So music is a big part of my life and I realized some time ago that writing is one of the particular aspects of music that I’m most interested in. Since that realization, I’ve begun to study more intently about writing music, or at least begun wanting to study this sort of writing more intently.
One thing I’ve gathered from books and discussions is that rewriting is a critical part of the writing process and actually may be the primary differentiation between enthusiastic amateurs and seasoned professionals.
Unfortunately, I’ve also realized that I have no idea how to rewrite. Perhaps the first step in learning to rewrite is to simply start doing it – even though you don’t really have it all figured out. So I’m gonna start with that. My goal is to just start putting consistent time into this even though I don’t know what I’m doing quite yet.
I’ve also read (in “TuneSmith” by Jimmy Webb) that over half of our American (and potentially the rest of the world’s) catalog of popular music is the result of a collaboration between two or more people. Guess what. I don’t have any idea how to successfully collaborate either. I’d bet it takes some degree of mutual trust and respect between the collaborators. Despite my wet-behind-the-ears status, I’ve recently begun to just start trying to do a bit of collaboration and see what comes out of it.
How ’bout you? Getting into anything where you don’t know what you’re doing quite yet? Got any tips on the two particular dilemmas I’ve mentioned above? Got the start of a lyric or some great music you’d like to try to collaborate on? Tell me all about it!
I agree. Rewriting is the difference between a novice and professional. The first step is to just freely get it all down. Just let it flow, but make sure you do it. Don’t talk, dream, or think about it, just do it. Then don’t let it sit for more than a day, before you start revising. Letting it sit is a sure death to your writing career.
A lyric is a terrible thing to waste, Jonathan.
I know you do your fair share of writing – to take a lesson from the “writing” community, the difference between writing as love, and writing as published, is one of “killing your babies” (and all of the creative moms gasp).
The Muse is favorable to creative types with passion, but when her creative high has passed, the writer’s hands, bravely holding that ominous red pen, must finish what her whimsy has begun.
Maybe it’s less a matter of killing babies, and more one of pruning a well-tended garden. Beautiful lyrics are often surrounded by the common weeds of trite phrases, and it’s your responsibility to pull those damnable vermin out from your songs.
This is the beauty of colloboration: a helpful and trusted friend can point our your shite (I mean trite), and gently point you to your work gloves, all the while being careful not to overlook the rose implanted in the center.
Having been privy to your work, I can attest to many fine flowers in your poetic garden; and though there are weeds, I would gently remind you that your work gloves await; and if the sun should shine too harshly upon your brow, and the dirt should build too thickly underneath your nails, remember that you have never labored alone a single day in all your life, and a finer Gardener than yourself labors at your side.