For those of you who know me, you know I love music. While I have zero music ability myself, I absolutely love pretty much all music and how it resonates with us. It isn’t unusual for there to be music playing throughout my day as I’m working, cooking, reading, writing, etc. My kids make fun of me all the time for bursting out into song lyrics … sometimes I like to pretend I’m in a living version of the game Encore! As 2020 stretched on and on, I really began to miss live music and events even more. I'm looking forward to that in 2021 as well as (hopefully soon) warmer weather with the car windows down and the music blaring.
While writing, I love to use music to help form certain scenes as I’m working through them. This can help set the mood or trigger a certain scope of feelings. Or, I often have playlists that remind me of my characters and will help keep me in their mindset as I write.
Sometimes a song I’m listening to will randomly inspire an entire scene, which is actually where the Ireland scenes in Turn came from. My personal playlist was on shuffle one day and “Molly Malone” and “Come on Eileen” ended up playing back to back and my thoughts drifted to my work in progress and sparked an idea and those scenes were born.
Check out the two writing playlists below--the first is the playlist I had for writing Turn (it’s pretty eclectic!). If you've read it, see if you can match any songs with characters or scenes. Then, the second is a sneak preview of the playlist for one of my works-in-progress.
Turn Playlist
“It’s Been Awhile” by Staind
“Leaving on a Jet Plane” by Chantel Kreviazuk
“Stay” by Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
“Carry On” by Fun.
“Superman” by Five for Fighting
“Kryptonite” by 3 Doors Down
“Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners
“That’s Amore” by Dean Martin
“Molly Malone” by Easter Rising
“Slide” by GooGoo Dolls
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Frank Sinatra
“It Had to be You” by Frank Sinatra
“La Gazza Ladra” by Gioachino Rossini performed by the Prague Philharmonic Choir
“December, 1963” by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons
“Save Me, San Francisco” by Train
“Big, Big, World” by Emilia
“Here’s to the Night” by Eve6
“Finlandia” by Jean Sibelius performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
“Ma Vlast” by Bedřich Smetana performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
“Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
“This is Not a Love Song” by Tabitha’s Secret
“Bella Luna” by Jazon Mraz
Sneak-Peak Playlist...see what you can guess about this work in progress based on the music I’ve been listening to as I write and edit.
“Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” By Nine Days
“Here’s to the Night” by Eve6
“Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler
“Push” by Matchbox Twenty
“Almost Lover” by A Fine Frenzy
“I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye
“Just Plain Tired” by Tabitha’s Secret
“I Will Buy You a New Life” by Everclear
“I will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor
“I’ll Be There” by The Jackson 5
“Leaving Town” by Dexter Freebish
“Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
“Our Song” by Matchbox Twenty
“Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf
“Just a Girl” by No Doubt
“Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison
“The Luckiest” by Ben Folds
“All Summer Long” by Kid Rock
