A♥ Get into the mood

A♥ Ace of Hearts in The Rock Songwriter’s Deck: 52 Ways to Write a Song

What is your starting point when you write a song? The Ace of Hearts suggests that, this week, you start with a specific mood or emotion.

Pick a feeling that is familiar to you, so you'll be sure to find something to say about it.

After you decide what mood or emotion you want to work with, try to bring that mood into your body and into your creative workspace. Start coming up with (and writing down) images, phrases, and musical elements that express that mood.

After you've gathered a fairly large collection of raw material, you can start to shape it into a song. Look for a key image or experience to anchor your song, or pick an evocative phrase that could serve as the title.

As you continue to build the song, make sure every new line and every new element fits with and supports the mood you've chosen.

(And when you're done writing the song, remember to shake off that mood and return to mundane life. As the actors say, "It's called acting." You have to go there in order to create something artful and meaningful, but you don't have to live it.)