Tag Archives: Ines Johnson

Master Writing by Ear—A Practical Guide

Do certain sounds help you write better? Are you more creative when listening to music, nature sounds, background talking, or silence?

Image created using Perchance.org

Science

A Substack article by author Ines Johnson sparked the idea for this blogpost. In that article, she mentioned scientific studies of the subject, and summarized them like this:

  • If not too loud, ambient noise can help your creativity.
  • To help you focus, choose instrumental music, not lyrical (singing) music.
  • Couple your writing habit with a particular background sound.
  • Consider binaural beats and subliminal sound. Binaural refers to playing one tone in your right ear and a different one in your left.

Posts by Anthony D. Fredericks at Psychology Today, Brain Health University George at Reality Pathing, Nested Magazine, and Dr. Tchiki Davis point to similar conclusions.

One Writer’s Preference

Author Ines Johnson prefers to write to the sound of other people talking in hushed tones—murmuring. Back when she was a single mom, it comforted her to hear her kids playing in an agreeable manner. Silence meant trouble. These days, Ms. Johnson sometimes uses an app that simulates the low-volume babble of a coffee shop, and other times uses subliminal audio tracks.

My Preference

I’d prefer not to have a preference at all. I wish to write wherever I am, wherever I find time, no matter the background noise. This includes writing in a doctor’s or dentist’s office, riding as a passenger in a car, etc. Sometimes I write outside with the background sounds of nature. Other times, I write inside, in silence or with the faint sounds of a TV in another room.

Experimentation

Ms. Johnson advises writers to experiment to find the background sound most conducive to their creativity. I understand the value of that approach and agree it would help the majority of writers.

Further, I think writers may find one type of background noise works best for the frantic, free-flow of first drafts, while another type works for the detailed, precise concentration of the editing phase.

Non-Experimentation

However, I don’t think that’s for me. Suppose, after completing the experiment, I discovered, say, jazz music worked best. I won’t always be in a place where I can listen to jazz. In a sub-optimal noise environment, I’d be worried my writing would suffer, that it would turn out worse than it could be.

After years of taking the noises life gives me, I think my brain prefers the chaos of variety, of random unpredictability.

Quiet noise, music, or silence—they’re all okay for—

Poseidon’s Scribe

September 13, 2026Permalink Leave a comment

How to Bargain with Your Inner Critic

Have you held a sit-down with your inner critic? You know, that voice inside that’s always telling you you’re no good, that you shouldn’t raise your hand in class, that it’s safer to stand near the wall than to get out on the dance floor. Writers call that voice their “inner editor,” because it questions everything they write—the style, the organization, the spelling. The voice tells writers nobody will buy their stories and they should give up and pursue something else.

Scoff McGrouser, courtesy of Pixabay

Pros and Cons

I’ve portrayed the inner critic as bad, but it helps at times. An inner critic warned our ancient ancestors not to try befriending the saber-toothed tiger. Those who listened to their inner critic survived to pass it down to us as a useful survival trait. Today, the inner critic screams at you to stop when, while drunk, you tell your buddy, “Hold my beer and watch this.”

Though sometimes your inner critic prevents disaster, most of the time it urges against any action at all. It tells you you’re hopeless, useless, and unworthy.

Inner Critic vs. the First Draft

Writers who obey their inner critic without question never write anything.

However motivated the writer, however enthused about the project, the writer cannot get far if an inside voice declares the writing drivel, points out every missing comma, and lambasts the whole manuscript.

While creating a first draft, writers need freedom and confidence, not haranguing from a Debbie Downer. Nothing at this early point should hinder the flow or halt the momentum. Later, in subsequent drafts, the inner critic can prove its worth and let its editing prowess shine. If only you could give your inner critic a “time out” and banish it to its room. Hmm. Maybe you can.

By Name

Perhaps you can establish some control over this nagging inside voice. You could start by personalizing it. Give it a name. Activist Erin Brockovich calls hers “Negative Nancy.” I’ve heard Author Ines Johnson calls hers KeeKee.

I shall call mine Scoff McGrouser. What name will you give yours?

Now that you’ve humanized it, your inner critic now stands on your level, not like some mystical, all-powerful entity. You can talk to it. You can bargain on equal terms.

The Bargain

You’re writing a first draft and that familiar whiny voice pipes up, shattering your concentration and shaking your confidence. What can you do?

Address your inner critic by name, out loud if necessary (and if you’re alone). Be respectful and understanding. That critic, a permanent part of you, isn’t leaving your head. Tell it to take a break now. Be kind, but firm. Say you’ll be grateful for its help later. In subsequent drafts, it can critique to its heart’s content.

Evolving Relationship

Bargaining may not work the first time. You’re trying to break one habit and form another, and that requires persistence and patience. In time, you should find it easier to send the critic to a corner for a while.

In my case, I’ve learned to push Scoff McGrouser away long enough so I can write like—

Poseidon’s Scribe

October 4, 2025Permalink