Writer Centric POV Playlist: You’re pumping yourself up to write THE chapter where the MC can FINALLY eff ish up

Introduction

THIS IS IT. The moment you’ve been waiting to write since page one. The chapter that’s been simmering in the back of your mind, fueling every scene leading up to this. Your MC has been pushed, broken, underestimated—and now? It’s their turn.

The gloves are off. The buildup is over. Whatever’s in their way? It’s about to get wrecked. And you? You’re here to make it happen. You need a playlist that surges through your veins, electrifies your fingers on the keyboard, and makes you feel like you’re right there in the fight.

So crank up the volume. Channel the energy. This is THE chapter. Let’s. Freaking. Go.

Scroll to the bottom for writing tips!

The Set List

1. Free Bird

Lynyrd Skynyrd Pronounced' Leh-'Nerd 'Skin-'Nerd

2. Thunderstruck

AC/DC The Razors Edge

3. Totentanz, S. 525

Krystian Zimerman, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa & Franz Liszt Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Totentanz

4. Black Skinhead

Kanye West Yeezus

5. Dark Feminine

Peachkka & Maijah Dark Feminine

6. APESHIT

THE CARTERS EVERYTHING IS LOVE

7. Mo Bamba

Sheck Wes MUDBOY

8. Money

Cardi B Money

9. FE!N (feat. Playboi Carti)

Travis Scott UTOPIA

10. See What I’ve Become

Zack Hemsey The Way

Writing Tips (Beyond Just Action Writing!)

Since I've already covered tips on writing action in my playlist blog post about "You’re drafting an epic showdown between your hero and their greatest foe," here are other ways to make this kind of chapter hit HARD:

1. Make It Personal

• This isn’t just a fight. This is payback, justice, or pure survival.

• The more emotional weight behind every hit, the more powerful the scene.

• Get into the why's. If the MC is furious, why? If they’re cold and controlled, why? Let their motivation seep into the way they fight.

2. Show Off Growth

• Make this the moment where readers see how far the MC has come.

• Compare their mindset, skill, or confidence now vs. where they started at the beginning of your story.

• Maybe before they hesitated—now? Nuh-UH. Not anymore!

3. Make It Hurt (For the MC or Their Foes)

• Even if they win, let the victory cost something.

• Maybe they lose control. Maybe they cross a line. Maybe the enemy gets in one last blow.

• Whatever happens, make sure this fight changes something.

4. Give One Unforgettable Line

• Whether it’s a battle cry, a quiet threat, or a full-on "You should have killed me when you had the chance" moment, give your MC a line that hits like a punch to the gut.

• Make it something that sticks with the reader long after the scene ends. Personal favorites:

  1. "The thing is, I am not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve." – The Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)

  2. "You have no idea what I’m capable of." – Wanda Maximoff, WandaVision (2021)

  3. "I am your reckoning." – Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher (books & show)

  4. "Say hello to my little friend!" – Tony Montana, Scarface (1983)

  5. "I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger." – Walter White, Breaking Bad (2011)

  6. "Consider this my resignation." – John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

  7. "If you come at the king, you best not miss." – Omar Little, The Wire (2002)

  8. "My turn." – Eleven, Stranger Things (2019)

  9. "I have nothing to prove to you." – Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel (2019)

  10. "I’m still standing." – Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (2010)

• Just make sure it has to do with the situation. There's that episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia where Mac is fighting robbers at a convenience store. He's saying cool things, but the rest of the gang critiques him on how it lands:

MAC

Walk away now, and I let you live... or stick around and repent for your sins.

ROBBER

You better step your a*s back.

MAC

And you better say "cheese."

ROBBER

Huh?

Mac scoops nacho cheese from the counter and uses it to take down the robber.

MAC

Crisis averted.

CHARLIE

Holy sh*t! Mac, that was amazing! Oh, my God.

MAC

Did you like my "say cheese" line?

CHARLIE

I didn't quite get that, if I'm being honest.

DEE

Yeah, I was a little bit confused by that as well.

MAC

It was a pun, 'cause I flung cheese in his face, you know?

DENNIS

No, I got that, but... Yeah, but-but that's not really a pun. No.

FRANK

No, if you... if you had taken his photograph, and then you flung cheese in his face...

DEE

There it is.

FRANK

...that would be a pun.

CHARLIE

Yeah, you're taking the guy's picture, you say, "Say cheese!"

DEE

That would've done it.

Don't be Mac.

5. Pacing: Make It BREATHE

• Let the chapter have peaks and valleys—all-out chaos isn’t as powerful without moments of tension in between.

• A knowing smile before the final strike. A pause where both sides realize what’s about to happen. A single breath before hell is unleashed.

• Those tiny, quiet beats? They make the action 10x more impactful.

Links to My Playlist Profiles

YouTube Music Profile  | Spotify Profile

Go forth and cause fictional mayhem,

Katherine Arkady