Music to write by. Music for inspiration. Let's face it. Writing can be a dry business. Sure, there are moments of exhilaration when the scene is flying, especially if it's an action scene. There are moments of grief when your loving couple are hateful to each other, or when one half dies (though that would need to be resolved at the end of a happily ever after romance, which is what I write). But, there are moments of disconnection in writing (at least for me), when I'm writing the words, but not feeling it, if ya know what I mean.
I know one or two authors who write with playlists. I suspect there are thousands more, it just hasn't come up in conversation. Those authors use the music to either soothe or inspire them.
In my case, although I don't always remember to do it when I'm struggling with a scene, music inspires me. The right music, of course. In most case, it will be a movie soundtrack because I love the orchestral music without words.
John Barry is one of my favorites! Love him! I wish he would play music for me all day and night.
While working on a scene in my current work--a time travel romance set in the Arizona territories of 1884 and featuring a Cavalry officer--I realized I needed something, something to inspire me beyond the beauty of the landscape of Southeastern Arizona where I am writing as we speak.
The most famous movie I could think of featuring a Cavalry officer was Dances with Wolves, soundtrack by John Barry, with the ever handsome Kevin Costner playing the officer. I know there are other movies, but ya gotta admit, Dances with Wolves is ATMOSPHERIC--made so not only by the cinematography but by the exquisite soundtrack by John Barry.
And so, the music from Dances with Wolves filled my writing space, and will continue until I end the book.
I mean, really...how dry would a movie be without music?
I wrote A Train Through Time to the soundtrack from Somewhere in Time (what??? John Barry again?) Yes!
I wrote Moonlight Wishes in Time predominantly to the soundtrack of Pride and Prejudice by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Emma by Rachel Portman, and The Holidays by Hans Zimmer (another all-time favorite composer of mine). :-)

Coming soon to an e-reader near you: A Home in Your Heart, Book Two of the Love in the Old West series.