Inspiration is an interesting creature. Sometimes it dries up in one area only to come crashing through in another. When I get particularly blocked in my writing, I often try to find inspiration in another medium. I’ll play on Canva with visuals and make a mood board or a collection of covers. I’ll doodle in my notebook, sometimes landing on a character–even if that character is only a turtle in a top hat and a dress.
I’ll go for a walk. There is something magical about the Goldilocks pace of a walk. It’s just right for thinking through problems.
Sometimes, I’ll make a playlist, collecting songs that capture a vibe I’m trying to create in my stories. Sometimes I make playlists without even realizing it.
Clever, Cursed, & Storied is integral to my author origin story. It’s the first novel I ever wrote. Along the way several songs got attached to this project and my creative process. It took time to complete this book, but it was an absolute joy. That joy for me was captured by the Plain White T’s “Rhythm of Love.”
I found a bit of the magic of Kate and Henry’s clandestine dance parties in Beyonce’s Halo.
Lots of life happens when you are a young mama, move across the country, and play around with the idea of writing a book. Kate and Henry’s story got shelved a lot as a result. “Rude” by MAGIC! felt like a call to action. When I heard the lyric, “I can’t live without her,” it was like Henry was banging down my door. “Hey, author, I need my HEA with Kate. I can’t live without her. Please can you finish writing our story?”
At long last I’ve rounded up all the songs that inspired me, matched my vibe, and were my friends on my journey of taking one of my very favorite fairy tales to the novel finish line. I made a playlist on Spotify. It’s a cozy, angsty, hopeful collection. Great for a walk. Great for chilling out. Great for getting a different perspective of the highs and lows of my characters, Kate and Henry. You can check it out by clicking the button below. The artists and songs are listed below too. Some songs have a few notes attached. Some speak for themselves. Enjoy!
“Pepper” Death Cab for Cutie — Hopelessly romantic, but has a bit of an edgy wistfulness that tracks for my couple.
“Rythm Of Love” Plain White T’s — The magic and playful, exuberance of dancing with someone you are falling for.
“Halo” Beyoncé — The magic of clandestine dance parties from my heroine’s point of view.
“Rude” MAGIC!
“Easy Silence” The Chicks — Captures a bit of my heroine’s journey.
“Bird Set Free” Sia
“Flowers in Your Hair” The Lumineers
“Dusk Till Dawn(feat. Sia)- Radio Edit” ZAYN
“All the Pretty Girls” KALEO
“All My Love” Noah Kahan — There ain’t a drop of bad blood. Oh my goodness. Please excuse me while I go cry in a corner for hours. Its so beautiful. It’s so powerful. That even through the pain and loss there is so much love that there is no room for regret. I definitely was going for this when Henry has to face down his dark night of the soul.
“Dancing On My Own” Calum Scott
“Perfect” Ed Sheeran
“Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” Taylor Swift
“Yellow” Coldplay
“Eyes Closed” Ed Sheeran
“Spectrum (Say My Name) – Calvin Harris Remix” Florence + The Machine
“Next To Me” Imagine Dragons — I love songs that get into the imperfections of heroes. It makes the miracle of love that much better.
“End of Time” Beyoncé — Every playlist needs a roll credits song, and the lyrics of this one are adorable.