Creating moody landscapes made of words
A playlist approach can provide some useful noise when Word Count is just too quiet.
As I shared in a recent DIVE DEEP session, I’m back with my on-again, off-again boyfriend Word Count. See, I’m trying to finish a manuscript for a contest, and I find that dating Word Count helps me push forward with plot and figure out where I’m going.
Ah, Word Count. You’re boring but reliable. You like cargo shorts because they hold a lot of things. You enjoy activities like prepping meals and crossing items off a to-do list. You communicate via your watch, which is convenient and immediate, but annoying when we’re just trying to have a nice dinner and your eyes keep flicking to your wrist. You keep all your receipts for tax write-offs in a green file folder, and you smooth out the wrinkles before you tuck them neatly into place.
Here’s the thing. Dating Word Count means having to get excited about numbers, which I have been uninterested in ever since Pre-Cal which was largely spent passing notes back and forth with my high school BFF (we had a system for unscrewing the metal tube that made up the frame of our shared desk and hiding scrolls inside—one could argue that some of the time devoted to figuring out this system could have been diverted to figuring out Pre-Cal).
To entertain Word Count, I turn to music.
Word Count can seem neutral. Benign. Boring. Mood-less. So below are some options for building different moods within your work—whether you’re flirting with Word Count, married to Word Count, or have no memory of Word Count. Each of the four songs I’ve included are instrumental. If folks are a fan of this post, I might do a Version 2 that has lyrics.
I know some folks prefer perfect silence, and others are particular about what kind of music they listen to during different stages of the drafting/revision process (so am I!), but I invite you to be open to trying something out simply as an experiment. It’s just an experiment after all, and as someone who is about to submit grades for college-level writing courses, let me remind you that—thank Jesus—this is not graded.
You can do all of these for a full Pomodoro or skip any moods you’re not interested in exploring and choose the ones you like.
Writers have strong opinions about writing to music. Sometimes I think it can be fun to test our own notions of what works and what doesn’t.
Guided Writing: Moods + Music
I’ve created a Spotify playlist with all four songs if you’d like one central location.
You can pause on any song and keep going with the prompt should you feel inspired and have the time to continue.
Quick recommendation: Settle in before you write. Grab a beverage. Take as long as you like to arrive. Take 1-2-3 deep breaths.
ENERGIZING // LEAPING INTO IT: Locate “Amour” by composer Jean-Michel Bais. Here’s Spotify and YouTube. Describe someone’s morning routine—it might be yours. Make it a hopeful one. Include all the details: sounds, scents, tastes. Write for 4.5 minutes, the length of the song.
EERIE // MYSTERIOUS: Locate the song “Calling” in The Wonder soundtrack composed by Matthew Herbert. Here’s Spotify and YouTube. Listen to the song and consider the following prompt: Describe a character arriving in a new, unfamiliar space. Write for the length of the song or listen to it twice for a total of 7 minutes of writing.
REALIZATION: Locate the song “Listen / Season” by composer iu takahashi. Here’s Spotify and YouTube. Describe a moment of realization—a character learning or acknowledging something. A thought that echoes. Write for the length of the song, or twice for a total of 7 minutes.
RETURN: Locate the song “Rest in Flight” by composer Hollie Kenniff. Here’s Spotify and Soundcloud. Write a homecoming. It doesn’t have to be a literal home, but could feel like a home to your character. Let it feel restful to return. Write for the length of the song (3-4 minutes), or beyond if you have extra time.
Okay. Take a deep breath. Remove your headphones/pods and let the ambient noise in the room/coffee shop/library fill your ears. Sit with that for a moment.
Bonus: Glance back at your own work and circle/highlight/underline your favorite phrase from your favorite mood. Grab a marker and write those words at the heart of a sticky note; slap that proudly on the wall of your workspace.
Extra bonus: Jot this phrase down on a pretty scrap of paper and tape it up somewhere you’ll see it every day.
Take a breath. Take another one for good measure. Thank yourself for taking this time.
longing for supportive feedback, helpful conversation, and craft instruction inspired by YOUR work? consider the four-week workshop starting june 6.