A song title is a bite-sized sample of your lyric writing skills.

If your titles are intriguing, as a listener I’m much more likely to stick around and check out your music. I’ll even consider buying your latest album, signing up for your email list, or snagging a ticket to your next concert.

This is important because album art and song titles are often all the information that we have to guide us in an MP3 store. They’re also part of our first impression when a friend recommends that we check out a particular artist or album.

Each song title offers an opportunity to intrigue potential listeners. Why not seize that opportunity?

Ear Training for Lyricists

Just as musicians train themselves to recognize chords, scales, and musical notes by ear, lyricists can train themselves to recognize intriguing phrases, lines, and titles.

“Inspiration” is just the excitement of recognizing a promising idea. You overhear a line of conversation, or you read a line in a book, or some surprising combination of words turns up in your own head.

Eureka! You’re thrilled. Why? Because there’s a tingle of possibility woven into this idea.

Having recognized it, your job is to develop that promising tidbit until your listener feels that same tingle. Give her a twinge of excitement. Pique her curiosity. Make her feel something. That may seem difficult to accomplish within a few short words, but—as you’re about to see—it’s definitely possible.

In a previous post, 7 Ways to Be a Fascinating Songwriter, I outlined Sally Hogshead’s 7 Triggers of Fascination. Any book, movie, or song that captures and holds our attention does so via one or more of these psychological triggers, as described in Sally’s book Fascinate:

PASSION creates craving for sensory pleasure.
MYSTIQUE lures with unanswered questions.
ALARM threatens with negative consequences.
PRESTIGE earns respect through symbols of achievement.
POWER commands and controls.
REBELLION tempts us with ‘forbidden fruit,’ causing us to rebel against norms.
TRUST comforts us with certainty and reliability.

Pack at least one of these triggers into a song title, and ears will prickle.

Fascination Breakdown

Want to train your ear to recognize irresistible titles? Start by leafing through your music collection and studying titles you love. What gives each title its bite? Which Fascination Triggers are hidden inside that sweet, sweet filling?

Let’s slice six titles in half and find out.

“Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”

Paul Simon

Paul Simon nails an image of luxury with this classic title from his album Graceland.

Speak it aloud and you’ll notice the syllables really flow off the tongue. “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes.” The syllables alternate nicely between strong and weak beats:

DIAmonds on the SOLES of her SHOES

Easy to say, easy to sing, easy to remember.

What about the imagery?

From the first word, diamonds catch our attention, since diamonds are glittery and desirable (Passion trigger) and symbolic of wealth (Prestige trigger).

But wait—why’s this unnamed woman wearing the diamonds on the soles of her shoes? That’s an unusual thing to do (Rebellion trigger). This eccentric touch piques our curiosity about the unnamed woman and raises a question: why does she wear diamonds where nobody can see them (Mystique trigger)?

PASSION + PRESTIGE + REBELLION + MYSTIQUE—that’s a lot of fascination for a seven-word title.

“Slow Like Honey”

Fiona Apple

The image of honey pouring is intensely visual: it evokes color, texture, and motion all at once. Fiona’s mention of honey stimulates our senses of taste and smell too—making this an uncommonly vivid example of the Passion trigger.

“Slow Like Honey” is also a simile. Some person or experience is slow like honey—but who, or what? The title teases but gives no answers. We’ll have to listen to the song to learn more—that’s the Mystique trigger drawing us closer.

PASSION + MYSTIQUE—we could even argue that this one teases us with a double or triple dose of Passion.

“Slow Like Honey” proves that you can be vivid and specific and still create a sense of mystery. And this title’s only three words long! Amazing.

“Break on Through (to the Other Side)”

The Doors

This one falls under the category of titles that speak directly to the listener. It’s not “She Broke on Through”. It’s not “I’ll Break on Through”—instead, Jim Morrison is talking directly to you. “Break on Through.” Do it.

Who doesn’t crave some kind of breakthrough? This title makes us feel strong by firing us up with the Power trigger. There are no specifics whatsoever in the title, which makes it universally inspiring—and giving it just a touch of Mystique.

POWER + MYSTIQUE—this title’s simple, direct, commanding.

“Earth Died Screaming”

Tom Waits

“Earth Died Screaming” is apocalyptic Alarm, with personification of Earth creating just a hint of the Passion trigger—enough to make the image vivid.

The title also raises immediate questions: “What the hell happened?!” That’s yet another example of Mystique.

As a language geek I’ve got to point out that the rhythm of the stressed and unstressed syllables in this title is very harsh and strong. In English it’s unusual to find three stressed syllables in a row:

EARTH DIED SCREAMing

“Earth Died Screaming” stirs primal fears of pain, death, and extinction with just three words. Even the syllables themselves are loud—like gunshots.

ALARM + MYSTIQUE + PASSION

“The Sweetest Taboo”

Sade

Sade lures us with forbidden fruit (Rebellion trigger) by describing a taboo as sweet (Passion trigger). She gives no hints about what this taboo actually is (Mystique trigger), leaving us to project our own ideas and desires onto it.

Makes you feel like listening to this song might be illegal in Mississippi, doesn’t it?

REBELLION + PASSION + MYSTIQUE—We’re not sure exactly what Sade’s talking about, but we get the idea that it’s delicious and juicy and likely to get us exiled from Eden.

“Lean on Me”

TRUST

This final title’s pure Trust. “Lean on Me” is just packed with warm fuzzies—no lust, no particularly vivid visuals, and no trace of an ulterior motive… just rock-solid friendship and human understanding. If you need help, lean on me. I’ll need to lean on you soon enough.

TRUST—soulful and straight up.

For more on the 7 Triggers of Fascination, be sure to check out Sally Hogshead’s Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation.

Your Turn.

Pick a particularly juicy song title not covered here and post it in the comments! We can break down which of the Fascination triggers are packaged into each.

shout-out to oskay and janineomg for the tempting bonbons (Passion trigger times three; thanks very much!)

If you’ve ever been onstage during one of these moments, you know it’s a bit eerie–you’re not even sure they’re breathing out there. Every note and syllable you sing resonates in the silent room, filling the empty space completely.

Imagine being able to hold that level of interest for the entirety of a song. And then another. And then another.

Even in today’s noisy, cluttered world where attention is scarce and short-lived, there’s still a way to cut through the noise and be heard. Truly heard.

Actually there are seven ways.

Sally Hogshead’s 7 Triggers of Fascination

Sally Hogshead is the author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation. Fascinate outlines the seven ways that art, music, trashy TV, song lyrics, or anything else on this planet captures and holds our attention.

Here are Sally’s 7 triggers, each in a very cramped nutshell quoted from Fascinate:

PASSION creates craving for sensory pleasure.

MYSTIQUE lures with unanswered questions.

ALARM threatens with negative consequences.

PRESTIGE earns respect through symbols of achievement.

POWER commands and controls.

REBELLION tempts us with ‘forbidden fruit,’ causing us to rebel against norms.

TRUST comforts us with certainty and reliability.

For the complete lowdown on all of these triggers, check out Sally’s excellent book. For a quick outline of ways songsters can apply each trigger, read on.

PASSION

Passion is sensory experience: The moan of a cello, the supple and sultry voice of a crooner, intoxicating Latin rhythms, a pulsating bass line you can feel in your soles, the low growl of a distorted guitar, a tenor saxophone screaming and crying the blues… Need I go on?

Music is all about passion.

And so is language itself. Lyrics can pull the Passion trigger just as effectively as music–because spoken language itself is a kind of music. It rises, it falls, it rhymes, it consonates, it echoes, it moves the tongue in rhythm. Any lyricist can trigger passion with rhyme, alliteration, and other pleasing sounds found in language.

Lyric imagery is another powerful way to seduce your listener’s senses. Write a lyric that gives the audience opportunities to hear, see, smell, touch, taste, and otherwise experience the world of the song. Evoke vivid multisensory scenes for them to experience.

Your feet sink into the loam and soft moss
The cool damp settles on your face and arms
Breathe grass and soil at the edge of a field
While a slow breeze stirs the soft-spoken leaves

Wind your way over the roots in the dark
Where fireflies blink in ciphers and codes
A step outside the campfire glow…

–“Step Outside the Campfire Glow”

MYSTIQUE

Mystique is the subtle art of suggestion. To trigger Mystique, reveal just enough to provoke curiosity and stir the imagination—without telling too much.

Mystique creates the kind of curiosity that encourages us to listen on, to learn more about your songs, to learn more about you.

Musically, the tension inherent to certain melodies and scales can keep us listening, excited to hear what happens next. You use Mystique whenever you write a bridge or a pre-chorus to build anticipation and drama.

You also use Mystique whenever anything about your lyric raises intriguing questions. Whenever you use a subtle, mysterious, or exotic image in your songs without entirely spelling out the deeper meaning, you’re using the Mystique trigger.

Mystique leaves shadowy spaces for each listener to fill in with her own imagination. It can also be used to carefully reveal pieces of the song’s central situation or story as it unfolds.

To master the delicate and subtle Mystique trigger, carefully choose what you reveal–and when.

ALARM

The Alarm trigger awakens an audience like a shriek, like the spurting of a punctured artery. It makes listeners gasp and shift in their seats. It can startle, shock, horrify, threaten. Alarm compels attention like the wail of a tornado siren (we’ll get to that in a minute).

One of the most obvious uses of Alarm in music is the shock-rock artist with his creepy costumes and horror movie stage props.

But Alarm isn’t always about the threat of physical harm–you can more subtly trigger Alarm by exploring cultural taboos. You can give voice to uncomfortable truths about human nature and society. You can take us to dark places that we’re strangely mesmerized by. You can be deliberately caustic, blasphemous, or retrograde.

The Alarm trigger doesn’t always just create discomfort for discomfort’s sake—it can also save lives.

In April 2012, over 100 tornados occurred in 24 hours in the US. Businesses and homes were damaged, even destroyed. Yet there were only 5 lives lost. Experts credit strong, vivid language in the tornado warnings with saving lives; these warnings described the storms as “catastrophic” and “life-threatening.”

Alarm can also be used to unite an audience with shared values and concerns. If something you value is under attack and you want to spread the word, use Alarm. Spell out the consequences. Remember those tornado warnings.

PRESTIGE

Prestige fascinates audiences by inspiring respect and admiration for your music. Use the Prestige trigger to impress audiences with ever-higher standards for the craftsmanship and presentation of your songs.

Virtuosic technique invokes Prestige. Bear in mind that it’s entirely possible (and sometimes necessary) to be prestigious in one area at the cost of others. Leonard Cohen may not be a prestigious singer, but he’s certainly a prestigious lyricist. Before he ever released an album he was an accomplished, published poet and novelist. How many songwriters are that literate?

Prestige involves spending hours, days, and months of your life training to deliver just three minutes of song–but those three minutes are sublime.

POWER

The Power trigger is perhaps the most lightly used of all the triggers in music, but it’s still present. Whenever a listener cranks your music on her car stereo until the windows rattle, she’s voluntarily turning up the Power trigger.

The band Sunn O))) uses sheer volume so powerful that you can feel it like a punch to the solar plexus. Their guitars rumble the floor under your feet. This is musical Power taken to its logical conclusion—not just heard, but physically felt.

But Power isn’t necessarily brute force. It can also mean control. The conductor of an orchestra or the leader of a band fascinates by guiding and controlling the other players.

Most subtly, Power can also mean general influence. Anytime you get onstage, or otherwise address a large fanbase, you have a chance to influence the thoughts and actions of everyone present. If you speak with conviction and self-assurance, you can become influential in ways that extend well beyond the borders of your music.

So there’s a very real opportunity to wield the Power trigger to influence your listeners–by inspiring them to be their best, perhaps, or to support a good cause.

Or maybe your relationship to your audience is more dominant, more challenging. Your call…

REBELLION

Rebellion is all about finding new, creative, even subversive ways to do things. A songster who regularly uses the Rebellion trigger will surprise fans and keep them guessing.

To use the Rebellion trigger, burn clichés for kindling. Reach beyond the usual topics and attitudes and find new material that’s uniquely your own. Say the wrong thing. Play it the “wrong” way. Give your listeners experiences totally different from what they were expecting. In short: change the game. Give them something they never knew they wanted.

Improvise. Ad lib. Rewrite familiar songs to give them strange new mutations. Invent new genres. Study jazz and punk innovators. Go indie. Through every bar of music and line of lyric, show us your creative mind at work.

TRUST

The Trust trigger reliably delivers. It consistently provides listeners with just what they were expecting.

To evoke the Trust trigger, some artists play familiar songs and play them true to their original versions. Or they play songs that use familiar chords, progressions, and lyrical imagery.

On a broader, longer-term scale, you can evoke Trust by staying true to certain core tenets of the art you make. Sunn O))), mentioned above, brings some surprises to every album. But the fundamental idea–slow, droning, atmospheric music–is always present, stringing all their albums together on the same thread.

Trust doesn’t necessarily have to mean predictability. The composer John Zorn is notorious for doing the unexpected. Fans are willing to buy eight John Zorn releases a year to hear him constantly reinvent himself.

Just as an unexpected time signature like 5/4 starts to sound predictable with repetition, any one element of your music can trigger Trust by recurring over time. If the music itself isn’t predictable, perhaps the quality of execution (Prestige) or the cleverness of ideas (Rebellion) will build Trust.

In Conclusion

Ms. Hogshead’s framework helps us sort out why vastly different songs and artists can all be successful. It also gives us a nice set of terms we can use to cut to the essence of what makes our own music fascinating.

As review, here are Sally’s 7 Triggers of Fascination one more time:

PASSION creates craving for sensory pleasure.
MYSTIQUE lures with unanswered questions.
ALARM threatens with negative consequences.
PRESTIGE earns respect through symbols of achievement.
POWER commands and controls.
REBELLION tempts us with ‘forbidden fruit,’ causing us to rebel against norms.
TRUST comforts us with certainty and reliability.

I’ve only scratched the surface here. For a more in-depth look at each trigger and its potential uses, check out Fascinate.

Which two triggers are most common in your own music? How might you explore these triggers more deeply? I’d love to hear your ideas.

More posts on songwriting:

• 33 Ways to Make More Time in Your Life For Music-Making
• 48 Quick Thoughts on Songwriting
• Song Structures 101
• How the Haiku Can Improve Your Songwriting
• Free eBook: Songwriting Tips From Dante’s Inferno

Hat tip to: photojenni, Tatiana12, ChaTo, Rhys Asplundh, Kubotake, Marco Raaphorst, natesologuitar, and rpongsaj. Thanks fo r generously allowing me to use your rockin’ photos. And of course a big shout-out to the Mistress of Fascination herself, Sally Hogshead.

What’re you struggling with?

I’d like to hear about what’s been giving you trouble lately.

(If you’re reading this in an email or feed reader, click here to leave a comment.)

For a few years now, mischievous Internet hooligans have been editing video footage of celebrities and political leaders—and Auto Tuning them.

• Ever wanted to see Barack Obama sing about the BP oil spill?
• Ever suspected that setting a Charlie Sheen interview to a vocal melody would sound fantastic?
• Ever thought a NASCAR pre-race prayer would make a killer country single?

Me neither. Read on.

Songify Everything

The Gregory Brothers choose promising video clips, slice up the footage into pieces, and rearrange those pieces to form rhyming verses and choruses.  Then they compose backing tracks and set the spoken “vocal” to a melody using auto tune.

Their musical adaptation of a notorious Charlie Sheen interview has nearly 50 million Youtube views as of this writing—enough to rival any mainstream hit single.

Winning.

Let’s break down exactly what The Gregory Brothers have done here:

• Chose promising source material (the vice-loving, vividly loquacious Charlie Sheen)
• Broke it into pieces
• Rearranged the pieces to form rhyming verses and choruses
• Used parts of the text as refrains (in this case, “Winning”)
• Wrote backing tracks and planned out a song structure
• Set the source material to an expressive vocal melody

The result is only about two minutes long—long enough to develop the idea, but not so long that the joke loses its flavor.

Here’s another Auto Tune original, this one created by John Boswell. The source material: TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talks. It’s less funny, more expansive in tone.

As a songwriter I’m fascinated by these creative applications of Auto Tune—as far as I’m concerned, this is the best possible use for that software.

The Gregory Brothers call their series of videos “Songify This”. I think those two words make a fine suggestion. Form the habit of asking yourself throughout the day:

“How can I songify this?”

Bobby McFerrin wrote the classic “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by singing a line he found in the newspaper. Composer Franz Schubert songified some 600 written poems in the early 1800’s.

Every day dozens of song ideas slip by you because gems worth songifying get tuned out amid the rest of the noise. Whenever you hear vivid language like “violent love,” “The miracle of your mind,” or “Boogity Boogity Boogity, Amen”, pause and ask yourself:

“How can I songify this?”

Songify anything

• Choose interesting sources for lyric material
• Break the material into lines and phrases
• Arrange and rearrange the pieces to form rhyming verses and choruses
• Keep an ear out for lines that would make good refrains
• Write backing tracks and plan out a song structure
• Set the source material to an expressive vocal melody

Go forth and songify, my friends.

Stage fright is a perfectly normal, non-fatal, and predictable instinct—and unlike your drummer, it’ll always show up early.

Yes, that’s right, I snuck an uncalled-for drummer joke into an article about stage fright. Forgive me—I’m a terrible person. Worse than a person, actually:  a guitarist.

Anyway, whether you’re a guitarist, vocalist, pianist, or drummer, you can find killer performance tips in this article I wrote for Guitar-Muse:

How to Own Any Stage You Walk Onto –>

a flaw in a song should not threaten your self-worth

collaboration leads to self-discovery

seduce all of the listener’s senses whenever possible

if it feels unsettling and too revealing, you’re on the right track

experience, practice, and knowledge instill confidence

your own best effort is the least you should expect from yourself (also the most)

don’t be afraid to write simply

imperfections can be charming

when you learn something new about the craft, put it into practice right away

small, sustainable efforts quickly accumulate

writing songs for a receptive audience is highly motivating

dividing a song into sections is very helpful to the songwriter

transitions are just as important as sections

disorganization is self-sabotage

prewriting is crucial; return to the planning stage whenever necessary

don’t be afraid to strip away everything that isn’t working

hardly anyone can see her own work’s true flaws and merits

flinch, be afraid when appropriate, but continue anyway

value your listener’s time

it’s ultimately faster if you take time to master the fundamentals

isolate each songwriting technique for individual examination

insulate yourself from distraction

intentionally lengthen your attention span

look for patterns in your own work and throw a wrench into them

make long lists of ideas to dig beyond the obvious choices

performing passionately feels like a risk but it is far safer than the alternative

finish the songs you start

historically there have always been poets, composers, and bards

under deadlines we perform better and faster than we thought possible

create your own deadlines when necessary

subtle song ideas are everywhere—sensitize yourself to them

listen deeply

the songwriter is a playwright and a character actor

when “uninspired,” study the craft and practice

subtraction is creative too

write honestly enough to alienate some of your audience

write your own etudes, musical and lyrical

you can’t really hear yourself while you’re performing

awards and victories feel good for about 10 minutes apiece

language itself is musical

nobody owes you their attention

clear goals will strengthen your will

even Everest is climbed one step at a time

notation allows you to rewrite a melody just as you might rewrite a lyric

your favorite works may not be the ones your audience likes best

write boldly, make a daring mess, then revise

don’t be afraid of hard work

love the process, and you will never be disappointed

I hadn’t consciously changed my routine. I hadn’t even begun to put in significant time at the piano. But knowing I’d have to write at least one song every two days, my mind was poised to spring like a steel trap on song titles, interesting phrases, and threads of melody that crossed my path.

This deadline harnessed everything I’ve learned about songwriting in the past ten years. It set all the prepared gears in motion.

Over time, having survived writer’s block dozens of times, having also enjoyed feverishly productive periods, I’ve come to rely on six small self-reminders to keep ideas coming. When I feel blocked, it’s because I’ve allowed one of these to lapse.

6 Ways to Maintain a Steady Stream of New Songs

1. Learn your craft—the more you know about how songs are constructed, the sharper you’ll get at seeing the potential in a single lyric or melodic phrase. Craft also helps you quickly identify gaps and fill them in so that you can finish drafts, stash them, and move on to the next song idea. Study songwriting books, analyze your favorite songs. Experiment with new rhyme schemes and song forms. Also read books on poetry, fiction, copywriting, music theory, and beyond.

2. Read—reading poetry, magazine articles, and fiction can all lead to serendipitous discovery. It’s also an enjoyable way to hone your instincts for description, dialogue, and the rhythms of language.

3. Listen—and I mean really listen. Sit down with earphones and a piece of music—and nothing else. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and listen. This is surprisingly difficult to do at first, but stay with it. Listen to at least one song every day, a whole album if you can.

4. Write every day—on days when you feel dry or blocked, have practice tasks to fall back on. Take out a guitar manual and learn some new chords. Do an exercise from William Russo’s Composing Music. Free write for 10 minutes. Revise one of your earlier songs. Start a songwriting prompt from this site. No need to wait for a thunderbolt—you can make songs happen whenever you want.

5. Set a clear goal and deadline—Deadlines force us to quit procrastinating and produce. Thanks to Album Writing Month, I’m constantly thinking about whether or not I’m on track to complete all 14 of my FAWM songs by February 29th. This exerts constant pressure to keep moving. Why not join the other 6,000+ songwriters and I? It’s not too late.

6. Seek peer pressure—another element that makes FAWM so motivating is the company of fellow songwriters. A group environment provides support and keeps you accountable for putting in your time and doing your work. Since I’m a loner by instinct. I stay motivated by reading books like Do the Work and watching documentaries about military training regimens. The military knows discipline.

Repeat the above steps in a continuous cycle. Build them into your daily life.

To recap:

1. Study your craft
2. Read
3. Listen
4. Write every day
5. Set a clear goal and deadline
6. Seek peer pressure

How do you keep ideas coming?

I’d like to hear about what keeps you sharp and motivated. Noticed any patterns? Leave a comment and let us know.

canal photo by Tanaka Juuyoh

During February Album Writing Month (FAWM), songwriters sprint to complete an album’s worth of original songs by the last day of February. It’s like Novel Writing Month for songwriters: a month-long marathon.

FAWM’s great for songwriters who need a shot of adrenaline. If you’ve found yourself stuck, creatively blocked, overly perfectionistic, or otherwise holding yourself back, here’s your chance. Jump in, get your hands dirty, and push your comfort zones.

Without a deadline it’s easy to procrastinate while songs stall and languish. FAWM gives you a deadline; it’s a bullwhip smartly applied to the buttocks.

C’mon, sign up. I dare you.

Here are some common objections to FAWM:

• I don’t have any ideas. There are plenty of songwriting prompts on this website, and the FAWM website offers ideas as well. We don’t join FAWM thinking “I know exactly what to write!” Instead it’s a commitment to find things to write about. Have faith and take the leap.
• I don’t have the time. A song every two days is a fast pace for some. If you’re tight on time, you might have to make sacrifices: take an extended absence from Twitter, temporarily nuke your Facebook account, throw your television out the window, stay up just a little later at night, get up just a little earlier in the morning. Need more ways to clear time in your calendar? I’ve got a post for that.
• I only write lyrics/I only compose music. Either is fine. Feel free to focus on your specialty, or to look for a fellow FAWMER to collaborate with.

The important thing to remember is that FAWM is all about process. It’s not about creating perfectly crafted work; it’s about taking songs from idea to execution quickly and completely.

Immersion teaches well, and FAWM will hone your songwriting skills by putting them into immediate action. Even better, though: you’ll learn what you’re capable of when you’re determined.

You have 29 days to write 14 and 1/2 songs. Go!

Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top — it is the willpower that is the most important. This willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others — it rises from your heart.

-Junko Tabei, first woman to summit Everest

1. Clear distractions.

When sitting down to practice or write, find a suitable space: someplace quiet, uncluttered, and free of distractions.

Gather all the tools you’re likely to need and leave everything else behind. Nonessentials will only distract you and weigh you down.

Cell phones should be out of sight, out of earshot, and out of reach. If you absolutely must use a computer, disconnect it from the internet.

In addition to a welcoming and functional space, strive for the right headspace: take a few deep breaths, clear your mind, and commit to the day’s work.

He must be made to concentrate, otherwise he gets all mixed up. It is not genius he lacks, but the capacity to sit still.

–Franz Liszt’s paramour, Caroline

2. Define your objective.

Remain aware of this task during your session. Write it down in bold black letters if you have to. This especially applies to practicing your instrument. Guitarists especially tend to noodle and fidget.

It’s perfectly alright to veer off your intended path and crash around in the woods a bit—experiments teach better than rote learning—but make sure you’re able to find your way back when you’re done exploring.

3. Decide how much time you’re going to spend.

Setting a time limit helps for two reasons: a) it prevents you from giving up prematurely and b) knowing that your labors have a reasonable end will help you give yourself fully to your task.

Choose a duration, set a timer and don’t let up until it runs down to zero.

4. Encore!

The best way to follow up a productive day is by having another productive day.

Keep a practice log to track your progress from day to day. Just a few sentences about your challenges, obstacles, questions, and victories (large and small) will do.

5. Enjoy the process.

Is it always going to be fun? No. If you’re working hard and pushing at the edge of your abilities, expect to feel like you’re in over your head. Relish that feeling, because pushing limits will make you a better songwriter. It’ll also enrich your life.

Your battles as a songwriter may be more abstract than summiting Everest, but the trials of a serious artist are every bit as trying. Take pride not only in your results, but in your effort.

Believe in yourself. Stay determined. The steepest challenges reward endurance, so keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Recap

1. Clear distractions.
2. Define your objective.
3. Decide how much time to spend.
4. Do it again.
5. Enjoy the process, even the temporary failures.

photo by Ilker Ender.