3 Reasons Why You Should Have A Playlist For Your WIP

If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I can’t stand writing in silence. I need some sort of noise to get myself to focus. This is why I created 3 playlists to get through my writing time in my blog post, “Try These 3 Spotify Playlists To Bring Excitement Back To Your Writing Life.”

Even though this sounds like a great idea, you may still be on the fence about spending precious time worrying about creating a music playlist. Today, I’m going to give you three reasons why you should give it a try for your own work-in-progress.

Before I give you all of the reasons why you need a playlist, here is my playlist as an example.

 

Reason #1: It Allows You To Connect With Fans/Readers

If you are planning to self-publish, or grow your fan base, creating a playlist for your WIP could be just the engagement tool you need. It is low maintenance and will only take you an hour to do for a large impact. Choosing the proper music for your playlist, can allow you to create a mood for your work. When sharing it, your fans can get a small tease on what your book is about. If they like the vibe and are interested, they will keep coming back for more. If you can get them hooked early during the writing process, they will become possible readers when the book is released. 

Reason #2: You Can Use It To Get Into Writing Mode

If you struggle with getting into writing mode, I find that having a designated playlist can help. If you identify this particular playlist in your brain with writing your WIP, when you hear it played later, it will change your mindset. I find that since I write after work most of the time, I enjoy listening to my playlist on my commute home. Listening to these particular songs puts me in the headspace of my characters and the actions happening in the story. This allows me to transition flawlessly from work mode to writing mode. Creating your own playlist for your project could be just the technique you need to get writing faster.

Reason #3: It Can Help With Your Characterization

When selecting songs for your playlist, it is important to think about how your characters feel and the events in your story. If you focus on these aspects to get your playlist vibe, it allows you to do a deep dive into your characters to think about how they really feel about what is happening to them. Knowing your characters in this intimate way can help you keep their characterization strong when writing.

If you have been on the fence about creating a specific playlist for your WIP, I hope this post encourages you to do so. It honestly takes no time at all and the reward is worth the risk. If you love this idea, please give my playlist for The Midnight Huntress a listen on Spotify. If you want to know more about my current WIP, check out this blog post here!