Adrian Walker and the InkWalker Collective

Once upon a time in a twitterverse very close to home, I got chatting to Adrian Walker about music and how we both use it to fuel our creativity. Together, we decided to start a Spotify playlist project by writers, for writers. A project that would see great creative minds pool the tracks that fuel their most productive moods. 

Thus, The InkWalker Collective was born.

Since launching we’ve gathered a gang of talented and wonderful wordy friends and released some great playlists. Out of pure curiosity I sent my co-conspirator some specific questions about just how much of an influence music has been on his writing.

Adrian Walker is the author of many books, including The End of the World Running Club, The End of the World Survivors Club and The Human Son.  

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So, Adrian, do you listen to music while writing?

All the time, but only when I’m actually writing. I need silence when I’m thinking, making notes or staring. I do quite a lot of staring.

When you’re writing, do you listen to songs with lyrics or are you mainly on the instrumental side?

Mostly instrumental - drones, ambient, industrial and film scores. But I’ll make an exception for Phoebe Bridgers.

Do you find your choice in music changes depending on what you're writing?

Yes. Last year I wrote a coming-of-age story about a 15-year-old boy from a broken home and his savant sister. It was set in Houston, where I lived for a short time, so I was listening to a lot of southern gothic stuff and getting all nostalgic for Texas. 

And now?

Right now I’m writing about a haunted house, and my playlist has been taken over by early Aphex Twin.

Can you tell me something about the music you listened to while writing The Human Son? Was it very different to your musical choices when writing any of your other books?

Not so different, although it was mostly ambient and I discovered a couple of new favourite artists. I was looking for anything brooding and full of potential energy.

The Human Son features a race of creatures known as the Erta, who wipe out humankind in order to save the planet Earth. Later, they raise a single human boy in an attempt to determine whether or not humans should be reintroduced as a species. Ima is the Erta assigned to this challenging task.

If you could share one track that sums up Ima, what would it be and why? 

Steep Hills of Vicodin Tears by A Winged Victory for the Sullen. I see her on her horse looking out across the Swedish coastline whenever I hear it.

That’s an emotive image. At what stage in the writing process did you find the track? Did it help you to write her, or was it a retrospective perfect fit?

I found it midway through the book, and it absolutely framed the scene I was writing. I then listened to it whenever I needed to connect with her.

So the track became a reference or anchor-point? That’s cool. Can you tell us anything about your current project..?

See above! It’s a haunted house in France and I’m having lots of fun with it!

Ok, finally, we created 10 playlists for The InkWalker Collective. Do you have a favourite?

I like them all, and I especially like your choices in ‘Uplifting’, particularly ’Sogno di Volare’. Current favourite, though, is ‘Meaningful & Emotional’…although I think we should change that name.

You came up with that name!

I know. We should change it. 

Naming of playlists aside, you can find out more about Adrian and his books at www.adrianjwalker.com 

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Subscribe to The InkWalker Collective playlists by searching in Spotify, or following the links to the playlists themselves here.