Tag: music

romantic couple standing face to face in the woods

Eight Days of Christmas—Playlist

starlawrites

We are only a week until the release of my debut, Eight Days of Christmas!!! I’m feeling All The Emotions already. From anxiety to excitement, to appreciation and apprehension. I know as the days draw nearer and on release day—October 19th—the emotions will be stronger. But I’m reminding myself to cling to the joy of this accomplishment, of this dream coming true, of this moment because I’ve worked so incredibly hard to get here.

In an effort to cling to the joy of this process, I’m inviting you to join with me in going deeper into the world of Eight Days of Christmas! I’ve already shared with you the inspiration behind a lot of the book in my last post, now I’m going to share with you the beloved playlist I created.

Each song I chose to add to the Eight Days of Christmas playlist was added for a reason. Some were monumental reasons, and others not so much. I wanted a playlist that would give me the vibe I needed to stay in the fictional town of Pineridge, Colorado, and New York, as well as second-chance romance, and a wedding.

The most important song on the playlist, and the one that inspired my story: Greatest Love Story by LANCO. It’s a song by a country band and the lyrics are about a second-chance romance. Similar to the story of Isabella and Leo—who dated through high school and college before breaking up, going their separate ways and then are reunited for their siblings’ Christmas wedding and realize those old feelings are still there.

  1. Greatest Love Story by LANCO
  2. That Don’t Sound Like You by Lee Brice
  3. Springsteen by Eric Church
  4. Singles You Up by Jordan Davis
  5. Colorado Christmas by MountainCity
  6. Marry Me by Train
  7. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
  8. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas by Michael Buble
  9. Last Christmas by Wham!
  10. Where Are You Christmas by Faith Hill
  11. Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld
  12. Eyes On You by Chase Rice
  13. What Ifs by Kane Brown
  14. Body Like a Back Road by Sam Hunt
  15. Rumor by Lee Brice
  16. You Broke Up With Me by Walker Hayes
  17. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Sam Smith
  18. Please Come Home for Christmas by Eagles
  19. Better Days by The Goo Goo Dolls
  20. One Man Band by Old Dominion
  21. I Don’t Know About You by Chris Lane
  22. Break Up with Him by Old Dominion
  23. If I Can’t Have You by Shawn Mendes
  24. ME! by Taylor Swift
  25. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
  26. Marry Me by Thomas Rhett
  27. Please Come Home for Christmas by Kelly Clarkson
  28. You’re Not Alone by Boyz II Men
  29. Mercy by Shawn Mendes
  30. This Christmas by Mary J. Blige
  31. Someone Like You by David Nail
  32. Smokin’ and Drinkin’ by Miranda Lambert
  33. All I Want For Christmas by Liam Payne
  34. That Spirit of Christmas by Blue Water Highway
  35. Bells by Audrey Assad
  36. Make It to Christmas by Alessia Cara
  37. You Make It Feel Like Christmas by Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton
  38. It Don’t Hurt Like it Used to by Billy Currington
  39. Written in the Sand by Old Dominion
  40. Backroad Song by Granger Smith
  41. Born to Love You by LANCO
  42. Hometown Girl by Josh Turner
  43. All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
  44. Best Shot by Jimmie Allen
  45. Take It From Me by Jordan Davis
  46. Dance with Me by Morgan Evans
  47. Down Home Runs Deep by Chase Rice
  48. Two Ghosts by Harry Styles
  49. Photograph by Ed Sheeran
  50. Remember You Young by Thomas Rhett
  51. The Christmas Song by Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello
  52. Mistletoe by Justin Bieber

As I drafted this book, revised, edited, went through copy edits, I listened to this playlist on REPEAT haha! Yes, this is a Christmas/wintry themed book, however the playlist contains a multitude of genres. I hope you’ll check it out. Especially if you’re anticipating the release of Eight Days of Christmas! Here’s the link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/211JCIXad5Z3vpqKJ7WNZa

How Songs Inspire Writing

starlawrites

Have you ever had a song touch you in a way that you’ve been inspired to write how it made you feel? There’s a song by a country artist I continued to hear on the radio every time I was with my husband in the truck. I remember telling him, not only how much I loved the song, but how catchy it was and most important, it told a full length story in a matter of a few minutes.

I said, “How can a country song tell a story in a few minutes and sometimes I have a hard time doing it in 80,000 words?” His response, “I challenge you to write a novel based on one song.”

Within minutes, a story formed in my head–not fully detailed, but the basics–and that’s all I needed. I said, “Challenge accepted.”

That story turned out to be my 2018 Nanowrimo project I originally had titled as Eight Days of Christmas–an adult romcom, with a comp title of Sweet Home Alabama and the song Greatest Love Story by Lanco.

Because of the revisions needed for a different project I had on submission at the time, I had to set this one aside. At one point during Covid-19/quarantine, I picked it up again. I revised it, revised it again, sent it out to beta readers and CP’s, and edited the project again. It’s currently my secret project that has been bringing me joy during these, sometimes dark and uncertain times.

The Pitch: Isabella hasn’t celebrated her family’s tradition since she broke Leo’s heart six years ago. Now, she must return to her hometown in Colorado for her sister’s wedding and spend eight days completing holiday activities with the guy she still hates to love.

Here’s the song that inspired this story: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aHl0tlUYDBI

Here’s the Pinterest board for this story: https://www.pinterest.com/starlawrites/book-lets-meet-in-between/

Have you been inspired by a particular song? In what way? Has it inspired your writing? Prompted a particular story? I’d love to hear about it!

Creating Playlists for Your Story

starlawrites

As a music fanatic, sometimes a song can be what inspires an entire character or plot. So not always, but most of the time I create a playlist for each of my projects. I find the process therapeutic, inspiring, and fun!

When I sit down to write, sometimes I need complete silence, sometimes I can write in a noisy coffee shop. Sometimes I write while my kids are arguing and watching tv. But sometimes, I open up my playlist and put on my noise cancelling headphones.

On Spotify, I can create a playlist by choosing a title and searching through a ginormous library of songs and pick the ones I want on that *playlist. I typically title my playlist using the same title as my manuscript. Then I choose songs that either my character would listen to or that sets the mood and moves the plot forward.

For my most recent project, because it’s a dual character POV, I created a separate playlist for each main character. Doing this has really helped set the mood and has gotten me into that character’s voice and headspace more. I’m hoping to do this from now on with my multi-POV projects.

If you’re someone who isn’t able to listen to music while you write, I often find just listening to the playlist while doing other things can inspire me to write. Listening to my book playlists has also helped to cure my writer’s block. I recommend giving it a try sometime.

If you’re interested, here are some links to my playlists for my current project. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2SFJbbMbFjX8hbz1WUfDJM?si=leYtVqA9R6u6Ep_gIoso2g https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WEzYHGqGxkswJCkg3MFpd?si=pPey0x3RSrOwp7D1MT_t-w

*Spotify has the free version, (which is the one I’m currently using) and the premium version. The free version will shuffle the songs you choose and if you don’t have enough added, Spotify will add their own songs to your playlist. The premium version will play only the songs you’ve chosen and will play them in order.

Where To Find Inspiration

starlawrites

Since I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, sometimes it can be difficult for me to notice just where my inspiration comes from. At times, a full-blown plot idea will manifest out of nowhere. Other times, it’s bits and pieces that come while I’m working the day job, taking a shower, or in the car. When my mind seems to be busy on something completely unrelated to writing or story telling, that’s usually when an ideal strikes.

What I do know is, when I’m facing writer’s block or feeling uninspired, there are things that I try that sometimes help. If you’re new to writing and want to stretch yourself by trying your hand at writing fiction or a short story, or if you’re feeling uninspired lately or facing writer’s block, maybe these ideas will help you.

-Listen to music: Sometimes, just listening to a certain genre or song can help inspire me to write. It can either help me figure out a plot or inspire a new character. Country music usually does the trick for me. Their ability to write a song that tells a story in about 3 1/2 is pretty inspiring.

-Read a book: Often, new writers think reading a book will confuse or interfere with their own writing. Most of the time, when I’m reading a book, it triggers and fuels my own creativity. I can pinpoint where the shift in the character arc is. It can show me what works with my own writing and maybe what doesn’t.

-Take a walk: Getting outside and breathing in fresh air is great for the brain. It gives you oxygen and energizes the soul. Stepping out into nature is rejuvenating, triggering your creative mind to feel rested and ready to develop that plot or flesh out those characters.

-Watch a movie: Watching a movie can be so helpful for plot flow and character arcs. I pay attention to plot holes and slow burn romances. Looking for the humor, the heart, what triggers natural emotions.

-Write by hand: When I write by hand, it takes me back to when I first started writing. It can feel fresh and raw.

-Journal: Taking a step away from writing fiction and writing in a journal about your thoughts and feelings and your day can get you in the flow of writing again if you’ve been dealing with writer’s block.

-Do something else creative: Spending time on another hobby can get your writing creative juices flowing. If you enjoy drawing, painting, knitting, or something else, honing that craft can possibly help you in honing your writing.

I hope some of these ideas help inspire your writing or get you out of your writer’s block. What helps inspire your writing?