Years ago, author John Berendt who wrote Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, gave a piece of advice to would-be authors that’s really stuck with me. Here it is in full: “Keep a diary, but don’t just list…
If you’ve ever identified as a poet first and a songwriter second, you’re probably closer to writing great lyrics than you think. The skills overlap more than most people realise but poetry and lyric writing are not the same thing,…
If you’ve ever written lyrics that looked fine on the page but fell apart the moment you tried to sing them, you’re not alone. This is one of the most common frustrations songwriters face, especially early on, but it can…
One of the quiet truths about songwriting is that you’re working with the smallest canvas in all of storytelling. A novel can wander for chapters. A film can take two hours to build a world. A songwriter gets a verse,…
I know, we’ve all been there, sitting in front of a blank page or staring down an instrument, waiting for lightning to strike. Sometimes it does. Most times, it doesn’t. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for practical ways…
When it comes to writing lyrics that actually connect with people, everyday language is one of the most powerful tools you’ve got. It might not seem flashy or poetic on the surface, but when used well, it can cut deeper…
Have you ever listened to a song and felt like the singer was talking directly to you—like you were overhearing a deeply personal moment or eavesdropping on an honest conversation? That’s the power of conversational lyrics. They pull you in,…
In songwriting, first impressions matter. A song’s opening line is your handshake, your welcome mat, your spark, and it needs to be strong enough to stop a listener in their tracks, even if they’ve never heard the song before. But…
One of the great paradoxes of songwriting is this: the fewer words you use, the more they often seem to say. This isn’t just a stylistic choice though, it’s a core principle of the art form. Songs, unlike essays or…