It sounds a bit cheeky, doesn’t it?
“How do I write more songs?” Well, the simple answer is to write more songs.
But honestly, I think there’s something really powerful in that short, direct response.
Way too many songwriters (myself included at times) just over-complicate the process. We wait for the muse to show up, the stars to align, or that one magical idea to strike and then we wonder why we’re not as prolific as we want to be.
If we want to write more songs, we need to treat songwriting as something we do, not something we wait for.
It’s a Practice, Not a Performance
When you start thinking of songwriting like a daily practice, the same way you’d treat playing an instrument, exercising, or meditating, it takes the pressure off.
You don’t have to write the next great song every time. You just have to write something.
Personally, I try to show up regularly. Some days, nothing good comes out. Other days, something surprises me. Either way, I’m putting in the reps and over time, that builds the creative momentum I need to continue on with my songwriting process.
Volume Leads to Breakthroughs
Here’s the thing: the more songs you write, the more chances you give yourself to write a good one.
Not every song is going to be great and that’s perfectly okay.
You’ve got to write through the average (and the downright cringey) to get to the gems. The trick is not to get discouraged by the average ones. They’re stepping stones. They’re part of the process. They teach you things. They clear the creative pipes.
Set a Simple Goal and Stick to It
If you want to write more songs, try giving yourself a basic, doable goal. For example:
- One full song a week
- A chorus a day for 30 days
- Finish 10 song ideas in the next month
The idea is to create a structure that encourages completion. We all have dozens of half-written ideas, but the magic happens when you finish something.
Finishing songs teaches you how to navigate those tricky second verses, how to write a satisfying bridge, and how to land a song’s ending.
Lower the Bar
This one was the number one biggest lesson for me: Stop trying to write a masterpiece every time.
That kind of pressure kills creativity. Your job as the songwriter is to get the song out of your head and onto the page. You can always revise and refine later.
Just focus on finishing the draft.
And remember: a “bad” finished song is 100x more useful than a “perfect” idea that never leaves your voice memo app.
Capture More, Judge Less. Never Throw Anything Away.
Over the years, I’ve learned to capture everything. Snippets, phrases, melodies, titles… they all go into the archive. That way, when I sit down to write, I’m not starting from zero. I’ve got sparks ready to go.
The second part of this is equally important: don’t judge too early.
Let the ideas be messy at first. Give yourself permission to play.
Show Up Anyway
There are days where the last thing I want to do is write something. And sometimes I still don’t. But the more I show up (even when I’m tired or uninspired) the easier it becomes to write on demand.
You can’t control whether inspiration visits. But you can control whether you sit at the desk, pick up the guitar, or open your notebook.
And more often than not, something starts to happen once you begin.
Finish What You Start
Ideas are fun. Finishing is hard. But finishing is what separates the dabblers from the songwriters.
You get better at writing songs by writing complete songs. That’s when the real learning kicks in. Even if the song doesn’t turn out the way you imagined, at least it’s done and you’ve made room for the next one.
So how do we write more songs? We write more songs.
Not by thinking about it. Not by waiting but by doing the work, consistently, without overthinking it.
I know it’s not sexy. It’s not mystical. But it works.
Trust me and (most importantly) trust the process.
