Thoughts on process and frequency of writing?

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azraelswings

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How often do you write? What does everyone think of the "wait until you're inspired" and "write daily, regardless of inspiration" schools of thought? I've been experimenting with approaches, and wonder what everyone thinks?

I'm currently trying to search for inspiration and write something every day. If nothing else, it is producing good ideas.

Personally, I think that writing frequently is good for learning the craft. When we learn to play an instrument, we practice every day. It makes equal sense to me to practice writing every day.
 
Ah, yes.... do a seach of the bbs. You'll find that this question has been asked several times (about a month ago was the last time).

But to answer that, I write something everyday, even it it's not lyrics. It helps me keep the process strong for me.

Writing actual lyrics, I do when the inspiration strikes.
 
Rokket said:
Ah, yes.... do a seach of the bbs. You'll find that this question has been asked several times (about a month ago was the last time).
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Hmmm . . . Mayhaps a poll is in ordere . . .
 
azraelswings said:
Hmmm . . . Mayhaps a poll is in ordere . . .
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I haven't seen a poll on it. Perhaps you are on to something...
 
I think a poll would be cool too....I write down ideas constantly...from a sentence someones says to an object that suddenly has a whole new look to it...And oddly enough a new song pops out every wk to 3 wks....but getting them right..AND finished....arrgh...that can be months...i even have a couple that laid for years before I finished them.... :D
 
I'm one who thinks you need to stretch your creative chops every day. If I can't find something new in the air, I'll try a re-write on an song I've previously written or work on a new chord progression or make a list of subjects that may be interesting to write about.

When I've read about succesful writers (from tin pan alley to Brill building to the Beatles and beyond) some of the most succesful writers repeatedly indicate that they "force" themselves to write something every day.

The old cliche' that writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration holds much truth!

I just saw a video clip (many years old) of a young Paul Simon - in which he says something to the effect - When you're young you tend to write about personal experiance, and there is plenty to write about. After you achieve some success you need to find more creative things to write about, because nobody wants to hear about "I just moved into a big house"

This is much like waiting for inspiration - if life (or whatever your muse is)don't give you something to write about, you need to look around, watch listen, read, and something will give you an idea.
 
mikeh said:
I'm one who thinks you need to stretch your creative chops every day. If I can't find something new in the air, I'll try a re-write on an song I've previously written or work on a new chord progression or make a list of subjects that may be interesting to write about.

When I've read about succesful writers (from tin pan alley to Brill building to the Beatles and beyond) some of the most succesful writers repeatedly indicate that they "force" themselves to write something every day.

The old cliche' that writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration holds much truth!

I just saw a video clip (many years old) of a young Paul Simon - in which he says something to the effect - When you're young you tend to write about personal experiance, and there is plenty to write about. After you achieve some success you need to find more creative things to write about, because nobody wants to hear about "I just moved into a big house"

This is much like waiting for inspiration - if life (or whatever your muse is)don't give you something to write about, you need to look around, watch listen, read, and something will give you an idea.
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Good job nailing that!
 
mikeh said:
I'm one who thinks you need to stretch your creative chops every day. If I can't find something new in the air, I'll try a re-write on an song I've previously written or work on a new chord progression or make a list of subjects that may be interesting to write about.
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Agreed. But it's more fun to goof off and create songs you know are going to suck just for the sheer fun of driving people nuts.

For example, I once recorded a cover of "It's not that easy being green", complete with the Kermit impersonation. And I make it a point to do a gag vocal track on most of my songs in Muppet/South Park/Beavis & Butthead voices, depending on my mood.
 
mikeh said:
I'm one who thinks you need to stretch your creative chops every day. If I can't find something new in the air, I'll try a re-write on an song I've previously written or work on a new chord progression or make a list of subjects that may be interesting to write about.

When I've read about succesful writers (from tin pan alley to Brill building to the Beatles and beyond) some of the most succesful writers repeatedly indicate that they "force" themselves to write something every day.

The old cliche' that writing is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration holds much truth!

I just saw a video clip (many years old) of a young Paul Simon - in which he says something to the effect - When you're young you tend to write about personal experiance, and there is plenty to write about. After you achieve some success you need to find more creative things to write about, because nobody wants to hear about "I just moved into a big house"

This is much like waiting for inspiration - if life (or whatever your muse is)don't give you something to write about, you need to look around, watch listen, read, and something will give you an idea.
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Here, here! Really though, I find that writing daily is the way to better songwriting. I've only recently begun songwriting, but with every song I write I can see growth, and that's the real purpose of writing daily. If I write a song every 2 days (for example), many of them probably won't be so good that I'll want to share them, but at the very least they help me practice the craft. I think its very important, especially because I always find myself coming up with concepts. I've developed 6-7 ideas for concept works that I've put on the back burner because my songwriting chops just aren't up to it.

Sometimes I wonder how the first song written by any of the great writers turned out.
 
This is going to give away my age, but when I was a kid there was a brand new toy on teh market called Rubik's Cube. I worked on mine every single day, and eventually managed to solve the first layer. I kept working on it every day for months, trying to solve the second layer.

Then guess what happened.

I solved the second layer in my sleep. No joke. I woke up with solution in my head, ran to my Rubik's Cube, and solved the second layer like I'd known it for years.

I 've had similar experiences w/ the video game Tetris. If i play it for a few days I find that any time my mind isn't engaged in something it begins working out Tetris puzzles and fitting pieces together.

Songwriting is similar: for my songwriting to be at its best I have to keep my brain actively engaged in working out the puzzles of songwriting every day.

A
 
I agree with Aaron. I sit in my room every day and play the guitar and write. A lot of the time nothing comes or when it does it is rubbish and I discard it. Sometimes I have a piece of music and I am determined to write lyrics for it but they turn out crap again. And then, I get an idea and within 25 mins I have the whole song.

Then comes the editing, arranging and listening, rearranging, re-edtiting etc.

I remember someone saying once that "the missing chord only comes to you when your fingers are bleeding with the amount of practice you have put in".


I think being a (good) songwriter is similar to being a top class athelete. They do start off with genetic talent but they can only make the best of their genetic talent by training every single day.

Wilko
New Zealand is God Zone (It is Bluff Oyster season and I am in paradise)
 
wilko - I love oysters too.

I prefer to take long breaks - months - do completely different things, seems much easier when I come back to it. Of course I might be producing crap :D
 
wilko said:
I agree with Aaron. I sit in my room every day and play the guitar and write. A lot of the time nothing comes or when it does it is rubbish and I discard it. Sometimes I have a piece of music and I am determined to write lyrics for it but they turn out crap again. And then, I get an idea and within 25 mins I have the whole song.

Then comes the editing, arranging and listening, rearranging, re-edtiting etc.

I remember someone saying once that "the missing chord only comes to you when your fingers are bleeding with the amount of practice you have put in".


I think being a (good) songwriter is similar to being a top class athelete. They do start off with genetic talent but they can only make the best of their genetic talent by training every single day.

Wilko
New Zealand is God Zone (It is Bluff Oyster season and I am in paradise)
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I have a song that I posted in here that's 23 years old. I never finished it. I have a whole CD done with songs that I wrote throughout last year. So for me, it comes in stages too.

I may not write a "song" for weeks or months, but I write something everyday. I've been keeping a journal ever since I started recording. It gets an entry everyday, whether it's just my thoughts, or a song idea, or a complete song. I keep my mind active that way...
 
MEMO: Keep pad and pen next to bed,in all coat pockets,in your autos..I even have one in the shed..pocket recorders are great to keep all those 1st impressive sounds and tempo...and the lyrics..faster than writing...If someone actually listened to mine..and I have several hundred....they would think I was on something....noises....Have you ever heard the horrid sound of a Throat Geetar?....... :D
 
true-eurt said:
MEMO: Keep pad and pen next to bed,in all coat pockets,in your autos..I even have one in the shed..pocket recorders are great to keep all those 1st impressive sounds and tempo...and the lyrics..faster than writing...If someone actually listened to mine..and I have several hundred....they would think I was on something....noises....Have you ever heard the horrid sound of a Throat Geetar?....... :D
Click to expand...
Not much more horrid than the human beat boxes (although some of those guys could imitate a drum kit almost too realistically, it was scary!).

A pocket recorder is a good idea. I used to do that, but I never actually pulled it out of my pocket and recorded anything. Mostly because ideas would hit me in the most inopertune times and I couldn't do it (in public, during a military operation, etc...).
 
I have a single notebook that I carry w/ me EVERYWHERE! My wife thinks it's funny.... We'll be leaving for a night out or something and I'll have to run back in for my notebook. Song ideas are very fleeting things and if you don't write it down, trust me, you'll forget it.
I also call home and sing melodies into my answering machine all the time. Sometimes my wife answers and I say "Quick, before I forget this.... hang up and don't answer it next time; I have to leave a message!"

My wife thinks I'm a geek.

A
 
I think you have to compose days/weeks after something special emerges. At least I have to play around with chords week or two, and think composing as my goal... Meaning that I learn to find chords quickly as I image them... I must also think only in terms of composing, so that I dont start to make my song too early
on computer. My method is to compose the basic chord structure and melody on acustic guitar, and after all is clear I program structure on computer and record guitar and vocals..And start to build on that...:)
 
Sometimes I write several songs a week, sometimes a month goes by without writing anything because I will be working on another skill (blues playing for example). I've always thought of songwriting as a bit like throwing darts at a dartboard with your eyes shut. You always want to hit the bull's-eye but sometimes you are going to miss the board completely! That's why I never worry about writing duff songs, you got to get all the misses out then you've got more chance of finding the bull's-eye.
 
song writing

I think song writing comes from different places. You can write from a view point of inspiration and what moves you inside. You can also write from a point of view of just approaching a song as subject matter, similar to the way jingle writers work. Today I'm not inspired so I'll write a song about my car or the dog that lives nextdoor. Sometimes you may not have any inspiration and you may not feel like writing at all. On those days, play someone elses songs, songs you really like or learn a new song. Maybe something will resonate inside you for the nextday...peace
 
generally I'll write something everyday, however about 90% goes to the trash. Just write everyday, when something inspires you, you're more likely to catch it if you compose more often. Sometimes its a melody line I wrote that'll even serve as the inspiration rather than some other oustide source.
 
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