As a writer, I don’t require an ideal scenario to write. I prefer to write in my writing room in my amazing chair, but I can tap into my creativity in the living room or kitchen, and even at coffee shops or bookstores. The only real constant I need is some semblance of quiet—or at least an absence of things directly addressing me (like a husband or dog).
When I wrote my second novel, I had a playlist filled with 80s music that kept me in the mindset of my characters, but since then I stopped listening to music. Until now. This novel, my ninth, is darker and more emotional than anything else I’ve written and I realized I needed help tapping into that part of my brain. So during a road trip over Thanksgiving when we listened to A LOT of music, I jotted down songs that fit the mood of this book.
[Side note: I was very proud of myself for figuring out how to make a playlist in Apple Music. Don’t judge.]
I made my playlist, but I was so used to having silence while I write that I kept forgetting to listen to it. I write in the mornings and music didn’t seem to fit. It took weeks for me to remember “oh hey, I have a playlist,” then longer to get into habit of actually pushing play when I sat down to write.
Then something amazing happened. Last week I forgot to start my playlist and it felt like something was missing. I couldn’t get into the scene and things just felt off. Until I hit play. The energy of the scene wrapped around me and I quickly submerged into my character’s head.
It took longer than I’d like to admit, but I finally have a physical cue to tap into my book, and now I’m sharing it with you.
World Gone Mad (Bastille)
Somebody Else (1975)
I Did Something Bad (Taylor Swift)
Panic Room (Au/Ra)
The Gold (Manchester Orchestra)
Human (Rag’n’Bone Man)
Cautioners (Jimmy Eat World)
Concrete Jungle (Au/Ra)
Miracles (CHVRCHES)
King and Lionhart (Of Monsters and Men)
So It Goes… (Taylor Swift)
Monsters (Brother Sundance)
Unsteady (X Ambassadors)
Spirits (The Strumbellas)
Is there anything you’d add to this list?
