I love sharing what inspires me: my favorite books, my favorites movies, my favorite quotes. But something that is an integral part of my writing life is music. I love developing playlists for every story and character. I get such a thrill combing through Spotify and trying to find that perfect song that exemplifies an emotion I am writing about.

Music has the ability to move us and make us recall specific memories. And now, some songs will forever be synonymous with some events in my novel.

For my inaugural Tunes Tuesday, I want to shine the spotlight on Taylor Swift. Taylor is a songwriter at the top of her game, but now with the release of her albums folklore and evermore, Taylor has become quite the story teller.

There are so many songs on these albums that not only complement events in my story, but inspire all new stories as well. I have so many favorites, but the one song I want to spotlight is the recently released bonus track from evermore called “right where you left me.” I have only listened to this song a couple of times, but I was struck with how well it encapsulates the feelings of my female protagonist.

The song tells a story of a person who is stuck in the same place, both emotionally and physically, due to trauma they experienced. The world is moving on around them, but they cannot seem to get it together. Taylor tells this story with such sincerity and the imagery she paints with her words and voice instantly evokes a particular scene in my story.

If you are only familiar with Taylor’s more mainstream work, I encourage you to check out her most recent albums. Taylor is telling some of the best stories of the modern era.