Thanks for joining me at the party! And thanks so much to KellyAnneBlount for having me back for my third round, as well as her tireless efforts to make the party happen! I'm still so blown away that I have the chance to participate with so many awesome Wattpad authors. It is a great way to connect and encourage each other as well.

I've been on Wattpad for two years now, and in that time I have written in several genres, everything from simple one shots to full length novels. The elements that always find their way into my writing are sarcastic humor, romance and the best happily ever after kind of endings. I know writers will sometimes shake things up and destroy the hearts of their readers, and I might do that at some point in a story, but never at the end, because I'm not about that life.

And now, on to my post...

Let's be real for a minute, can we? Writing is hard, and amazing, and the craziest thing ever because those characters we "make up in our mind" become as real to us as anyone else in our lives. The worst part about writing, for me, is that you can't do anything else while you're writing.

No multi-tasking, people!

I am a major mulit-tasker. I have four kids (as my username suggests) a husband and a full time job. My entire life is multi-tasking...until I sit down to write. Not happening. Therefore, I need to streamline the process as much as possible. I honestly don't have time to sit and think, or ponder my character's next great line. I need action, I need fluid word construction with great impact, and I need it two minutes ago. AKA I need it real fast...

So how do I get that done, you may ask.

Simple. Playlists.

Writers need inspiration, we need something to help us past that point in the story where the characters have decided that our outline sucks and they have a better plot figured out. Half of the time (or let's be real, ALL of the time) they neglect to leave us a note as to what the new plot is. Then we are stuck, sitting in front of our laptop or staring at our phone (cause yeah I write most of my stories on my phone...its always with me and I'm a multi-tasker, remember... Don't judge) with no clue what's supposed to happen next.

Music can help a ton in that situation. I swear by using music in my writing. Yes, swear. (If you've read More Than This you know what I mean – f-bombs fly freely) It is actually more than just a playlist. It is the plot. So really, the music I choose becomes a soundtrack, rather than just a playlist.

My first story, Guarded Hope, started out as a one chapter cute little beginning with a who-knows-what's-next situation after that. I had some ideas but...meh. I let it sit there for months. Then, I listened to Taylor Swift's "I Know Places" and something clicked. That song felt like my first chapter in many ways. Not in the literal meanings of the lyrics, but the general mood fit perfectly. After that, I went through my music library and found a song for each chapter, one after another, and bam! I had a playlist...and therefore a plot!

I am the first to admit that Guarded Hope's playlist was for me, not really for my readers. However, I was so excited about it that I linked a YouTube video for every song to it's corresponding chapter with an author's note about why I chose that particular song, as many Wattpad authors do. It truly got me through that first story.

It's companion novella, Waiting for Hope, had a playlist as well. This time, the songs were much more closely aligned with the plot and the characters. By my third story, More Than This, which was more than twice as long as anything I had ever written, I had a procedure in place to create the perfect playlist that fit not only the plot and the characters, but also the mood of the entire story; The perfect soundtrack.

Which brings me back to multi-tasking. I would listen to the playlist while doing dishes, making dinner, cleaning the house, driving, grocery shopping...and I would see the story happen like a movie in my head. Each plot point was met with the perfect song, and the song matched the character's motivation and personality. I "wrote" more while making spaghetti than I ever could have dreamed possible. By the time I pulled up my phone, I would be able to write 800-1,000 words in half an hour. It literally poured out.

The thing that makes choosing the right song for the right chapter and character easier for me is the fact that I listen to everything from Mozart to Metallica. Honestly, my library is pretty varied and having that diversity gives me more to work with.

By now, you may be wondering about this "procedure" I use, and I'm here to let you know that it's pretty simple. There are two starting points from which I jump into literary music land; character and mood. Let's take it one at a time.

CHARACTER:

When you know your main character well enough, a theme song can help round out the rest of their motivations and reactions. Think about the all time epic character theme songs out there, Star Wars comes to mind, and every time you hear that song, it evokes images and feelings about that character. Is the character bubbly, excited about life, generally happy? Pick a song with a great beat and makes you want to dance. Are they sad, working on overcoming their past? Choose a song that's more meditative and slower in pace.

It gets more detailed then that, of course. My prime example is Garrett in my teen fiction story, More Than This. He was hiding from the world, both out of frustration and anger, as well as pain. After I wrote his introduction chapter, I started hearing Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" in my head and the repeated line "I walk alone." Once that song was chosen, I was led into an 80's and 90's retro alternative rock direction, including Billy Idol, Depeche Mode, Nirvana, No Doubt... the list goes on. The music ebbed and flowed with the plot, the plot mirroring the mood of each song I chose.

https://youtu.be/Soa3gO7tL-c

(Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams)

Pick your character theme song, then let that lead you to the genre of music which will be your mainstay. It's also okay to deviate and pick songs from other genres. That can be a great way to emphasize the climax of the story, or the development of the character.

MOOD:

Once you have your plot outlined, even if it's just a sentence or two, you probably have the general mood of your story. Is it dark, creating fear in the hearts of your readers? Is it a toe-curling feel-good romance? Those emotions can be punctuated with music. There may be one song that embodies the overall mood of the story, or there may be a progression that follows the story arc. It all depends on the mood you are attempting to create with the words flowing through your story.

It doesn't need to be very complicated. My current fantasy, "The Ferlands" has two moods: the culture of the Ferlish people living in my land, and the battle scenes within the story. I had the basic story outline and a general idea about the world I was building when my husband and I took a quick trip to Las Vegas. I was sitting at a slot machine (penny slots is how I roll) and every time I hit the spin button, a little Irish tune would play. Suddenly, it hit me that this was the sound of the Ferlands from which I wanted to build their world.

However, the happy feelings the song gave did not fit the majority of the story. So I left the folk sound for the world building and kept searching for music to help build my plot. I knew there were going to be many battles, building in intensity throughout the story. Something about the clanging of swords brought to mind the high intensity of heavy metal music. I pulled up a few and found that they matched the mood I wanted to build within the battles. There were other songs and genres used as well, and once I put the playlist together, the plot details formed quite naturally.

I don't mind heavy metal, even though it's not my go-to music. But, even the songs I don't really care for on a day-to-day basis can be perfect for the plot. Honestly, I'm not a Black Sabbath fan, but "God Is Dead?" sets the perfect mood for my characters' attempt to build an army to fight the dark forces ruling the land. The odds aren't in their favor and that's how the song makes me feel. Metallica's "Moth Into Flame" builds in intensity from beginning to end, a fitting background for the epic battle of the two armies.

https://youtu.be/4tdKl-gTpZg

(Metallica – Moth Into Flame)

Even if you aren't sure about a song, add it to your playlist. Move songs around to fit plot points. You may even eliminate a song or switch it out for a more fitting song once you get to that part of the story. I do that all the time, once I realize the song doesn't fit a character or mood. Especially after those characters re-write the plot, smh...

Music is the voice of the soul. It soothes, encourages, and energizes us. Let it inspire you and make the amazing task of spinning a tale that much more fun! I hope you enjoyed this peek into my process!

If you'd like my help in creating the perfect playlist, make sure to enter my giveaway! I'll also follow my winner on most social media platforms (the one's I'm on) and dedicate a chapter of The Ferlands, too!

And now my post is complete. Mostly because chaos has broken out in my home, so #Prattgif, take us out...

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