Writing Vibes
Each book I write has its own vibe. Those vibes are composed of the music that inspires or reminds me of the storyline or the characters or the mood and tone of the story. Settings and styles and imagery add depth.
The vibes revolve around the moods and tones I want to convey to the reader—nostalgic, searching, mournful, joyful. I take on those feelings in order to write the story as it needs to be written. Music often helps me do that.
Music
I often write to music. Depending on what I’m writing, my musical choices vary widely. Sometimes I need instrumental music; other times, I need lyrics to play a backdrop to my writing. Some days I need a slow and smooth tempo; others, I need something upbeat and driving.
Because music is such a huge part of my drafting, revising and editing, each book has its own playlist on my Spotify account.
When I was writing books two through four of Carolina’s Legacy Collection, having the Any Good Thing playlist helped me jump right back into the proper vibe.
Art Inspires Art
Whenever I sit down to write, hitting play puts me immediately in the correct headspace to feel what I need to feel to produce the correct words. That is especially helpful for me since I have limited writing time and often extended periods of time between sessions.
Art truly does inspire art and creativity.
Novel-In-Progress Vibes
Last weekend, I shared a reel on Instagram and Facebook that revealed a few of the vibes of my current novel-in-progress that I’ve nicknamed the “Quiet Cowboy Novel.” Here’s what I included.
Vibes of the novel I’m writing:
- The sounds of Bon Iver, Cody Blackbird, Frank Waln, Lord Huron, Lacey Warrior.
- Prairies, fencelines, gusts of wind.
- A journey from Southeast Louisiana to South Dakota to Manitoba, Canada.
- To the ends of the earth to save a Red Roan Stallion with a connection to three strangers.
What vibes are you feeling so far from the peeks at my Quiet Cowboy Novel? Do any songs come to your mind that I may want to add to my playlist?