posted on September 17, 2014 by Jennifer Probst

Music and Writing…

by Jennifer Probst

DantesFire_Final-200x300Writers are habitual creatures.

Some need silence. Others crave music, or background noise. Some watch television and can multitask while they write. Others need to turn off the Internet in order to focus.

Me? Well besides needing to be at my desk – I have trouble writing on the laptop and enjoy structure – I need music. Lots of music in various genres. I can bop to Jimmy Buffet, cry over Frank Sinatra, and hip hop to Lady GaGa or Arianna Grande.

My readers know with each book I create, there’s a special song list I refer to. They are usually quite varied, sometimes make little sense, but call to my soul as I create the book. They are a mix of old, new, soundtracks, and some classical.

Some go with the theme, some explore issues that fascinate me, and some just make me happy and go over and over in a loop. There is usually a theme song I replay consistently in each book, and DANTE’S FIRE is no different.

Music feeds my soul. It invokes various moods. Many times after I deliver a completed book, I receive the edits back much later, usually when I am already deep into another novel!  If I go directly to my playlist, I get reconnected with the story, and it’s much easier for me to sink back into the edits.

I love sharing playlists with readers so you can find all the music on Spotify, along with many of my other books.

This is the official list for DANTE’S FIRE. Drumroll please!

Theme Song: Bonnie Tyler – Holding out for a Hero

Daughtry – Waiting for Superman
Five for Fighting – Superman
Train – Calling All Angels
3 Doors Down – Let Me Be myself
3 Doors Down – Kryptonite
Lady GaGa – Do What You Want With My Body
Guns N Roses – Patience
Def Leppard – Hysteria
Commodores – Oh No
Third Eye Blind – Deep Inside of You
Rick Springfield – Affair of the Heart

Do you love writing with music? Come by and follow my Spotify list!

*****

jennifer-probst-683x1024I’ve always wanted to be a writer. At twelve, I took a pen in hand and wrote my first love story. I haven’t stopped since. Those heroines taught me valuable lessons that served me well. I learned to keep my head up high and surge forward when I was afraid; I learned to demand respect in a relationship; I learned about compromise and dreams and independence. Those are the stories I want to write, and I can only hope I give back some of the joy I received over the years.

I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. I’ve traveled to many places but always seem to be drawn back to the mountains. I graduated with a business degree, worked for Mercy College, and now spend most days dedicated to my family and my characters. I’ve pursued many career paths such as travel agent, yoga teacher and insurance salesperson. I’ve wanted to be an airline pilot, a dancer, an archaeologist, and a vineyard owner. I have been all of the above through romance novels, and intend to explore many more.

One of my turning points in my career was when I joined Romance Writers of America and met the wonderful people in my local chapter, The Hudson Valley RWA. Through supportive critique sessions, I learned how to develop my raw skills to get a publishable manuscript. I discovered my tendency for wordy prologues and passive phrases that all new writers work through, and now try to help others on their journey.

My “leisure time” is spent writing, reading, and raising two active boys. I believe animals are the other children in this world, and enjoy spending time at the local animal shelter, where I got my first “baby” Bella, a shepherd hound mix who gets into as much trouble as my son! I rescued my second dog from an abusive home, a beagle, basset hound who is the peacemaker in the household.

I met the love of my life when I had finally given up on my own romantic journey. The first time he asked me out he promised to buy my book if he could buy me dinner. We had dinner and fell in love over sushi and haven’t been apart since. We married and settled into domestic bliss. That’s when I learned it wasn’t about happy endings. It was about happy beginnings.

jenniferprobst.com

DANTE’S FIRE can be purchased in eBook or mass market paperback format
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Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst

I've always wanted to be a writer. At twelve, I took a pen in hand and wrote my first love story. I haven't stopped since. Those heroines taught me valuable lessons that served me well. I learned to keep my head up high and surge forward when I was afraid; I learned to demand respect in a relationship; I learned about compromise and dreams and independence. Those are the stories I want to write, and I can only hope I give back some of the joy I received over the years. I live in the beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York. I've traveled to many places but always seem to be drawn back to the mountains. I graduated with a proper business degree, received a masters in English Literature, and am humbled to now spend my days dedicated to my family and my characters. I've pursued many career paths such as travel agent, yoga teacher, dating coordinator, and insurance salesperson. I've wanted to be an airline pilot, a dancer, an archaeologist, and a vineyard owner. I have been all of the above through romance novels, and intend to explore many more. One of my turning points in my career was when I joined Romance Writers of America and met the wonderful people in my local chapter, The Hudson Valley RWA. Through supportive critique sessions, I learned how to develop my raw skills to get a publishable manuscript. My overnight success was twenty years in the making, and I don't regret a minute. It was that time polishing craft, learning, growing, and working hard that made the difference. My "leisure time" is spent reading, traveling to meet my amazing readers, watching shameful reality television, and raising two active boys. I believe animals are the other children in this world, and enjoy spending time at the local animal shelter, where I got my first "baby" Bella, a shepherd hound mix who made Marley look like a saint. I rescued my second dog from an abusive home, a beagle, basset hound who was the peacemaker in the household and now resides at Rainbow Bridge, missed every day. I met the love of my life when I had finally given up on my own romantic journey. The first time he asked me out he promised to buy my book if he could buy me dinner. We had dinner and fell in love over sushi and haven't been apart since. We married and settled into domestic bliss. That's when I learned it wasn't about happy endings. It was about happy beginnings.

https://www.jenniferprobst.com

One thought on “Music and Writing…”

  1. Agree with you, Jen! I create playlists for every book I write. Sometimes, there’s a playlist for every character. It really does help to put me in the zone!

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