Curating the Vibe: My Writing Playlist

As I’ve spent more and more time in online writing groups and in writing classes, I’ve realized that there is nothing quite so sacred as the playlist a writer makes to reflect their book. At least, that’s the case for me. I made a playlist for Child of the Sky when I first began writing it, all the way back when I was sixteen. Listening to it pulls me right back into that moment, when I felt so much excitement about this story that it burned in the tips of my fingers and made my stomach twist. I haven’t added any songs to it since, so sacred is it. 

When I need to get into the zone, I’ll cue the entire playlist to infuse me with the excitement and energy I typically feel for this story. Usually, I’ll listen to the whole playlist on loop. Sometimes, however, I’ll loop one song for hours in order to lock into the specific vibe that I’m trying to infuse into the scene. 

So, for my blog post today, I figured I’d share it! Below, I’ve included each of the songs and why I added them. This will give you insight into my personal music taste, as well as the vibe of my book. I urge you to read through it all. I promise, it’s really short! 

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“The Child of the Sky” Playlist:

“Crystals,” Of Monsters and Men

This is THE song of the playlist. I’ve sat in my bedroom, closed my eyes, and imagined creating a trailer for the book to this song. To me, this song makes me think of innocence shattered, but the strength that one finds within themselves after they’ve shaken off the cocoon of childhood. I also love how the song builds, it feels like someone coming into their own, which is the arc that my main character goes through. 

Favorite line: “In spite of all my fears, I can see it all so clear” 

“Mountain Sound,” Of Monsters and Men

When I think of this song, I think of adventure. I’ve listened to this band since middle school, and used to think of this song specifically when I was working on a story in eighth grade. There might be a deeper metaphorical core of this song, but to me it will always just be a pair experiencing the thrill of adventure.

Favorite line: “Through the woods we ran (Deep into the mountain sound)”

“All We Ever Knew,” The Head and The Heart

A prevailing theme throughout this book is our tendency to get stuck in our routine and preconceived notions, even if that comes at our peril. I love the resignation of the singer and their determination to break out of a destructive cycle, which mirrors the motivation that my main character develops by the end. 

Favorite line: “All we ever do is all we ever knew”

“Tear In My Heart,” Twenty One Pilots

This one’s cheesy, so bear with me. I would listen to this song and think of my protagonist, Tania. As the protagonist of the first, serious book I have ever written, she will always have a special place in my heart. <3

I also think of myself, and how proud I am of how much I’ve accomplished. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in doing the actual tasks of writing this blog, hitting my word count, and going to my class that I forget how wonderful this is. I’ve had my heart set on being a famous author since I was twelve, and, while I am not published and by no means famous, I’m doing everything I can to make that dream a reality. I think little Kari would be really proud of all I’ve accomplished so far, and how near her dreams are to reality. 

Favorite line: “She’s the tear in my heart / Take me higher / Than I’ve ever been.” 

“King and Lionheart,” Of Monsters and Men 

Just like “Mountain Sound,” this song just screams whimsical adventure. However, there’s also an element of determination in the face of an existential threat. That is a huge part of this book, and stupid, naive determination is a large part of my protagonist’s character. =

Favorite line: “But you’re a king and I’m a lionheart”

“Naive,” The Kooks

Like “All We Ever Knew,” this song connects to one of the main themes of the book: naivety. The protagonist is twelve, turning thirteen, so she’s pretty naive. Yet, so too is her father, mother, and everyone around her. We tend to think of naivety as being a symptom of youth—and in some ways it is—but it's by no means exclusive to youth. When I was twelve, I remember realizing that adults could fail me. That, sometimes, they can be so set in their ways, so convinced of their own intellect, that they’re just as naive as a twelve-year-old. 

Favorite line: “Not saying it’s your fault, although you could have done more”

“Hold Back the River,” James Bay

We’re moving into sad territory now. (Sorry!) This song really hammers home how every relationship you have will end, every person you love will leave you. It’s crucial, then, to seize a moment and realize how lucky you are to have that person there, then. 

Favorite line: “Lonely water / Won’t you let us wander / Let us hold each other”

“Sunlight,” Hozier 

I lied earlier, I added this song later than when I made the rest of the playlist. Hozier has this timelessness quality that I really love, and fits with the out-of-time world that I’m building. But, more importantly, my book includes a lot of sun imagery. The Child of the Sky is in reference to the gods’ final hero, who will be the servant of Solart, the god of the sky. As a result, there’s a lot of imagery of sun, fire, and the life-saving and destructive power of both. The song also includes a reference to Icarus, and has a theme of self-destruction, which (if I get a book deal!) becomes a much larger part of the protagonist’s path.

Favorite line: “As love and its decisive pain / Oh, my sunlight, sunlight, sunlight”

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If you made it this far, thanks for reading! 

I just wanted to include a short note about the themes apparent in these songs, and how that connects to my book. My grandmother, whom I shared the old version with, said that she thought of this as an apocalypse story. I hadn’t quite thought of it in those terms before, but I realized she was right. This is the story of a young girl as she realizes that she does not live in the world her parents promised her, that even her parents aren’t really aware of what’s happening around them, and that her whole world teeters on the edge of a cliff. This is a story set right before a human-made apocalypse, which asks whether or not people can stop the destruction of their own making. It’s a story inspired by the era of climate change and Trumpism, and it’s a story that I don’t yet know how to end. 

Yeah… So… On that cheery note, thank you for reading!