This week, I bought a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. They were expensive, but I told myself they were an investment in my life as a writer. Well, okay, I bought them in a moment of irritation when my husband wanted to listen to music when I needed silence. Such is the life of social distancing in the pandemic.

I tried using a room upstairs with the door closed, but I miss the windows in front of my desk. I need natural light almost as much as I need silence. So, I tried the headphones, and I love them! I found a playlist on Spotify called Writing Music. This morning, I put on the headphones and the playlist, and I went into the scene I was writing, not at all disturbed by the sounds of tea and breakfast in the kitchen.

photo by Deborah Bayer

I found listening to my Mindfulness lesson was bliss. What didn’t work was trying to sing along with my mantra while wearing the headphones. I’ve been singing along with Deva Premal, but today, I had to just listen. Trying to sing, even hum, sounded like a huge vibration in my skull.

I still felt at peace after listening, but I missed having the vibrational energy that rises from my pelvis, up through my belly, chest, throat, and out the top of my head. Such is the healing power of voice for me.

Question: How does expressing your voice interact with your writing? Share your insights in a comment below.