When I was a young boy of maybe three, my CD player was my best friend. After every song—by Paul McCartney, or Count Basie, or The Wiggles—I’d say, “again,” barely able to reach the table the CD player was sitting on. In some cases, I’d ask to play the same song five times in a row, but my parents had no problem pressing rewind—they knew I was thinking.

 

Combatting writer’s block today, I use the same method. Whether it’s writing a screenplay, poem, or short story, the ability to harness a song’s energy has been the holy grail to unlocking my creativity—I put my headphones on and run with it.