soundtracks – Jasmine Lace

This holiday season I have been M.I.A. for many reasons. In the past three months, activities such as, Christmas shopping, school projects and recovering from pneumonia has just been a few stressful parts of my life. But with every storm cloud comes a rainbow. And I’m getting pumped up for my next novel.

The story is about a badass female running things on the high seas. Yes, this time I’m trying to write in the historical romance genre (and of course, it will be with a twist😉!). Also, I’m excited about my African American leading lady. She is fiercer than a Foxy Brown movie.

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[*Side note: I will admit that this may have turned into a procrastination project but it’s justified since it motivates me to write more. At least that’s what I told myself an hour and a half into making this list.]

Anyway, to get me in the mind state of writing about a no-nonsense pillar of strength, I created a playlist filled with woman empowerment beats. Check out “STRONG WOMEN ANTHEMS” ON YouTube.com along with my other fun soundtracks to my previous novels.

Playlist:

Demi Lovato – Confident

Rachel Platten – Fight Song

Beyoncé – Run the World (Girls)

Beyoncé – Listen

Jill Scott – Try

Hailee Steinfeld – Love Myself

Beyoncé – Grown Woman

P!nk – Perfect

P!nk – So What

Meredith Brooks – Bitch

Katy Perry – Roar

Christina Aguilera – Beautiful

Christina Aguilera – Fighter

Christina Aguilera – Can’t Hold Us Down

Alicia Keys – Superwoman

Mary J Blige – Good Woman Down

Mary J Blige – Not Gon Cry

Mary J Blige – Just Fine

Destiny’s Child – Independent Women, Pt. 1

Destiny’s Child – Survivor

Kelly Clarkson – Miss Independent

Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)

No Doubt – Just a Girl

Gwen Stefani – Hollaback Girl

Eve – Let Me Blow Ya Mind ft. Gwen Stefani

Eve – Who’s That Girl?

Whitney Houston – I’m Evey Woman

Aretha Franklin – Respect

Aretha Franklin – Think

Tina Turner – What’s Love Got to Do With It

Pat Benater – Invincible

Estelle – Conqueror

India. Arie – Video

Angie Stone ft. Calvin Richardson – More Than Woman

Beyoncé- ***Flawless ft. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Foxy Brown – Big Bad Mama ft. Dru Hill

Diana Ross – I’m Coming Out

En Vogue – Free your Mind

Solange – Don’t Touch My Hair ft. Sampha

Salt ‘n Pepa – None of Your Business

Queen Latifah – U.N.I.T.Y.

TLC – Hat 2 Da Back

TLC – Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg

Lil’ Kim ft. Lil Cease – Crush On You

MC Lyte – Ruffneck

Spice Girls – Wannabe

Erykah Badu – Apple Tree

Jill Scott – Hate On Me

Are there any songs that scream badass women? Let me know if I missed any in the comments below. Also add your thoughts on the songs selected. I hope they give you inspiration they gave me.

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Also, keep an eye out for Jasmine Lace’s new novel dropping Spring 2019. Experience Dominique DuBois fight her way through her past and present to find her love in the future.

blog 18a I listen to my music as I clean the house. Soulful R &B blasts while I’m doing my hair. I perform dance sequences and sing along to my favourite Hip Hop joints in the shower. Alternative rock music wails as I’m driving. Motown hits swirl through my mind with the story ideas I’m typing on to my laptop. Pop songs bop my head while my students complete a writing exercise. It can be said that music is in my daily life.

Many people have similar experiences with music. Maybe they listen to different genres either way the fact that music is a part of the majority of people’s lives is evident in the Top 40 list, Billboard Music Charts, and the long successful run of music magazines, such as, The Rolling Stone. Music touches everyone.

Therefore, why wouldn’t my characters have music in their stories? My characters are created from traits I have and from personalities that have entered my life. Basically, they resemble people. And in such, not only do my characters feel love, pain and intimacy (like everyone else), they listen to music.

Music in a novel can set the mood similar to the scores played in a film. It gives the audience an extra stimulant to what feelings the character is going through in a particular scene. It can also help the reader internalize that emotion since music is relatively popular by its beat and common message.

There are songs about heartbreak, redemption, having fun, feeling lonely, regrets, and etc. All emotions humans have felt sometime in their lives. Making it relatable which also adds a way for your readers to feel connected to your characters. They can empathize what the character is going through because they themselves have felt similar in those recognizable moments.

So, add some music to your stories. Give you reader a background sound that strengthens the awareness of the conflict and/or tension in the story. Think of it as a hint to what is about to happen like the ominous music before the killer jumps out in a film or the slow jam that plays at the moment the hero and heroine unite in a Romcom movie.

Or try creating a soundtrack. Or have a character make a mixtape that follows what they would most likely listen to.

Adding a musical element to your writing will make an impactful difference in how people read your story.

For ideas check out my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm30hEYSEt8Ji27AOT5ICVw  

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Also, don’t forget to leave a comment about how you use music in your life and/or in your writing.

Tag: soundtracks

I’m Still Here: Songs that Empower Women

[*Side note: I will admit that this may have turned into a procrastination project but it’s justified since it motivates me to write more. At least that’s what I told myself an hour and a half into making this list.]

Why I Use Music in My Writing