Not only do I suffer from writer's block regularly, but I tend to spend most of my time procrastinating on Twitter, rather revising or organising blog posts(the reason I'm writing this at midnight). Over the past few months, I've been adding songs to a writing-playlist after seeing that many authors have written scenes that have been inspired by a certain song, and they have know also become what I use when doing schoolwork. Mainly consisting of songs from movie soundtracks(Frozen, The Hunger Games and Divergent all make an appearance), it's also filled with bands including Imagine Dragons and Snow Patrol, and also distinct artists that I adore like Ellie Goulding and Birdy.
I've tried to organise them into categories, but sometimes, I've thought some songs from movie soundtracks fit better elsewhere.
Movie Soundtracks
Of course, songs from book-to-film adaptations fill the list, which is why I'm waiting in anticipation for the Fault in Our Stars soundtrack release. Personally, I love 'Beating Heart' from Divergent because of it's upbeat chorus, and that makes me write and work that little bit faster. Although, the song overall has such an interesting sound, and it's great to listen to in the background. 'Atlas' from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire builds up slowly and steadily, and it has such beautiful lyrics; the piano in the background is always such a nice touch, especially since I spent a lot of time listening to movie-scores too. If you haven't yet listened to a score, you need to listen to THIS gorgeous piece of music from when the arena crumbles in Catching Fire. Isn't it incredible?
I adore the simplicity of songs such as 'Safe and Sound' from The Hunger Games, from the guitar to the country-feel of the song, away from writing, I prefer to listen to songs like this when I'm revising. Also, I do have a little bit of Twilight woven into my playlist, as Christina Perri's, 'A Thousand Years' is one of my favourite songs.
Heart-wrenching
They have released incredibly emotional songs, and my latest piece of writing is something I pieced together after listening to 'I Know You Care'. This is from Now Is Good (an adaptation of Jenny Downham's novel) but it's a perfect song to write too. One of my absolute favourites is also 'Skinny Love'; a gorgeous song that I can actually get something done whilst listening to.
Emotional, heart-wrenching ballads are probably what I like listening to most. Personally, I won't take any offense in somebody saying that I'm not, for example, Jay-Z's intended audience. Instead, I'm constantly playing 'Skyscraper' and 'Someone Like You'. These types of songs fill the majority of my playlist, as you have probably seen from this post so far. Music is such a huge part of my writing, as it can make me feel angry or sad, and put me in the type of mood I need to be in to write a scene.
Nostalgic
Sometimes, just like I'm sure many of you do, I find myself becoming caught up in the 'Recommended' videos that appear after each song has finished playing on Youtube. One moment Imagine Dragons is playing, and the next I'm rediscovering Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars' and 'Run' and R.E.M's 'Everybody Hurts'. These have appeared every now and then throughout the past few years, and I adore how different they are to current pop music. Am I the only one?
Then, my few additions of country-music lead me to Passenger, and the Taylor Swift songs that fill the playlist end up bringing me to songs such as 'Teardrops On My Guitar' and 'Mine'. I was very tempted to add 'Love Story' to the playlist, but couldn't because it was the first song I was completely obsessed with from the moment it first played on Disney Channel. So, I realised it wouldn't be the best companion when I'm meant to be concentrating on revision.
Uplifting
Despite the seemingly heart-shattering playlist, I do have feel-good songs thrown in sporadically. Let's begin with the fact that it all begins with 'Let It Go' from Frozen which is currently on repeat endlessly. I think, even when I use this playlist when I'm doing some work, songs such as 'Radioactive' and 'It's Time' are needed as a pick-me-up.
When I'm just piecing together a review(one recently took me three attempts of retyping it as the post wouldn't format correctly), or really enjoying writing a post, these are the songs that I play, as posts can take a while. Imagine Dragons are that type of artist that I would fill my whole playlist with if I could.
When I'm just piecing together a review(one recently took me three attempts of retyping it as the post wouldn't format correctly), or really enjoying writing a post, these are the songs that I play, as posts can take a while. Imagine Dragons are that type of artist that I would fill my whole playlist with if I could.
Do you have a playlist for when your writing or working?
If so, what songs/artists are featured on it?
Make sure to tell me in the comments!
