It took me a solid year to create, write, rewrite, and edit my first fiction novel, Beautiful Nightmare. There were days when the words flowed through my fingertips onto my keyboard like a breeze; but not everyday. Even with outlines, targets, character biographies, and pivot charts, my mind fell blank of creativity. I knew what I was supposed to write, what should come next, but too often I found myself staring at a blank screen.

One day, as I decided to plug in my ear pods and listen to some of my favorite jams while preparing an outline, I found myself thinking of the characters in the book. I imagined how my characters might react to the song or if the song were an anthem itself.

Before I knew it...EUREKA! My creative drought was over! Just as music inspires me while cleaning my house, cooking, or even grocery shopping, I discovered it was just the muse I needed to fuel my creative juices. So, I created a playlist entitled, Beautiful Nightmare. Almost everyday I added songs to the list (I now have 85 songs totaling 6 hours of music!). Each song seemed to represent a character or a scene along the way. Some songs were just the momentum I needed to push me through a chapter or a scene.

Now with the first book of the series complete, I find myself musing and dreaming as I listen to my playlist as a relaxing escape. Only, I just keep telling myself not to dream too long and wake up and finish Book 2!

A few songs on my playlist:
Superhuman ~ Chris Brown (Keri Hilson)
Until the End of Time ~ Justin Timberlake (Beyoncé)
Someone to Love ~ Jon B.
Art in Motion ~ Stokely
Radioactive ~ Imagine Dragons
One in a Lifetime ~ Monica
Promise ~ Jagged Edge
Full Moon ~ Brandy
Sweet Dreams ~ Beyoncé {Of Course!}

Curious: Do you have a playlist/songs that inspire you? If so, name a few!