Work in Progress Soundtrack

The music pumps as the words flow out of my fingers.

“I’m all out of love. What am I without you?”

I bop my head. A few tendrils of hair escape my top knot. Somehow the slight motion dislodges a new scene.

The main character sits on her bed scrolling through Insta, questioning her choice to break things off with the only guy who ever made her laugh so hard she didn’t even mind the sound of it.

My fingers move more quickly across the keys, trying to keep up with the images floating in and out of my mind’s eye. The song ends, and another begins. Miley Cyrus’s vibrato comes through the Bose headphones on my head. The playlist is crafted with specific love songs.

A WIP playlist is essential for my writing process. Lately, I have not been as good about creating them, and I can see the difference in my motivation. But that’s not the only thing I do better with music on. I grew up listening to music while cleaning and doing most home projects. Stores curate playlists to get shoppers in the mood to spend more. I can feel my mood change when a good beat comes on. My body starts to move, and the adrenaline starts pumping, and any task gets a little less daunting.

How about you? Do you like to write or do chores with music on or off?