Atmosphere Is Everything

I have tinnitus as a result of some of my medications, so I'm a sap for background sounds when I'm reading, writing, cleaning, and even sleeping. Every night I have ocean sounds playing in my bedroom. I find it much easier to focus with these sounds in the background as I go about my day. The sound helps mute the ringing in my ears.

When I want to relax and get cozy with a book in my favorite chair, the thrashing, smashing sound of a thunderstorm or the crashing of ocean waves as they throw themselves against the shore sets just the right mood. A soft summer rain calms me. At night, I fall asleep much faster with the sound of rain or ocean waves. When I'm writing, I've found that the background noise actually helps drown out other distractions and creates a relaxing atmosphere in which to work.

Unfortunately, you can't call up a rainstorm every time you want it and I'm far from my beloved Gulf Coast. So, I searched for and found tons of sound videos on YouTube. Another discovery is Noisli, a website that lets you set up your own background sounds and provides a timer you can set for a specific time. They also provide a blank page you can write on, distraction-free and it will even change colors across the spectrum. You can turn off both the time, sound, and color change. Their  Chrome plug-in lets you play the same background sounds while you're on the computer. If you want to write with sound for 30 minutes, just set the timer.

If you like using a headset it makes the experience more profound. You can't hear anything but the sounds. Use caution, since it can prevent you from hearing alarms in an emergency. My computer speakers are very good and serve me well enough. As I write this post, I have a summer storm playing on Noisli for Chrome.

You can buy sound CD's at Wal-mart and other stores and I have a couple of them. Or you can purchase downloads for your MP 3 player. In case you don't have the money to buy sounds, you can go to YouTube and search. You may go to Noisli.com and use their free features or get the plug-in, too. If you don't want to commit to all that work, I'm giving you links to my playlists of sounds and to Noisli for you to try.

I know many people who have music playlist they use when writing. I've used music for cleaning house and writing but I find if the music has lyrics it is more distracting. So I generally stick to classical or instrumentals.

Ambient sounds may not be for everyone but I'm fairly sure someone will find it useful. One thing I've done is looks for sounds that go with what I'm working on. Is my story in a city? I chose a city sound. Are my characters in a diner? I pick sounds you hear in a diner. Does the action take place in the forest? You got it. I have several forest sounds on my lists.

So, try it out. I'd love for you to come back and tell me how it worked or didn't work for you. I've picked sounds I like but you could make your own playlists with different sounds. There are plenty of them online, particularly on YouTube.

Online Background Sounds for Writing

WebPlug-InPlug In for Chrome

Noisli - I believe they have an Apple app but not positive.

My Background Sounds Playlists 

Ambient Sounds
Nature Sounds
Oceans
Rain

Here's one of my most favorite sounds. When I was growing up in South Alabama this was what you heard every night of the summer out in the country where we lived. It is a sound that even today, makes me happy. I could sit on my porch in the city, close my eyes, and listen to this. I'd be home instantly.