Music is always such an important part of my plotting and writing process. I start compiling a soundtrack for each of my books long before I even begin creating a storyline or crafting characters. The very first pull I feel towards a story often happens when I’m driving and listening to the radio. It’ll start with an image or a line of dialogue that pops into my head, and (if I remember to write it down!) that moment eventually (like, very much eventually) grows into a book.
I’m not one of those authors who actually writes to music. A rare exception is when I’m writing a scene where the characters themselves are listening to a specific song (like the Jimmy Eat World song in One for the Road!), but for the most part, I use music to psyche me up for a writing session and get me into the mood of the scene before I start.
The playlist for One for the Road covers many a mood. It’s a very Zach and DeeDee compilation, filled with a mix of lighthearted bops, some heart wrenching slow jams, and a few tender tracks to mirror that romcom blend of feels we all know and love.
You can find it on YouTube here.
And here’s the full track list:
Girls Your Age- Transviolet
Better Man- Pearl Jam
Leather Jacket- Arkells
Baby- Kat Cunning
She Moves in Her Own Way- The Kooks
Falling for You- The 1975
Bang Bang Boom- The Moffats
Tear in my Heart- Twenty One Pilots
Sex and Candy- Marcy Playground
Give Me Something- Seafret
Wolves- Selena Gomez and Marshmello
You’ve Got the Love- Florence + The Machine
Sweetness- Jimmy Eat World
Music got you in the ~mood~ for some reading? Grab One For the Road here!
