Screenplays have many patterns and rhythms (the rhythm of act structure, of theme, of the scene, of dialogue), often taking place at the same time. That’s why I don’t listen to music while writing — for me at least, it interferes with the complexity of screenplay rhythms.

But I think ambient noise would be different — kind of like the ground in music — a steady series of tones that underlie the complex patterns on top. (Given the somnolent nature of my screenplays, my ambient noise would probably be crickets, not rain.)

Some folks believe in brain wave entrainment to spur creativity. Here’s an example: