Did you know your favorite writer or author probably has a playlist? Yes, that’s right. A playlist helps us write and get those words out on the page. It helps motivate and inspire us to write those words you love to read.
Until I joined the 10 Minute Novelists group, I had never really thought about a playlist for writing my novels. Some of my fellow writers have different types of music they listen to depending upon what they are writing, but I haven’t done that yet.
To me, it doesn’t matter what music I listen to as long as I am writing words and hitting my goals. I still don’t have particular music that I listen to for writing novels or blog posts. I put my playlist of various singers and genres on shuffle and away I go.
I do have certain songs that help me write faster than other songs. For instance, rock songs help me write faster. Ballads don’t cut it at all. Listening to ballads wouldn’t even help me write a sad scene in a novel. I would need silence to do that.
So who do I have on my playlists that help me the most?
Rick Springfield
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m a huge Rick Springfield fan. I’ve always related to Rick’s music in some way. He has dealt with depression off and on his whole life as I have. Listening to Rick’s music has always helped me deal with life and hearing the stories behind the songs help me relate to them even more. His songs and my writing make a good combination.
Pretty much anything Rick sings helps me write better. The songs that rock the most are the best ones, though. He does sing some slow songs so they don’t help me as much.
Bon Jovi
My favorite rock group is the boys from New Jersey, Bon Jovi. I became a fan back in the 1980s when I was in high school. When Rick disappeared off of the music scene for a few years at that time, Bon Jovi’s music took over for me.
Like Rick, I could relate to the words of Bon Jovi’s music. Seeing them in concert several times makes their music stand out even more to me. Many of the songs Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora wrote together, and I can relate to several of them as well.
Kenny Chesney
A few years ago, I saw Kenny perform live at Lucas Oil Stadium. I’ll be honest and say I hadn’t been a big fan until then. But after seeing him in concert, I became a huge fan, and he became my favorite country singer.
Not all of Kenny’s songs speak to me like Rick and Bon Jovi, but some of them I can definitely relate to in some way. And I can write while listening to some of them because he rocks at times without sounding too country. Not to mention every time I think of him, I see him on a beach because he seems to like the beach as much as I do.
Other singers
I have other songs here and there I can rock out and write to. Pink, Katy Perry, and Sugarland are some of those singers. Who can resist a song like “Stuck Like Glue” to get those writing (or typing) fingers going? Or Katy’s “Roar”? I know I can’t.
So while you may have your playlist for working out in the gym or working at a job — if you get to listen to music, writers have their own playlists they use to write.