Songwriting Resilience

Embracing the fear and preparing for anything.

Embarking on any professional journey, it’s normal to feel like you are standing at the foot of a vast mountain. There's the thrill of the potential view from the summit, but also the very real fear of the climb itself.

• What if the path is too steep?

• What if you lose your footing?

• What if, when you reach the top, you find you haven't brought the right gear?

• What if you are not even up for it?

For many new songwriters, and even experienced ones, this fear can be paralysing.

I remember when I first started trying to get into co-writing rooms in Nashville. The thought of walking in, sitting down with someone established, and having to pull brilliant ideas out of thin air was terrifying. What if I froze? What if they thought my ideas were rubbish? My stomach would be in knots. But I knew this was a path I needed to take.

It wasn't just about showing up; it was about showing up ready to contribute, to serve the song and the co-writer as best I could. It's in facing that fear, preparing diligently, and committing to the process that you build something invaluable: Resilience. This isn't just a trait; it's a songwriting tool, a mindset that allows you to embrace the challenges, learn from every step, and keep moving forward, prepared for whatever the journey throws at you. It’s about having the know-how and tools to get things done, embracing the fear, and preparing for anything.

Embracing the Fear and Preparing for Anything

Building resilience is key to a long and fulfilling songwriting career. It helps you navigate the unpredictable nature of creativity and the competitive music industry.

Here are five key areas to explore that could contribute to building your own songwriting resilience:

1. Embracing Doubt and Letting Go of Perfectionism

2. Making Writing a Lifestyle, Not Just a Hobby

3. Building and Leveraging Your Songwriter's Idea Bank

4. Learning from Every Song (Even the "Bad" Ones)

5. Committing to the Writing Process (Staying in the Room)

Let's dive into how you can cultivate these aspects of resilience.

1. Embracing Doubt and Letting Go of Perfectionism

Doubt and self-criticism are common hurdles for many songwriters. You might question if your work is good enough, especially when faced with the prospect of sharing it with others, whether in a co-write or just putting it out there. This internal critic can be quite loud. However, part of becoming a resilient songwriter is learning to manage this doubt and not letting it paralyse you. It's about knowing that not every song will be a hit, but each completed draft is a step forward.

Perfectionism is often linked to doubt and can prevent you from finishing songs or even starting them. It’s important to develop a "healthy detachment" from your work. This means understanding that your work is an expression of you, but it isn't you. Not being afraid to fail is an essential aspect of creativity. My music publisher once said that there’s a "50-for-1 Rule" for aspiring writers, meaning you might write fifty bad to mediocre songs before you write a great one. The goal isn't to avoid writing less-than-great songs initially, but to shorten that ratio through learning and practice.

The key is to keep writing despite the fear and doubt. By reframing less successful songs not as failures but as "lessons in writing," you build your understanding of what works and what doesn't. This process helps you become your own editor, a crucial skill for a songwriter. Remember, most songs are not written; they are rewritten. They are crafted through many versions until they emerge as the best version of the song.

So, acknowledge the doubt, understand that not everything will be perfect, and keep pushing forward.

Learn more about perfectionism here.

2. Making Writing a Lifestyle, Not Just a Hobby

Songwriting isn't a casual pursuit if you want to achieve significant results. People who achieve extraordinary things treat their pursuits as a lifestyle, not just a hobby that takes place occasionally. Songwriting demands talent, education, drive, and a lot of practice. But you also need resilience.

Transitioning from treating songwriting as a hobby to a lifestyle involves making choices to rearrange your life around your craft. A key step in this is writing daily. Even if it's only for ten minutes, consistent daily writing is more effective than sporadic, longer sessions. Think of it as getting to the writing desk even when you don't feel like it. This consistent effort builds momentum and prevents you from having to start cold each time you write.

Treating songwriting as a lifestyle also involves continuous learning. Learning comes from study, experience, and time. Reading books, attending workshops, and engaging with online resources can fill your mind with encouragement, insights, and inspiration.

This commitment to daily practice and ongoing learning is fundamental to building the resilience needed to improve drastically over time.

Learn more about all-weather writing here.

3. Building and Leveraging Your Songwriter's Idea Bank

Consistent idea generation and organisation are vital for a prolific songwriter. Having a readily available bank of "writable ideas" is an essential tool. A writable idea is defined as more than just a title; it's a title combined with a development strategy, also known as a "Song Map".

Building your idea bank involves consciously capturing ideas that arise from various sources like conversations, media, or personal experiences. There are techniques to help turn raw ideas or titles into writable ones, ensuring they have potential for development. Song Maps, for example, help you map out the flow of ideas within a song structure, assessing different paths for a title's potential. This saves creative time by helping filter ideas upfront.

Having a well-stocked idea bank is particularly valuable when co-writing. It allows you to arrive at a session with tangible, well-thought-out ideas to contribute. This preparedness builds confidence and demonstrates a professional approach. It ensures you can actively craft a song rather than relying on random inspiration.

Maintaining an organised system, whether digital (like Notes or Evernote) or physical (like a journal), is key to keeping these ideas accessible when you need them. Building and leveraging your idea bank is a practical way to build resilience against "feeding the beast"—the constant need for new ideas.

Learn how to write your own Idea Bank here.

4. Learning from Every Song (Even the "Bad" Ones)

Resilience in songwriting is deeply tied to your ability to learn from experience. Just as Edison learned from thousands of attempts that didn't work when inventing the light bulb, every song you write, regardless of its perceived quality, offers valuable lessons. Instead of viewing a less-than-successful song as a failure, see it as a stepping stone on your path.

Each song is an opportunity to understand what worked and what didn't. Such as -

• Did the lyric effectively convey emotion?

• Was the structure engaging?

• Did the melody support the words?

Asking these questions helps you refine your craft and become a better self-editor. This iterative process of writing, reflecting, and learning is how growth happens.

It's important not to abandon songs too soon. Rewriting is a crucial part of the process, allowing you to refine ideas and polish "dull areas". You might go through multiple rewrites until the song reaches its potential. Embracing rewriting, even if it feels like a lot of work, is part of the learning curve. By viewing each song as a lesson, you build the skill, confidence, and experience needed to write better songs over time.

This mindset transforms potential setbacks into opportunities for growth, a hallmark of resilience. I talk a lot more about this mindset here in Honoring Ideas here.

5. Committing to the Writing Process (Staying in the Room)

Perhaps one of the most fundamental aspects of songwriting resilience is the simple act of commitment, specifically, committing to finishing your song drafts. This practice is described as a "game-changer" that separates aspiring writers from professionals.

Songwriting isn't always smooth sailing; creative blocks and moments where inspiration wanes are common. This is often where songwriters falter, leaving sessions unfinished. However, staying committed to completing a draft, no matter how rough it is, builds a crucial habit. It trains your mind to push through difficulties and teaches perseverance. This practice builds resilience, training you to push past creative blocks, doubts, and distractions. It's about deciding to "turn on the switch" and stay in the room until the draft is done, rather than waiting passively for inspiration to strike.

This commitment is not just about finishing one song; it's about cultivating a mindset of perseverance and dedication that is essential in the music industry. It's about building resilience one completed draft at a time, much like a painter's brushstroke or a runner's miles.

By committing to the process, you ensure that ideas get fully explored and developed, even when it's challenging. See more about commitment here.

In Summary

Building resilience is key to thriving as a songwriter in today's competitive landscape. It’s about developing a mindset and habits that allow you to embrace challenges, learn from every experience, and consistently move forward. By embracing doubt and letting go of perfectionism, making writing a consistent lifestyle, building and leveraging your idea bank, learning from every song, and committing to finishing your drafts, you cultivate the resilience needed to navigate the unpredictable nature of the craft and the industry.

Remember, songwriting is a craft that can be learned and improved with focused effort. The techniques and mindsets discussed here are tools used by prolific, highly-skilled writers. They help you overcome common challenges like writer's block, struggling to finish songs, and feeling stuck. By applying these principles, you can transform your approach and unlock your full potential as a songwriter. Your best songs are waiting to be discovered.

To dive deeper into techniques for structuring ideas, building your idea bank, and developing your craft, you might find the resources in my two books, "Song Maps – A New System to Write Your Best Lyrics" or "The Organized Songwriter," helpful. You can also find more information and tools on my website.

Questions

Now, I'd like to ask you:

1. What is one specific fear or doubt that holds you back in your songwriting?

2. What is one small step you can take this week to make writing more of a lifestyle?

3. How can you start building your songwriter's Idea Bank today? If you already have one, how can you use it more?

Hope this helps!

Simon.

www.simonhawkins.com