The music I listen to while writing is really scene-specific. It's just a great motivator, a way to put myself in the mood.
As against having beautiful workshops, studies, etc., one writes best in a cellar on a rainy day.
It's hard to describe why one room and not another feels right for writing. Of course you have to train yourself to be able to write anywhere, but it's nice to feel that each book has a place that belongs to it, where it's home.
...clatter of a typwriter suggests that you're actually building something.
I can't be expected to produce deathless prose in an atmosphere of gloom and eucalyptus.
I always write with music. It takes me a while to figure out the right piece of music for what I'm working on. Once I figure it out, that's the only thing I'll play.
I always create book soundtracks to capture the overall mood I'm going for and listen to them as I write. Those songs and scores really fuse with the scenes in my mind.