We’re at the time in the year where if you’re in school you can taste summer in the air. It’s May and that means a lot of high school and college students are finished in a few weeks and free for the summer. As a former graduate student, I remember this time well. I had to grade final papers and essay questions to a scantron final on top of my own work!

Once it got nice outside it was so difficult to focus finish everything I had to. Right now, the same is proving true for my manuscript. I’m so close to the end, and all I have to do is two more chapters! But I think I was in school so long that senioritis has hit, despite being out of school for two years.

Lately every Thursday, I’ve seen various #ThursdayAesthetics, which a lot of writers make to get inspired about their books. (Friendly reminder if you’re using an art piece to credit the artist!) To focus and get in the zone, I play music, which I think is probably pretty clear if you look at my Twitter or some of my past posts for WBP. For me it completely sets the mood or it makes me excited to work. I do a lot better when I can dance and write at the same time!

While knowing which songs I would put on my writing playlist can be great—it’s so much fun to have a song that fits the vibe of your book or the lyrics match it exactly. I did a short playlist the other day of all of the WBP contributors’ books as songs!

Sometimes though, knowing what song totally fits can be really difficult. And sometimes you’ve listened to those songs too much lately, and when you’re already feeling a bit in a writing slump  it can be difficult for those songs to break you out of it. They feel stale, even though you love them. You want to listen to something else.

Well, I’ve made a playlist for any writers out there who need some fresh songs to inspire them! It’s a spring/summer playlist, and even if you don’t like to write to music, maybe it can be a fun playlist for you to walk down the street to! I adore music and think it’s an incredible storyteller, as can be seen in this clip from the Norwegian show SKAM:

As you can see, music can matter, even when writing books. I’m really not good at making aesthetics, but I do know music. I love curating a playlist that means something in a specific moment whether it be where I’m at in my manuscript or just songs I love in May. Ultimately though, do what works for you when it comes to inspiration to write and know that it’s different for everyone.

Let me know what songs you’re loving right now on your writing playlists! I’d absolutely love to listen!