I haven’t written in two months. I’ve blogged here and there for Book Riot. I helped out a friend with an edit. But real writing has come in jerky fits and starts, a sputtering engine that gives me a flare of hope before dying out just as quickly. There is a lot going on — a lot a lot — and if you haven’t heard it lately, let me tell you again: It is okay if you can’t be productive right now. There’s a number of well meaning but misguided pushes to take this time to develop a hobby, pick up gardening like you always said you would, write your novel, write your novel, write your novel, damn it.

That’s easier said than done if you’re working 10-12 hours a day or you suddenly lost your job or you’re taking care of your homebound children or your brain is stuck in a quagmire created by, well, everything occurring in this dumpster fire of a year. My grandmother died of COVID-19 in April. I have not written a word in my second novel since. Writing under normal circumstances can be challenging. Writing in 2020 requires a level of focus that many of us just don’t have right now. 

But if writing has been a source of solace for you, if it’s been a way for you to channel your anger or pain or sorrow into another world and a cast of characters who can help you shoulder that burden, then let me give you some music to write by. Or, perhaps, to help you begin writing again and turn the key in that engine. 

This is the calm, mellow playlist. This is a collection of songs I’ve found soothing and lovely to the ears that puts me in an ideal state of mind for writing. A mixture of electronic, alternative, and a touch of jazz. I hope this playlist gives you hope and eases your mind, just a little bit. And if it helps you get back into a state where you can write, all the better.