The Music behind CONFORM
How debut author Ariel Sullivan used music to build new worlds
Yesterday, debut author Ariel Sullivan published her very first novel — CONFORM. Over the past few months, I’ve gotten to learn all about her writing process, and I’m obsessed with it. When she writes, she plays the same song on repeat until the scene unfolds in her mind like a movie.
I’ll let her tell you more… Her Spotify playlist—arranged in the order of songs that inspired each chapter—is linked below.
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When I think about writing, I think about music.
For me, there cannot be one without the other. I have come to find this is rather peculiar, but when writing, I listen to the same song on repeat until I finish the scene married to that song. I have listened to certain songs on this playlist several hundred times. I’ve heard the song “Change” by NF so many times that when the intro plays, I can see the words from Conform in my mind so vividly it feels as if I am there with Emeline.
In “Labour” by Paris Paloma, the strumming pattern evokes every ounce of feminine rage Emeline carries throughout this story. The piano in “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” by Taylor Swift transports me to Emeline emotionally unraveling until her pain sits in my chest and I can’t breathe properly. Now, in my mind, “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman is a gold-dusted pyramid waiting to come crashing down.
This odd writing process started by chance. I have always loved music. I moved every two years as a child, and books became an escape for me. But when books didn’t do the trick, music did. Songs have always marked the passing of time in my life. I have very few tangible things from my frequent moves, but when a song plays, I can see the military base, the people, my bedroom—all of it. Music is something of a portal, transporting me between the past and now, into the depths of my imagination. I should have realized that these two loves colliding would transform something that had always felt insurmountable into something beautifully meditative.
I was driving in 2020 when “Busyhead” by Noah Kahan came on. Suddenly, the tangled mess of Conform unraveled and appeared in my mind like a movie. But when the song ended, it felt as if I had lost everything. When I got home, I put the song back on, hit repeat, and words flowed. I have never looked back. Music is the key that unlocks the feelings I cannot sit with, silences the unending thoughts, and breathes life into my imagination. I hope you enjoy listening!
In case you were wondering, I listened to “I Hate It Here” by Taylor Swift while writing this. Enjoy!
I know another writer that does the same thing when he works, he swears by it! I should give it a try!! Music is so important to me as well! I've always sung my heart out, be it solo or at choir rehearsals, and learned the piano at a young age. Now I dab in songwriting as well, merging my love of music and writing.
I relate to this so much. Music has a way of summoning emotion before language can catch up. My Spotify playlists often sketch the mood or scene long before the words arrive, a kindred process. I cannot wait to read this book 🩷