Career Songwriter

One great way to exercise our writing chops without digging deep into the lyric writing process is to do some plot development. I like to do this when I’m just motivated enough to sit down to write, but not motivated enough to commit to a few hours of working out the nuts and bolts.

Try taking out that notebook of titles you carry around with you, choosing 3 titles that spark your interest. If you don’t have a notebook of titles, consider sifting through your daily Object Writing or Destination Writing for title ideas. Take each title and challenge yourself to write out the basic plots for 3 different songs around that title. If you continue to do this for a week, you might notice your plot ideas moving from less expected or cliche, to more original and authentic. I also like to challenge myself to keep the ideas simple. Too many twists and turns or late introductions of more and more characters can complicate a song and leave the listener feeling disconnected and disinterested. You might also use the worksheet technique described in the blog What’s In A Title to help you brainstorm for subject matter. Taking each word of the title and letting it suggest related ideas can lead to some great new takes.

Happy writing,

Andrea Stolpe