10 Songwriting Habits

Hello songwriting junkies!

I detest listicles and their clickbait intentions but I came upon a piece I wrote off the top of my head for Songwriting Magazine called “10 Key Phrases to Help You Tap into a Deeper Level of Songwriting Creativity.” The list is actually random brain farts 😜 that I didn’t think too much about. On the re-read however, I thought — ”Yeah!” So … I’m sharing with you. I hope you find something here that ups your game.

1. THE MOMENT

Whether you’re euphoric because he/she/they asked you out or devastated that he/she/they didn’t, document it immediately. There’s no better time to capture the feeling than when you’re actually feeling it. It’s never as fresh the following day.

2. VULNERABILITY

What hurts the most? You might not want to visit that pain, but you have to! It’s Songwriting 101. 

3. DETAIL

Roll up your sleeves and get dirty. Even if it’s unpleasant. Uncomfortable. Pleasant comfortable songs are yawning. I mean boring. It’s the messy minutia, not the clichés, that add color and texture, authenticity and believability. 

4. TRENDS

Algorithms are the new A&R. Pay attention to them. They matter. But don’t be their bitch. Pay more attention to the…

5. TRUTH

John Lennon said, “Tell the truth and make it rhyme.” This is ideal. But in my opinion, if it has to be one or the other, truth trumps rhyme. Rhyming just to rhyme is usually truth-adjacent. Curiously, when we access the PURE truth, it will rhyme anyway. Magical!

6. PERSONAL

It doesn’t matter how someone else would write it. Let them write it their way. Give your song your own unique spin. No one can do that as well as you.

7. CARE

Write about what you care about. Do I really have to explain this?

8. GET REAL

Shine a light on the stuff that makes life messy not on what makes life seem perfect. Social media has flooded us with false representations of the human condition. Let ‘em know it’s B.S. Listeners won’t feel so alone.

9. MOOD

Call me crazy but listening to another song-from-the-heart while you’re writing your own song-from-the-heart can draw you into that four-quadrant organ you’re trying to pry open. Don’t rip-off the song you’re “consulting” … just let it pull you in the right direction.

Last but definitely not least…

10. FORGET

Forget the rules. Forget about who’s gonna love it, who’s gonna hate it, who’s gonna cut it, what award it’s gonna win. It’s the times when you don’t have a plan…when you’re writing because you need to and it just feels right — when the words and melody are being channeled through you…like they have a mind of their own…that’s when know they’re money … regardless of the royalties. 😎

❤️

Hope that helped.

Happy Wednesday.

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