

Mesmerizing, exotic, and otherworldly. This playlist captures the awe of exploring the ocean. Think of stories featuring pirates, mermaids, sirens, or sea monsters.

26: ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE

Whimsical, enchanting, and mysterious. This is for exotic libraries, strange shop owners, and shelves filled with mysterious and magical things.

27: DYSTOPIAN SOCIETY

Disquieting, epic, futuristic, and reminiscent. This is for writing science fiction and dystopian stories. The world is ruled by tyranny and fear, but there are still a few who hold onto hope.

28: URBAN FANTASY

Dark, adventurous, and thrilling. This one is for writing urban fantasy, thrillers, and paranormal stories.

29: FAIRIES AND FOLKLORE

Spooky, whimsical, and magical. This is for writing all things folklore, fables, fantasy, and anything with dryads and fairies because... fairies.

30: ALONE IN SPACE

Otherworldly, ambient, lonely, and fathomless. This playlist ushers the feeling of terror, awe, and emptiness that must come with floating through the cosmos. This works well for the speculative fiction genre but also makes a beautiful soundscape to help you find creativity and focus.

There you have it, folks! Thirty playlists for you to use for all of your writerly needs. I hope these take some of the stress out of finding writing music, and that you have as much fun listening to them as much as I did making them!

If you should be in need of more writing music (because one can never have too many playlists, am I right?), I highly recommend checking out these sights below!

Saraina Whitney: Blog and Spotify

Abbie Emmons: Youtube and Spotify

Marigold Playlists: Youtube

Seriously, you guys will not regret listening to these playlists. I use them all the time, and they're amazing.

LET'S CHAT

Do you listen to music when you write? Do you prefer lyrics, instrumental, or just beautiful silence? What are some of your favorite songs/music artists? Do you have any requests for MORE playlists, or is this plenty? DO YOU LOVE SPOTIFY AS MUCH AS I DO? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Now go change the world,

-Ava