It seems paradoxical, but when artists are forced to work within severe limitations, it often leads to their best and most memorable works. Artists all know about this phenomenon, and so they often chase down self-imposed constraints, hoping to spur their creativity. For example, an entire album with only voice and ukulele.
When you're under the gun to produce a whole pile of work in a limited time, the deadline is itself a constraint that can spur your creativity. But there's another set of constraints that you should go ahead and adopt in such high-pressure circumstances: the constraints that correspond to your own personal limitations as an artist.
Instead of struggling to overcome your limitations, this is the time to embrace them. Instead of raging against the handicaps that keep you from reaching your goals, choose them as the constraints that define your style.
If you can't play fast to save your life, you can be the artist who does all slow-tempo songs.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Tip #14: Maybe it's complete already
Approaching the end of our series of 14-1/2 tips for writing quickly.
One of the secrets of artistic genius is knowing when to stop.
If you find yourself struggling to fill in the missing pieces of your song, it's time to think the unthinkable: maybe your song doesn't need that piece at all.
Trying playing through the song with just the pieces you have. Does it say what you need it to say? Does it fill its space effectively? If so, maybe you can stop writing and declare success. You might just happen to have a brilliantly enigmatic song with a daring and unconventional shape.
One of the secrets of artistic genius is knowing when to stop.
If you find yourself struggling to fill in the missing pieces of your song, it's time to think the unthinkable: maybe your song doesn't need that piece at all.
Trying playing through the song with just the pieces you have. Does it say what you need it to say? Does it fill its space effectively? If so, maybe you can stop writing and declare success. You might just happen to have a brilliantly enigmatic song with a daring and unconventional shape.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Tip #13: Roll dice
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
If decisions slow you down, try taking yourself out of the decision process. Write down your list of options and roll a die or flip a coin to choose among them.
If you think you need to manage every detail and carefully consider every decision, you might be surprised at how well things work out if you loosen your control of the process and let random chance be your collaborator.
If decisions slow you down, try taking yourself out of the decision process. Write down your list of options and roll a die or flip a coin to choose among them.
If you think you need to manage every detail and carefully consider every decision, you might be surprised at how well things work out if you loosen your control of the process and let random chance be your collaborator.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Tip #12: The buddy system
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
Nothing spurs your creativity like having a buddy or group of friends to share your works-in-progress with. Whether you meet every week, or check in on Facebook every day, you'll be highly motivated to have something new to show your friends each time. Sometimes that extra motivation is all you need to get over your temporary hurdles and get your song done.
One of the great things about the setup of the FAWM challenge is how easily you can share your songs online as soon as you get them done. Even the possibility of an audience — someone might come along and listen to your song online — provides an extra motivation to get something done.
Nothing spurs your creativity like having a buddy or group of friends to share your works-in-progress with. Whether you meet every week, or check in on Facebook every day, you'll be highly motivated to have something new to show your friends each time. Sometimes that extra motivation is all you need to get over your temporary hurdles and get your song done.
One of the great things about the setup of the FAWM challenge is how easily you can share your songs online as soon as you get them done. Even the possibility of an audience — someone might come along and listen to your song online — provides an extra motivation to get something done.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Tip #11: Set aside doubt and criticism
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
Nothing slows down the creative process like self-doubt and internal criticism. If doubts and critical thoughts insist on intruding while you're trying to write, just temporarily set them aside.
If it helps, take a sheet of paper, and write at the top "Questions to think about on March 1" (or pick another appropriate date). Keep this paper physically nearby, but at the outside edge of your creative workspace. When a doubt pops into your head, take the time to write it down on the sheet of paper. And then set it aside and get back to writing.
These thoughts don't mean to be destructive. They have an appropriate role and place in your life, but their appropriate place is outside of your creative work.
Nothing slows down the creative process like self-doubt and internal criticism. If doubts and critical thoughts insist on intruding while you're trying to write, just temporarily set them aside.
If it helps, take a sheet of paper, and write at the top "Questions to think about on March 1" (or pick another appropriate date). Keep this paper physically nearby, but at the outside edge of your creative workspace. When a doubt pops into your head, take the time to write it down on the sheet of paper. And then set it aside and get back to writing.
These thoughts don't mean to be destructive. They have an appropriate role and place in your life, but their appropriate place is outside of your creative work.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Tip #10: Repetition, repetition, repetition
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
What's the secret of writing catchy songs?
Repetition!
What makes a song easier for listeners to hear?
Repetition!
What makes a song quicker to write?
That's right — the answer is repetition!
Don't struggle to invent extra material just to fill up your song. Say what you need to say, and then find the best way to spread out that material over the space of the song. Look for ways to repeat and reuse words, phrases, riffs, chord lines, and hooks.
What's the secret of writing catchy songs?
Repetition!
What makes a song easier for listeners to hear?
Repetition!
What makes a song quicker to write?
That's right — the answer is repetition!
Don't struggle to invent extra material just to fill up your song. Say what you need to say, and then find the best way to spread out that material over the space of the song. Look for ways to repeat and reuse words, phrases, riffs, chord lines, and hooks.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tip #9: Collaborate
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
If you're racing to meet this year's FAWM challenge (writing 14-1/2 songs by February 29), the single easiest way to get there faster is to collaborate with other writers. If two or three of you work together on a song, that song provides each of you a full credit towards your FAWM quota.
It's so much faster, it might even feel like cheating. But it's not cheating; it's a way of getting the job done.
In a real-world situation where you have a recording session scheduled and you need to write an album's worth of songs quickly, pulling in collaborators is the rational thing to do. No one will deduct any points if you're not the sole songwriter on your album — but they sure will hold it against you if you give them an album of songs that aren't up to snuff.
Of course, collaboration has other advantages besides getting work done faster. You also get the unique results of two creative minds working together.
If you're racing to meet this year's FAWM challenge (writing 14-1/2 songs by February 29), the single easiest way to get there faster is to collaborate with other writers. If two or three of you work together on a song, that song provides each of you a full credit towards your FAWM quota.
It's so much faster, it might even feel like cheating. But it's not cheating; it's a way of getting the job done.
In a real-world situation where you have a recording session scheduled and you need to write an album's worth of songs quickly, pulling in collaborators is the rational thing to do. No one will deduct any points if you're not the sole songwriter on your album — but they sure will hold it against you if you give them an album of songs that aren't up to snuff.
Of course, collaboration has other advantages besides getting work done faster. You also get the unique results of two creative minds working together.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tip #8: Beat the clock
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
An athlete finds every possible way to squeeze fractions of a second out of the sprint from point A to point B. An extra tenth of a second could easily be the margin of victory.
Ordinarily, songwriting has no deadlines, and as a result it's often a lazy and sluggish event. But you can bring some of the athlete's competitive spirit into your songwriting. Work with a stopwatch, an hourglass, or a timer, and decide that you're going to beat the clock. Can you write 4 lines of lyrics in 3 minutes? You make up your own challenge, and then start the clock.
If you challenge your limits, you'll not only write faster, but you'll also bring more muscular energy into your songs.
An athlete finds every possible way to squeeze fractions of a second out of the sprint from point A to point B. An extra tenth of a second could easily be the margin of victory.
Ordinarily, songwriting has no deadlines, and as a result it's often a lazy and sluggish event. But you can bring some of the athlete's competitive spirit into your songwriting. Work with a stopwatch, an hourglass, or a timer, and decide that you're going to beat the clock. Can you write 4 lines of lyrics in 3 minutes? You make up your own challenge, and then start the clock.
If you challenge your limits, you'll not only write faster, but you'll also bring more muscular energy into your songs.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Tip #7: Write two or three songs in parallel
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
If you're trying to write a whole pile of songs, you don't have to write them one at a time. Try writing two or three songs — ones that are similar in character or cover similar themes — at the same time. Leftover pieces from song #1 might find a perfect place in song #2, so you end up with fewer ideas thrown away.
If you're trying to write a whole pile of songs, you don't have to write them one at a time. Try writing two or three songs — ones that are similar in character or cover similar themes — at the same time. Leftover pieces from song #1 might find a perfect place in song #2, so you end up with fewer ideas thrown away.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Tip #6: Stand up! Sit down!
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
To keep from getting bogged down in the writing process, change your physical position and location frequently — at least every half hour. Stand up, sit down, walk around. Work at a desk or table, then work with your instrument, then work at your computer.
Different locations, different postures, and different writing tools each lend themselves to different patterns of thought. By moving around and changing things up, you give more parts of your brain a chance to participate in the writing process.
To keep from getting bogged down in the writing process, change your physical position and location frequently — at least every half hour. Stand up, sit down, walk around. Work at a desk or table, then work with your instrument, then work at your computer.
Different locations, different postures, and different writing tools each lend themselves to different patterns of thought. By moving around and changing things up, you give more parts of your brain a chance to participate in the writing process.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Tip #5: Follow an example
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
Pick a good song that has the same tempo, length, and feel as the song you want to write. Then cut your example song into pieces, and replace each piece with an equivalent piece of your own creation. You'll end up with your own notes, lyrics, chords, and rhythms, in a song that's exactly the same shape as your example song.
How does the example song help if you write all new music and lyrics anyway? It helps by giving you a very precise to-do list, so none of your songwriting effort is wasted.
Pick a good song that has the same tempo, length, and feel as the song you want to write. Then cut your example song into pieces, and replace each piece with an equivalent piece of your own creation. You'll end up with your own notes, lyrics, chords, and rhythms, in a song that's exactly the same shape as your example song.
How does the example song help if you write all new music and lyrics anyway? It helps by giving you a very precise to-do list, so none of your songwriting effort is wasted.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Tip #4: Work out of order
Continuing our series of tips for writing quickly.
It's often faster to write a song out of order. You don't have to write beginning to end, the way the audience listens to the song. You can write in any order that makes sense for your writing process. You can even start by writing random bits of stuff and plan to put them in order in a later stage of writing.
It's often faster to write a song out of order. You don't have to write beginning to end, the way the audience listens to the song. You can write in any order that makes sense for your writing process. You can even start by writing random bits of stuff and plan to put them in order in a later stage of writing.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Tip #3: Think of three options
The third in our series of 14-1/2 tips for writing quickly.
At every creative decision point, think of at least three options before you move forward. It might seem like a waste of time and effort to come up with multiple ideas when you only need one. But think of it as looking around at an intersection before choosing which way to go. A few seconds spent considering your options could save you several minutes of walking in the wrong direction.
At every creative decision point, think of at least three options before you move forward. It might seem like a waste of time and effort to come up with multiple ideas when you only need one. But think of it as looking around at an intersection before choosing which way to go. A few seconds spent considering your options could save you several minutes of walking in the wrong direction.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Tip #2: Hold on loosely
The second in our series of 14-1/2 tips for writing quickly.
Don't get yourself fully committed to any one idea you're working on. If you're stuck on an idea, and the idea starts to sink, then you'll sink with it. Sometimes the song you're working on just isn't ready to move forward. If it doesn't want to move, it won't help to poke it and push it!
It's better to stay light on your feet and willing to jump to another idea. You can come back to this first idea some other day.
Similarly, in the middle of a song, don't get stuck on any one approach. If the music isn't working out, start over with a different tempo or a different rhythmic structure. If you can't find a word that rhymes, rephrase the previous line so it's easier to rhyme with.
Writing a song is like solving a puzzle, and until the puzzle is solved, all of the pieces have to be free to move.
Don't get yourself fully committed to any one idea you're working on. If you're stuck on an idea, and the idea starts to sink, then you'll sink with it. Sometimes the song you're working on just isn't ready to move forward. If it doesn't want to move, it won't help to poke it and push it!
It's better to stay light on your feet and willing to jump to another idea. You can come back to this first idea some other day.
Similarly, in the middle of a song, don't get stuck on any one approach. If the music isn't working out, start over with a different tempo or a different rhythmic structure. If you can't find a word that rhymes, rephrase the previous line so it's easier to rhyme with.
Writing a song is like solving a puzzle, and until the puzzle is solved, all of the pieces have to be free to move.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Quick writing tip #1: Start with the easy one
If you have a list of ideas, go for the easiest one first. Don't worry if it seems too easy, or if it's based on a cheap joke, or if people might mock it for being too simple. It's just your first song, after all. It's the warmup lap. You're going to write plenty more.
In the middle of working on a song, if you're trying to get one piece of the song together, go with the quickest and easiest solution. If this spot turns out to be the weak link in the song, you can try a different approach later. But often in songwriting the simplest answer turns out to be the best one.
In the middle of working on a song, if you're trying to get one piece of the song together, go with the quickest and easiest solution. If this spot turns out to be the weak link in the song, you can try a different approach later. But often in songwriting the simplest answer turns out to be the best one.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
14-1/2 tips on writing fast and not getting bogged down
For those of you participating in this year's February Album Writing Month Challenge, watch this blog for a series of tips on how to write quickly and avoid getting bogged down in indecision.
And if you're not a FAWM participant, these tips might still be helpful. Writing fast is the way to come up with your best and freshest material. If you have to throw quality out the window during your quick-writing sessions, you can pull it back in later, and spend as much time as you need on revising and refining your songs. Even if you take an extravagant amount of time in the cleanup phase, you still save time overall by using the quick-and-dirty approach to writing your first draft.
Tip #1 arrives on February 1!
While you're waiting, here are Robin Frederick's helpful tips on writer's block.
And if you're not a FAWM participant, these tips might still be helpful. Writing fast is the way to come up with your best and freshest material. If you have to throw quality out the window during your quick-writing sessions, you can pull it back in later, and spend as much time as you need on revising and refining your songs. Even if you take an extravagant amount of time in the cleanup phase, you still save time overall by using the quick-and-dirty approach to writing your first draft.
Tip #1 arrives on February 1!
While you're waiting, here are Robin Frederick's helpful tips on writer's block.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Seven ways to start verse 1
Do you sometimes get stuck trying to write the first line of lyrics for verse 1? You want to make a good first impression, so these few words carry extra weight. But don't let the pressure weigh you down while you're writing! Just try something and see how it works out.
Here are a few suggestions to help you get your pen moving:
1. Start with the title. Go straight to the main idea (and hook) of the song. Maybe you don't even need a chorus.
London calling to the faraway towns...
Let's dance. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues...
2. Describe a scene. Use descriptive imagery that sets up the song's emotional tone.
If you see a faded sign by the side of the road...
Steve walks warily down the street, his brim pulled way down low...
3. Introduce a person, place, or thing.
Just a small-town girl living in a lonely world...
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold...
4. Issue an admonition, a command, a plea, a threat, or an accusation. The focus shifts to the character your narrator is talking to.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad...
Don't pull your love out on me, baby...
5. Ask a question. The listener immediately wonders about how you might answer the question.
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call?
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
6. Make a startling suggestion or an outrageous claim. It grabs the listener's attention; they think, "Wait a minute, that can't be right." They'll tune in to see where you're going with this.
Imagine there's no heaven...
In your mind you have abilities you know/ To telepath messages through the vast unknown...
7. Start out with a paradox or contradiction, or two elements that don't seem to go together. The listener will follow along to see whether you can make sense out of the contradiction.
I am he as you are he as you are me...
Oranges on apple trees/ Birds that mate with bumblebees...
Need some more ideas and examples? Pick a favorite album, and take a look at its lyric sheet. How did they start verse 1? And did that first line help draw you into the song?
Here are a few suggestions to help you get your pen moving:
1. Start with the title. Go straight to the main idea (and hook) of the song. Maybe you don't even need a chorus.
London calling to the faraway towns...
Let's dance. Put on your red shoes and dance the blues...
2. Describe a scene. Use descriptive imagery that sets up the song's emotional tone.
If you see a faded sign by the side of the road...
Steve walks warily down the street, his brim pulled way down low...
3. Introduce a person, place, or thing.
Just a small-town girl living in a lonely world...
There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold...
4. Issue an admonition, a command, a plea, a threat, or an accusation. The focus shifts to the character your narrator is talking to.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad...
Don't pull your love out on me, baby...
5. Ask a question. The listener immediately wonders about how you might answer the question.
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call?
Did we fly to the moon too soon?
6. Make a startling suggestion or an outrageous claim. It grabs the listener's attention; they think, "Wait a minute, that can't be right." They'll tune in to see where you're going with this.
Imagine there's no heaven...
In your mind you have abilities you know/ To telepath messages through the vast unknown...
7. Start out with a paradox or contradiction, or two elements that don't seem to go together. The listener will follow along to see whether you can make sense out of the contradiction.
I am he as you are he as you are me...
Oranges on apple trees/ Birds that mate with bumblebees...
Need some more ideas and examples? Pick a favorite album, and take a look at its lyric sheet. How did they start verse 1? And did that first line help draw you into the song?
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
How to frame your new songs before you write them
My last several posts have described what you can do in general to get ready to write a lot of songs in a short time. But you can also start working on individual songs, without actually starting to write them. I call this work framing a song, because it's kind of like putting together a picture frame before you start painting a picture.
Framing means getting a clear idea of what you want a song to accomplish. Creating the frame, in a way, is like formulating a question, and the song itself, when you finally write it, is the answer to the question.
Framing can take many different forms. You might have a song title in mind. You might have an experience or emotion that you want to convey in the form of a song. You might have a technical musical goal, such as writing in a musical style that you've never worked in before. You might gather a few pictures and create a little collage that conveys a mood that you want to translate into a song. Or you might have a specific song that you like, or a group of songs, that you want to try to imitate without copying directly.
Ideally, framing means gathering together your best inspiration, love, and enthusiasm into an organized space where you can use its energy to help forge your newest creation.
If you've decided to pursue the FAWM 2012 goal of writing 15 songs, here's an example of how you could start framing your songs now so you'll be ready to start writing on February 1.
If you've fully framed a song before you start to write it, the music and lyrics often fall into place very quickly. In practice, the framing — getting clear on what you want to write — usually take more time than the writing itself. That's true whether you do it formally on paper or whether you just muddle through it while you're trying to write the song.
February 1 is just a few weeks away, so it's not likely that you'll get 15 songs fully framed by then. It's okay if you don't — the point of this exercise is just to give you a head start.
Framing means getting a clear idea of what you want a song to accomplish. Creating the frame, in a way, is like formulating a question, and the song itself, when you finally write it, is the answer to the question.
Framing can take many different forms. You might have a song title in mind. You might have an experience or emotion that you want to convey in the form of a song. You might have a technical musical goal, such as writing in a musical style that you've never worked in before. You might gather a few pictures and create a little collage that conveys a mood that you want to translate into a song. Or you might have a specific song that you like, or a group of songs, that you want to try to imitate without copying directly.
Ideally, framing means gathering together your best inspiration, love, and enthusiasm into an organized space where you can use its energy to help forge your newest creation.
If you've decided to pursue the FAWM 2012 goal of writing 15 songs, here's an example of how you could start framing your songs now so you'll be ready to start writing on February 1.
- Count out 15 sheets of blank paper. (If you use them up, you can add more sheets later.)
- On each sheet of paper, try to write down at least one idea or goal that could serve as the starting point of a new song.
- Look through the sheets of paper a few times over the next several days, and see if you can add ideas, words, images, or musical strategies to flesh out each song frame. (To stick with the rules of FAWM, don't start writing actual lyrics or music until 2/1.)
- Write a new song that has the same good qualities as another song you like
- Write a song about a specific topic or a personal experience
- Write a song using an idea or fragment of content from your notebook
If you've fully framed a song before you start to write it, the music and lyrics often fall into place very quickly. In practice, the framing — getting clear on what you want to write — usually take more time than the writing itself. That's true whether you do it formally on paper or whether you just muddle through it while you're trying to write the song.
February 1 is just a few weeks away, so it's not likely that you'll get 15 songs fully framed by then. It's okay if you don't — the point of this exercise is just to give you a head start.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Get ready for FAWM: Do a dry run
Suppose you've gotten all of your tools together and prepared your space for the FAWM songwriting challenge. How do you know if you're really ready for February 1? You do a dry run.
A dry run means that you send the plane up in the air and drop an empty bombshell on a sample target. You run through all the scene changes and lighting cues, start to finish, in an empty theater. In songwriting, a dry run means that you go through all the motions of songwriting and create a little sample song.
Your sample song doesn't have to be any good, and it can be very short. For example, you could write one 8-bar verse and a 4-bar chorus, just a little fragment of a song. The point isn't the song itself, it's proving that you can go through all of the steps of picking an idea, writing lyrics, writing a melody, writing chords, and, if recording is part of your process, recording the completed song.
(This song can't count towards your FAWM total, so don't use one of your best ideas. Use a throwaway idea.)
Along the way, everything works. You don't freeze up when you have to pick a rhyme. Your musical instrument works, there's ink in the pen, the recording software capture audio correctly. If something needs a little troubleshooting, it's better that you're doing it now, when the official clock isn't ticking.
A dry run means that you send the plane up in the air and drop an empty bombshell on a sample target. You run through all the scene changes and lighting cues, start to finish, in an empty theater. In songwriting, a dry run means that you go through all the motions of songwriting and create a little sample song.
Your sample song doesn't have to be any good, and it can be very short. For example, you could write one 8-bar verse and a 4-bar chorus, just a little fragment of a song. The point isn't the song itself, it's proving that you can go through all of the steps of picking an idea, writing lyrics, writing a melody, writing chords, and, if recording is part of your process, recording the completed song.
(This song can't count towards your FAWM total, so don't use one of your best ideas. Use a throwaway idea.)
Along the way, everything works. You don't freeze up when you have to pick a rhyme. Your musical instrument works, there's ink in the pen, the recording software capture audio correctly. If something needs a little troubleshooting, it's better that you're doing it now, when the official clock isn't ticking.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Get ready for FAWM: Get your stuff together
If you're planning to sign up for February Album Writing Month (http://fawm.org), or if you have some other reason to write a whole pile of songs, you can prepare by getting your stuff together. This might include finding tools, preparing equipment, clearing a workspace, and gathering other resources.
Different songwriters' work habits vary, so there is no single checklist of songwriting tools. Use these question to help you think of what you might need to get ready:
Different songwriters' work habits vary, so there is no single checklist of songwriting tools. Use these question to help you think of what you might need to get ready:
- Will you write down lyrics with a pen or pencil, or on a computer? Do you have a good pen at hand? Where is the pencil sharpener? Do you need to clear some table space for your laptop?
- Will you record yourself as part of the writing process? If you'll use recording software, does it need to be updated? Do you need to pick a microphone, set up a mic stand, or find a mic cable? If you'll use a handheld recorder, where will you place it while you're recording? Do you have a spare battery? Do you have headphones handy?
- Will you use music paper to write down your melody? Do you need a clipboard?
- Where are your notebooks of song ideas? What fragments of lyrics do you have sitting around?
- Will you use a rhyming dictionary?
- Have you signed up for FAWM? Have you bookmarked the fawm.org website? Have you bookmarked this blog? What other websites might be handy to have at hand during your songwriting process?
- What musical instruments will you use for songwriting and for recording demos? Are your instruments all set up and ready to go?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Get ready for FAWM: Picture yourself writing a song
Suppose you sign up for February Album Writing Month 2012 (http://fawm.org). The rules say that you can't start writing your songs until February 1. Does that mean you're stuck twiddling your thumbs until then? Not at all! There's a lot you do to get ready. Without writing a single line of lyrics or a note of melody, you can get yourself super-prepared to write a pile of songs.
What happens if you don't do any preparation ahead of time? In most cases you end up doing the preparation anyway, while the clock ticks through the hours that you thought you would spend writing.
Some FAWMers will spend the evening of February 1, in their first songwriting session, getting the guitar tuned, finding a cord that works, clearing piles of papers off the desk, looking for their old notebook of song ideas, updating their recording software, and finally thinking about what they want to write their first song about. But none of those chores involve any actual writing, so you could just as well do them on January 31... or on January 11, for that matter.
Some FAWMers will spend the evening of February 1, in their first songwriting session, getting the guitar tuned, finding a cord that works, clearing piles of papers off the desk, looking for their old notebook of song ideas, updating their recording software, and finally thinking about what they want to write their first song about. But none of those chores involve any actual writing, so you could just as well do them on January 31... or on January 11, for that matter.
Start tonight with this short mental exercise. Close your eyes and imagine your first songwriting session. Imagine it in vivid detail. The session is extremely productive, and you write a brilliant song, of course, but that's not the point of this exercise.
Think through the tiny practical details of your songwriting session. What room are you in? What distractions do you face? What do you do first? Where do you sit? What pen do you use? Which guitar pick? How do you decide what to write about? Spend at least a full minute letting your imagination run through things with this level of detail.
Think through the tiny practical details of your songwriting session. What room are you in? What distractions do you face? What do you do first? Where do you sit? What pen do you use? Which guitar pick? How do you decide what to write about? Spend at least a full minute letting your imagination run through things with this level of detail.
Odds are that you'll see at least six different ways that you're not fully ready for your first songwriting session. You have tools to prepare, stuff to clear out of the way, and some thinking to do about what you might write your song about.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Get ready for FAWM: Set your expectations aside
This advice is geared towards people planning to participate in FAWM 2012 (http://fawm.org), but the same principles apply to any creative effort.
Perhaps the biggest thing that would keep people from writing 15 songs in a month is that they're trying to do too good a job. In general, probably the #1 thing that keeps would-be artists paralyzed is the misguided worry about whether their work is "good enough."
It's perfectly understandable that you want to create something good (or even great). But there's a problem: your mind can't be in creating-something-new mode and in worrying-about-quality mode at the same time. At any given moment, you have to choose one or the other.
Many songwriters find that writing song is a slow, tortured process. For them, it takes a long time to write a song! But in fact they're spending only about 10% of that time in productive writing. The other 90% of their time is lost to worrying. This means that you can write up to ten times faster if you're willing to temporarily forget about whether your songs are good or not. You can write up to ten times as many songs in the same length of time.
So plan on writing 15 quick songs in February, and just know that some of them will be better and some will be worse. And that's fine. Your job isn't to make them come out good. Your job, if you choose to do it, is to write 15 songs by February 29.
Trust your creative process. It will always create the best results that it can, without any need for you to micromanage things.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Get ready for FAWM 2012
February Album Writing Month (http://fawm.org) is coming in a few weeks. This year's challenge is to write a 14-1/2 song "album" in only 29 days.
(What's a half of a song? To avoid splitting hairs, I'm rounding up the goal to 15 songs.)
For songwriters who can spare the time, I recommend participating in FAWM. It provides a structure and a deadline to force you to produce something. Along the way, you'll blast through the creative barriers that often stop you from writing.
If you think it would be pretty cool to write 15 new songs, but you're not sure you can do it in one month, watch this blog for tips and suggestions. I hope to help you get off to a quick start, avoid the common creative pitfalls, and get songs finished faster than ever before.
And if you're gearing up to write and record a real album instead of a FAWM "album," the same advice applies -- you just have more at stake in the results. Stay tuned!
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