11 Songs In 13 Years
From 2006 – 2019 I released two EPs with a total of 11 songs on them. That’s 0.8 songs released per year.
From 2020 – 2024 I’ve released 17 songs as singles from 2 albums, that’s 4.25 songs per year or if you’re into maths, a 431% increase in songs released. That number is only going to increase more as I’m releasing songs every 3 – 5 weeks at the moment.
The other thing is that the quality has improved as well as the quantity. How did this happen? Simple, making a dedicated time to write and record music.
At this point, I want to point out that this wasn’t due to the global shut down. I kept working full time the whole time through the whole thing. I’d actually started on this journey of making time to write at the end of 2019.
Make Time To Write
“Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work. If you wait around for the clouds to part and a bolt of lightning to strike you in the brain, you are not going to make an awful lot of work. All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself.”
Chuck Close
For many years I subscribed to a mythical bolt of inspiration and it was years between releasing music. It’s also a rollercoaster ride of emotion when it comes to inspiration, motivation, self doubt etc. It also puts far more pressure on you when you release less music. It can lead you to unhealthily fixate on songs and projects so they’re always “just not ready” to release.
The real issue most songwriters face is that we just haven’t written enough songs. The reason we haven’t written enough songs is because we’re not making time for songwriting.
Inspiration Is For Amateurs
“Inspiration is a word used by people who aren’t really doing anything.” Nick Cave
Unfortunately being a great songwriter has far less to do with the “mythical inspiration” and far more with having a better system to write songs.
When I say system you might think that’s the antithesis of what songwriting should be about. But really if you’re writing songs, you already have a system for songwriting. If you want to get better at songwriting, you need to improve your system. The first step is showing up regularly to write.
Make It Work For You
I had a discussion with a young songwriter recently who had been working on creating a songwriting habit. She was saying, a little sheepishly, that she’d stopped trying to write every day. I was a little disappointed but then she continued by saying that she’s now devoting a whole day to songwriting on a Friday because it worked better for her. That made me happy.
I personally like the idea of working every day on your music BUT for her this is what worked with the rest of the things going on in life so this was the right decision. She still has a better system for songwriting than when she started which was sporadic and driven by inspiration and she has new songs to show for it.
Work Your Way Into Inspiration
“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” Pablo Picasso
When I started making space for writing, when it became a habit, the feelings about writing evened out. Some days I’d get to a writing session and feel intimidated by “the blank canvas” but within 5 – 10 minutes I was motivated and in a place of inspiration.
Showing up and working the problem when it feels impossible is hard BUT things change quickly in 5 minutes. Inspiration will come if you create the space for it.
Collect Inspiration For Later
In reality, inspiration will come at the most inconvenient times. When I used to record bands and artists I would sometimes get calls or texts from hopeful artists at weird times of the day hoping they could come into the studio in the next hour or two because they were in the zone and ready to record.
I get it but that isn’t always going to work.
As I’ve created space to write I’ve also learnt to collect my inspirations so I can go to them later. If I turn up without a plan (more about that later), I have voice memos on my phone ready to be worked up into a song.
Recently I was working on writing a couple of spaghetti western songs. I had one on the way but needed to make a start on the second. I was in the studio bouncing a mix I’d finished for a client. I grabbed a guitar quickly and started to work on an idea. I got something, recorded it on my phone so I could remember it later.
In the time it took to bounce some mixes, I had the seed of the song written. I was able to come in to my writing session and pull together a basic arrangement within 5 – 10 minutes because of this. This is how professional songwriters work, they rarely sit down without some ideas or a plan.
Those Who Fail To Plan …
This is a newer aspect of the process I’m working on, writing down a plan before the writing session. I mean physically writing down what I plan to do in the studio the night before I’m doing it.
I remember reading a book called “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy and this one little bit stuck with me when it comes to working on something:
“Every minute you spend in planning can save you five or ten minutes in execution.” Brian Tracy
Put another way, if your spend 5 – 10% of your time planning for every project you’re going to work on this will increase the effectiveness of your efforts when actually doing the work.
If you’re going to spend 2 hours in a writing session, you should at least spend 12 minutes planning. Spending 12 minutes planning the day before is even better I have found.
How should you plan? Actually set a timer and plan for 12 minutes and write down a plan on paper or digitally. You might finish in 4 minutes so spend the rest of the time fleshing out the plan. You’ll be surprised what new ideas you come up with by dedicating those extra 8 minutes.
Bonus tip: If you do it the day before you’ll be surprised how your brain will work on the problem subconsciously throughout the day and night and probably lead to more ideas for the session.
The Takeaway
All of the above songwriting tips are powerful and foundational. I know how much they have and do help me write/release more songs as well as improving my writing and music production skills.
This isn’t about grinding either, this is about committing to something you’re passionate about. Consider this:
- Every time you’re in your regular writing session you’re giving creativity and inspiration time to happen.
- Every time you’re in your regular writing session, you’re tipping the scales of creating more than you consume.
- The time you set aside for writing, even when it feels tough, is a gift for you and for the people who will be blessed by your music.
All the best with your music making!
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