Let's Talk Taylor Swift

 

Now, I could contribute to the debates going on that are revolving around Taylor Swift and the fact that she's supportive of her boyfriend (who also supports her), attending each of his games and the Superbowl (for which he's voiced gratitude that she comes to each one), and how some people (mainly men but also women) are annoyed with that and very possibly setting bad examples for their daughters/nieces/granddaughters with the things they are saying and demonstrating in regard to Taylor Swift.

But I'm not going to. Others have done that so much better than I could. And, hell, let's face it...that opening probably contributed to the debate and made it clear which side I'm on with all that anyway.

This post has a different purpose, though, and it doesn't matter if you like her music or even her. Maybe you took Kanye's side in that whole mess. Maybe you like Katy Perry more. Maybe you didn't like that she dated certain celebrities (i.e. Loki). Maybe you don't like her politics or her support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Maybe you dislike her bangs, her size, her fame, her music. Maybe you hate it how the cameras pan to her every time her boyfriend makes a touchdown.

Again, none of that matters, so forget it. Put it to the side.

I will add that I'm not a super fan of Taylor Swift. I could never pass as a Swiftie.

I wouldn't even necessarily call myself a fan. That's not to say I dislike her for any reason. I enjoy a lot of her songs. I made a Taylor Swift playlist on my personal Spotify account (I just hardly listen to it).

I love her Folklore album, which is an album that truly demonstrates her songwriting skills. I even recently watched her documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessons on Disney+.  I used to pen song lyrics (without music), and one day, if one of my songs is sung by a professional singer, that'd be dream come true, so I enjoyed the documentary. I liked hearing the inspiration behind the songs, and her performance of each showed her vocal talent. My favorite song on the album is "My Tears Ricochet."

I've even watched her documentary Miss Americana more times than I could actually tell you.

(Just like Gaga: Five Foot Two...Lady Gaga's documentary leading up to her iconic Superbowl performance that I will argue is THE BEST Superbowl performance of all time. And, yes, you could totally call me a super fan of Lady Gaga.)

Why have I watched Miss Americana so much? Because movies and documentaries about singers inspire me as a creator. 

So, now that all of that is out of the way, let me finally get to the point of this post...how Taylor Swift has inspired me as a writer.

It's probably not how you think, either, meaning her music.

Nope, it's decisions and steps she's taken in her business, and in her personal life.

1. ​In 2015, I was watching The View when they started to discuss Taylor Swift as a topic and how she'd purchased specific domain names in her name that could be used for adult websites. This was an incredible move on her part to protect her name, her image, and herself.

Ever since then, that would pop into my head at random.

Then finally...it happened...

I was able to use that in a story (a novelette spin-off to my Secret Book Baby series). In the story, my FMC (female main character) finds out that the MMC (male main character) had bought every domain name in her name a long time ago in order to protect her. Then she ends up doing the same thing to protect him. It's an intense story, and possibly my favorite out of the spin-offs I've written (or have plans to write).

2. While watching Miss Americana the first time, I found out about the time Taylor was sexually assaulted by an ex-DJ. The man sued her for 3 million dollars, alleging wrongful termination following the incident that happened in 2013. In response, Taylor countersued him for $1.00. She won.

That stuck with me. So much so that in 2020, when I was writing my (currently unpublished) contemporary romance Let It Charm You, I used it. In the story, the MMC finds out his sister had been sexually assaulted when they were young. The man who did it had worked for the MMC's company and sues the MMC for wrongful termination. The MMC countersues for, you guessed it, $1.00.

You never know what will inspire you or make it into one of your books.

So, yeah, while I may not call myself a fan, I look up to Taylor Swift because she's damn smart and knows what she's doing. That is admirable.