My Songwriting History – Part 1

Until about 10 years ago, I hardly ever wrote. My only lyrical contribution to my old band was half of a verse for one not so great song. The other guys wrote more prolifically, but I just couldn't seem to get anywhere. My biggest problems were perfectionism and comparison. My ideas never measured up to what I was hearing on the radio, so I didn't think that any of them were worthwhile.  For many years, this kept me paralyzed.

This frustration continued for years. I wasn't short on ideas, but none of them ever materialized. Actually, one of them did. My first completed song literally took about 10 years for me to write! At this pace, I figured it might be possible complete a partial album within my lifetime.

Then I heard some advice that changed everything. I really wish I could remember who said this. Regardless, I was told that the best songwriters write all the time. To some degree, many of them write everyday. The songs we hear on the radio are only the tip of the iceberg. We don't know how many terrible or mediocre ideas these writers had to filter through to get to the great one that we hear.

I had never thought about this, but it made perfect sense.  My problem is that I was sitting around waiting for that million dollar song idea rather than taking the time to work on my writing skills.  I actually had to give myself permission to write terrible songs.  Almost daily, I would sit down and force myself to write something. It didn't have to be great or even average. I just had to be something. The bar was set VERY low, which was incredibly liberating.

Some of my ideas were terrible or sounded too much like other people's songs. But through practice, some genuinely good ideas began to emerge. In 2006, with the help of another songwriter, I wrote a handful of songs for our band to record in the studio. Looking back, the project was not the best. There were countless things I could have done better, but I am still grateful for the learning experience.

Since then, the process of writing has gotten much easier. There are some things I learned that you might find helpful. There are also mistakes I have learned from that perhaps I can help you to avoid.  At the same time, I know there are things I could also learn from you.

What about you? What is your story? What frustrations have your experienced in your writing? Have you overcome these or are they still a struggle? Drop me a line as I would love to hear from you!