Cath, I'm like you in that I love words but when I listen to the music I rarely listen to the words - I get lost in the emotion of the piece.

Like Chris2 I can find it inspiring before I write, but have to write in silence, definitely.

Deb

Caroline

No, http://www.accuradio.com/ is not like spotify. It's an internet radio station that's free and has loads of different channels. You can be quite specific about what to listen to if you want to.

Chris

It depends on what I'm up to.

If I'm getting a first draft out I like silence. I'm too busy trying to listen to what's going in the story (if that doesn't sound too mental) and don't want any distraction.

If I'm reviewing or otherwise fiddling about then music is OK. I prefer it without words or in a language I can't understand, except if it's something so familiar I can hear it without it snagging my attention.

Sometimes I manage to write with the telly on. I prefer not to, and it's a real effort, but it's useful to be able because I have to snatch the time and space to write when I can.

Sometimes I manage to write with the telly on.

I can't do anything with the telly on, not even hold a conversation. One of my pet hates, in fact, is when people leave the telly on when I go to visit them (i.e. when I've been invited round).

Alex

The last thing I wrote was done to the KLF Chill Out Album on continuous loop. After a while you forget it's on, just a gentle back wash of clanging bells, bleating goats, rattling trains and disembodied voices drifting in and out of transistors. It got to the point where I couldn't operate my fingers without it. But if I ever had to listen to it again i think would pelt meself out of the window.

Apart from that, I concur with a lot of the other posters - anything without words (House, Classical, Ambient) or anything in non-English (Sigur Ros, Opera, French Hip Hop)

I have to drown out Coronation Street usually so i listen to something that suits the mood of what I'm writing. Classical music when I'm working on my fantasy novel for example, or metal when I was drawing up ideas for my post apocalyptic sci-fi shenanigans. Depends on the mood of what i am writing at the time.