Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of Hamilton, just released a Spotify playlist designed to inspire writers to break through writers’ block called Write Your Way Out. In it, he includes several classic songs from several genres and gives us a peek into the way his mind works.

There is something to be said for writing soundtracks. Digging through my music to help motivate me to work on individual projects is a ritual I do along with (sometimes instead of) figuring out what my project is about. Music sets the mood, and with the variety of music I enjoy, you’d be surprised what works.

Case in point: there’s a sex scene in my upcoming novel that seems to come out of nowhere. One moment, they’re arguing, it gets intense and physical, and then… boom. In the kitchen. It’s tense, it’s ramped up, and the people involved didn’t see it coming. And for some reason, The Beatles’ “Come Together” seemed to be the only thing that worked for that scene. When I reread it, I have that song playing the whole time I’m on that scene.

Music is vital to what I write. It helps me find a rhythm, it helps define a scene, and most importantly it helps take me out of my head while I work. There’s something about a good playlist that distracts me from the general insecurity that comes with writing.

How do you use music? Sound off in the comments below. Oh, and props to Lin-Manuel Miranda for curating this playlist.

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