Making a Playlist for My Book
And how you can make one, too.
Why I Made a Playlist
I wanted to make a playlist for my book not only because it sounded fun, but also because I thought music would be a good source of inspiration. I liked using Pinterest to help visually inspire ideas, so I figured making a playlist would be a great way to spark my creativity through an auditory medium.
Not only would it be useful for brainstorming the plot, but it would also help me become more immersed in the story and the characters’ headspaces. Having a playlist that aligned with how my characters felt at different moments throughout the book would help me get to know them better, therefore making them easier to write.
The Type of Playlist
Some writers like to create a “vibey” playlist that gives a similar ambience to their book, such as having dramatic instrumental songs for a fantasy book or fun upbeat bops for a summer romcom.
For me, I’ve always been more inspired by the lyrics of songs rather than the melodies, which I guess makes sense given I’m a writer. So I wanted to find songs that matched lyrically with my book, because I knew it would spark more ideas.
I will say that it’s still nice having a vibey instrumental playlist for when I’m actually writing, as I can’t listen to lyrics while I write. My book playlist is more for me to listen to when trying to get into my characters’ heads before I write.
How I Structured the Playlist
Once I knew I wanted lyrically relevant songs, I decided to structure the playlist by following the arc of the story and characters. I got this idea from Brielle Cruz over on YouTube (which by the way if you like watching writing videos, you should definitely check her out, her content is amazing).
Basically, I added songs in order that followed the journey of my main character (and occasionally her love interest) throughout the story, from the beginning of the book to the midpoint to the end.
While a lot of the songs I included are focused solely on how a character is feeling at any one time, some reference a specific scene or thing that happens in the book, like “Stargazing” by Myles Smith (spoiler, my characters go stargazing one night hehe).
How to Make Your Own Book Playlist
The first step to making a playlist for your own book is to decide if you want a vibey playlist or a lyrical playlist. If you’re an auditory person (I’ve honestly never used the word auditory in my life and hope I’m using it correctly haha), vibey might be more inspiring for you. Whereas if you love words and storytelling, then a lyrical-focused playlist could work better.
Once you’ve figured out the type of playlist you want to create, the next step is to do some research. Look at playlists that fit what your book is about. For mine, I looked at summer playlists that people had already created on Spotify, figuring they had some good summer-themed songs on them. One of the playlists I found was “Summer on Cape Cod,” since Cape Cod is the setting for my book.
I would scroll through these playlists and click on a few songs that seemed to generally align with my book. While listening to them, I paid extra attention to the lyrics to see if any of them *clicked* (but if you’re going for a vibey playlist, you can just see if the beats/melodies are inspiring to you).
If there were even a few lines that stood out that aligned with the story or character arc, I would add the song to my playlist. Also note that it’s unlikely that every single line in a song will fit your specific novel, but if the overall message/idea of it is similar, it could be a good one to add.
You can also search on Spotify for a specific scene, object, or theme that appears in your book, and see if there are any good songs that encompass it.
Project Seashell’s Playlist
Okay, I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit hesitant to share the playlist for my book (Project Seashell), because I feel like it gives away what the entire book is about. But I can’t not share it. And anyways, I’m sure it’s only obvious to me because I already know the exact plot of my book. There are a million different ways to interpret these songs, so I think it’s safe spoiler-wise.
So if you’re curious about what’s on the “Project Seashell” playlist, here’s a list of all 25 songs, as well as a line from each that matches up with my book.
And if you want to listen along, or just want a good summer playlist to jam to, here’s the link to it (and yes, there are a lot of Taylor Swift songs on it because a playlist isn’t complete without them):
“Summertime Sadness” (Lana Del Rey)
🎵 I got that summertime, summertime sadness 🎵
“Family Line” (Conan Gray)
🎵 God, I have my father’s eyes 🎵
“Love Story” (Taylor Swift)
🎵 And my daddy said, “Stay away from Juliet” 🎵
“Dress” (Taylor Swift)
🎵 Our secret moments in a crowded room, they got no idea about me and you 🎵
“Complicated” (Olivia O’Brien)
🎵 I see the way you’re acting like somebody else 🎵
“Heat Waves” (Glass Animals)
🎵 Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June 🎵
“Feel Something” (Joshua Bassett)
🎵 And most days, dear, you drive me insane, playin’ your games 🎵
“The Feels” (Labrinth)
🎵 Now you got me lost in emotion, now you got me intoxicated with your drug 🎵
“i keep running away” (ryman leon)
🎵 But I keep running and running away 🎵
“Fling for the Summer” (Ryan Mack)
🎵 Got me feeling like a sidepiece 🎵
“The Way I Loved You” (Taylor Swift)
🎵 Breakin’ down and coming undone, it’s a roller coaster kinda rush 🎵
“Back Of My Mind” (Two Feet)
🎵 Stay in the back of my, back of my mind 🎵
“Night Changes” (One Direction)
🎵 Driving too fast, moon is breaking through her hair 🎵
“Stargazing” (Myles Smith)
🎵 You and I stargazing, intertwining souls, we were never strangers, you were right there all along 🎵
“Cruel Summer” (Taylor Swift)
🎵 It’s a cruel summer 🎵
“YOUTH” (Troye Sivan)
🎵 My youth, my youth is yours, trippin’ on skies, sippin’ waterfalls 🎵
“I Feel Good About This” (The Mowgli’s)
🎵 I don’t know what it is, but I feel good about this 🎵
“Baby Blue Bathing Suit” (Stephen Sanchez)
🎵 That heaven’s a girl, in a baby blue bathing suit 🎵
“Ready To Be Loved” (St. Lundi)
🎵 But when it comes to you, yeah I’ll risk it all 🎵
“iloveyou” (BETWEEN FRIENDS)
🎵 I love you, tenderly, tragically 🎵
“Franklin House” (Brenn!)
🎵 I will survive, but I’ll never recover 🎵
“See You Later” (GRAHAM)
🎵 I don’t know how I’m supposed to keep moving on 🎵
“This Love” (Taylor Swift)
🎵 Clear blue water, high tide came and brought you in 🎵
“Stranger” (Riley Roth)
🎵 How were you ever a stranger? 🎵
“Runaway Kids” (HARBOUR)
🎵 We go where we wanna go 🎵
Do you have a playlist for your book? What’s your favorite song/line on it?
I would like to read your book now. Simply from the songs and lyrics alone, I have been caught in a net I fear I will never escape. That's a really good idea, having a playlist. I'm going to make one tomorrow. ✨
Cool. I wrote a blog on my website on June 2nd, titled, “If my stories had a soundtrack.”It was a great experience for me. As I write new stories, they always get a song too.
https://chroniclesofthegrimreaper.com/letters-to-my-readers-1/f/if-my-stories-had-a-soundtrack