You sit down with your guitar. Or you open your DAW. Or you stare at a blank lyric sheet waiting for something brilliant to fall out of the sky.
And then it happens.
“That’s not good enough.”
“This sounds like someone else.”
“Why can’t I write something better than this?”
Self-doubt doesn’t knock politely. It barges in, pulls up a chair, and starts critiquing before you’ve even written a second line.
If you’ve ever abandoned a song halfway through because it didn’t feel “right,” you’re not alone. Fear of failure is one of the most common reasons songwriters stop finishing what they start.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: The song isn’t the problem. The fear is.
Let’s talk about how to write through it.
Why Songwriters Fear Failure
Songwriting feels personal because it is personal.
When you write a song, you’re not just assembling chords and rhymes. You’re exposing emotion, perspective, memory, and identity. So when something doesn’t land, it can feel like you didn’t land.
On top of that, we compare our raw, unfinished drafts to fully produced classics. You strum a basic progression and immediately measure it against a perfectly arranged studio masterpiece.
That’s like comparing a rough pencil sketch to a finished oil painting in a gallery.
Then there’s the inner critic. Songwriters tend to have strong imaginations. That’s a gift when it’s building worlds. It’s less helpful when it’s constructing worst-case scenarios about your talent.
And finally, expectations.
You don’t just want to write a song. You want to write the next classic. Something timeless. Something undeniable.
That pressure alone can shut creativity down before it even begins.
Redefining “Failure” in Songwriting
Let’s challenge something.
- Is a song that doesn’t make your album a failure?
- Is a chorus that didn’t work but led to a better one a failure?
- Is a demo that taught you something about melody a failure?
Or are these just steps?
Songwriting is not a talent lottery. It’s a skill. And skills develop through repetition, experimentation, and yes, imperfect output.
- Every “average” song strengthens your instinct.
- Every abandoned hook sharpens your ear.
- Every awkward lyric teaches you rhythm and phrasing.
The growth mindset in songwriting is simple: You are not your last draft.
The more songs you write, the better you become. Not because every song is brilliant. But because every song builds the muscle.
Practical Ways to Write Through Fear
Now let’s get practical. Here are tools you can use immediately.
1. Lower the Bar on Purpose
Give yourself permission to write a bad verse. In fact, try to.
The goal isn’t brilliance. It’s completion. Once you remove the demand for greatness, you create space for surprise. Many strong hooks are born in drafts that were never meant to be serious.
2. Finish More Songs
One of the biggest confidence builders in songwriting is simply finishing. Not perfecting. Not polishing. Finishing.
An unfinished song reinforces self-doubt. A finished one reinforces identity. You become someone who completes things and that matters.
3. Separate Writing from Editing
Writing and editing use different parts of the brain. If you judge every line as you write it, you slow momentum to a crawl.
Write first. Edit later.
Creation needs flow. Critique needs distance. Trying to do both at once is like driving with one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake.
4. Use the 10-Minute Rule
Set a timer for 10 minutes. No stopping. No deleting. No judging.
Write a full verse. Or a chorus. Or a lyrical brainstorm. You’ll be amazed how much resistance disappears when you know the session is short and contained.
Fear thrives in open-ended pressure. It weakens when there’s structure.
5. Focus on Process Goals
Instead of “write a great song,” try:
- Write 8 lines today.
- Finish one draft this week.
- Experiment with a new chord shape.
Process goals are within your control. Outcome goals are not.
And control reduces fear.
The Inner Critic Isn’t the Enemy
Here’s something interesting.
Your inner critic isn’t trying to destroy you. It’s trying to protect you. It wants to prevent embarrassment. Rejection. Disappointment.
But it’s not a songwriter. Its job is caution. Your job is creation.
One useful trick is to externalise it. Give it a name. Imagine it as a character sitting in the corner of the room. When it speaks, acknowledge it.
“Thanks for the feedback. I’m going to finish this verse anyway.”
You don’t need to silence it completely. You just need to stop letting it run the session.
Why This Matters
If you stop writing because of fear, something subtle happens. You don’t just lose songs.
- You lose momentum.
- You lose confidence.
- You start to question whether you’re even a songwriter anymore.
But when you write through fear, even imperfectly, you build something far more important than a single track.
You build resilience. You build creative stamina. You build trust in yourself.
And over time, that trust becomes your foundation.
The Only Real Failure
The only real failure in songwriting isn’t writing a weak verse. It isn’t producing a demo that doesn’t quite land. It isn’t scrapping a chorus that didn’t work.
The only real failure is quitting before the song has a chance.
Self-doubt will show up. That’s normal. It shows up because you care.
But you get the final say.
So today, do something simple.
- Open the notebook.
- Pick up the guitar.
- Load the session.
Write the first line anyway. Not because it will be perfect but because finishing songs is how songwriters become stronger.
And the more you write through fear, the smaller that fear becomes.
