Every writer is different. Some need absolute silence in order to write. Others like background noise. Me? I like music. And I don’t mean the radio or an extensive, varied playlist. I mean basically the same music day after day after day.

And I have a high tolerance for the same music. As my spouse knows, I am that guy who can listen to Christmas music for 8 hours a day from the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas Day. (Reminder: It is unacceptable to listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Those are the rules. I don’t make the rules.)

As I wrote the bulk of my first novel, Taylor Swift was my Christmas music. Yep, the Shake It Off singer. That’s the one.

It started with Folklore. The album was the perfect mix of melodic comfort music combined with a soft, almost hazy vocal component. It was the musical equivalent of curling up on the couch under a blanket and reading a good book on a cold, rainy day.

I probably listened to the album 100 times over the course of writing my first book.

Beyond Folklore, I listened to Taylor’s other work (We’re not on a first-name basis, but it kinda feels like we should be). Her older stuff is good, y’all. Not just the poppy stuff that got overplayed on every radio station ad infinitum. But other songs like White Horse, Speak Now, Ours, Change, Better Than Revenge, and lots more.

There were some days I ventured beyond Taylor. I listened to Beyonce, Indigo Girls, Halsey, The Waifs, Ingrid Michaelson, and others. But I usually came back to Taylor.

What music do you listen to when you write? Leave some suggestions in the comments.