My favorite descriptions of the writing process are those that liken it to method-acting. When I’m writing a character, I need to get in his head – be where he is, think how he thinks, feel what he feels. And a huge piece of that, for me, is setting the right mood with music.
So this is the beginning of an occasional series. Just a quick playlist with some of my favorite selections to help me get into a certain mood. And what better place to start than with Death and Despair?
I threw this list together when I was writing a particularly grey scene in my novella Letting Go. The character was absolutely numb with grief, so these aren’t my blackest of black songs. They’re more … grey.
- God Is In the Roses – Rosanne Cash
- Find the River – R.E.M.
- Washing of the Water – Peter Gabriel
- Are We There Yet – Ingrid Michaelson
- Recycled Air – Postal Service
- Stars – The Weepies
- Never Think – Robert Pattinson (go ahead and laugh, it’s okay.)
- I Was Watching You – Rosanne Cash
- Evaporated – Ben Folds
- Stolen Car – Patty Griffin
- How You Survived the War – The Weepies
- Secret World – Peter Gabriel
What would you add?