There’s a rare storm out there tonight…

The wind howls around the bay and rain batters the tall windows. You can hear the sea as it whips the coastline, and in the far distance a lonely lighthouse sends a pale yellow beam out into the inky blue night.

But none of that need bother you. You’re safe and warm in here. A buff brown sofa sits in the curve of the bay window, with a folded blanket and book tucked up against the cushions, waiting for you. A hot fire crackles in the stone grate, and soft lighting from a pair of candles glows from the mantel. There’s a steaming mug of fruit-scented tea on an old steamer trunk that’s been repurposed as a coffee table, and a sleepy cat purrs, coiled and cosy, on the other end of the sofa.

From this picture-perfect scene, that storm outside is practically soothing, isn’t it?

No, I’m not transporting you to a scene from a particularly bucolic story idea. It’s a visual description of this YouTube video, by the channel Calmed by Nature, and it’s what I’ve just described but for eight solid hours. Recently I’ve taken to listening to soundscapes like this in my headphones when I’m trying to write - and so far, it seems to be working.

Having the sounds directly in my ears helps shut out the outside world - by which I generally mean the washing machine and my boyfriend’s enthusiastic CS:GO matches. I can separate myself out from all of that, set a focus timer on my laptop for 15 or 30 minutes and just… write.

I actually think it’s more effective for me than booking a stay at a delightful Cornish cottage would be, because if I was on holiday I’d feel pressured to do things like savour the moment and enjoy myself, whereas this way, I’m still at home, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting precious memory-making time when really I want to be writing.

I also recently saw this amazing tip on TikTok for cleaning your house as well - this isn’t the video I originally saw, but it gives you the gist - basically, if you play medieval-fantasy style tavern music while you clean your kitchen, you can imagine yourself as a bar wench after hours, thereby turning the chore into a game! It’s all very Mary Poppins, and also, it made me feel so much better about my life because I’ve been doing shit like this for years. Most often, I’m servant to a highly-strung Victorian lady when actually I’m just clearing away my own mess.

Safe to say, I now have a whole YouTube playlist of tavern music and Victoriana ambience for these purposes, as well as these cosy-cottage soundscapes to help me write.

I love it; I’ve spent all my life daydreaming - so why not use it for an actually useful purpose?