The Writer’s Muse-ic! ~ by Tracy Broemmer

Since we’re TEN days out from Halloween, I decided to share something kind of bizarre, I guess, about one of my writing habits. I know a lot of writers listen to certain songs or playlists or styles of music when they write. I do, although having a full house in 2020 due to the hubs working from home and my kids doing online classes has taught me the value of silence.

I write women’s fiction and contemporary romance, though I have written a few books that I would consider psychological suspense, and I recently wrote a creepy little horror novella. I make a playlist for everything I write, and I listen to it when I’m writing or cooking or walking the dog. It keeps me focused on my characters.

 

Here’s the bizarre?—ironic? thing.

Every year when September rolls around, I get excited for Halloween. My daughter is 25, and Halloween has always been and forever will be her favorite holiday. When she and my son were in grade school, we went all in with decorations. We had a fun haunted house in our garage one year.

My daughter loves horror movies; in fact, she is studying women in horror while pursuing her doctoral degree. Horror movies terrify me, and if I watch anything scarier than Goosebumps, I won’t sleep for nights. I’ve always wondered if the movies would still scare me if they didn’t have soundtracks.

But—here comes the bizarre part. During September and October and sometimes even into November, no matter what I’m writing, I listen to the soundtracks of horror movies. I even have my favorites, which include the Halloween theme (Michael Myers scares the bejesus out of me) and the theme from Sinister. So, yes, I might be writing a rom-com or a tear-jerker women’s fiction story, but I’m listening to songs like “The Theme from The Fog” and “Tubular Bells.” Even when I’m writing the second H Book (my current series), even when I’m walking my grand puppy on a beautiful sunny fall day, you can bet I’m listening to something creepy.

Thanks for having me, Kristine! Happy Halloween!

 

Listen to Tracy Broemmer's podcast episode here.