Songwriting 101: Finding Inspiration

BY JADA MOSS

Writer's block is a serious struggle for songwriters of all levels. However, assuming you're reading this post because you're a beginner, I can only imagine the writer's block you are experiencing at the moment. You've decided that you want to write songs but don't know where to start. So in this post, I'm going to help you out by giving you some tips to find inspiration for your music. 

#1 Tell Your Life Story

If there have been any huge moments in your life that meant something to you, write about them. Some of the best songs come from the most personal stories. Why? Simply because personal stories are what relate to people best. Why listen to a song if it means nothing to you? Write songs that show who you truly are and tell your story because chances are, you're also telling someone's else story. And who would not love to hear their story through another person's words? It is simply encouraging and inspirational.

#2 Change Your Setting

You can't write a good song staying in one place all the time. Get out and explore the world. Live life. You need to live life to write about life. You need to experience love to write about love. You need to experience the good and the bad to write about happiness and pain. You need to change your surroundings to get the flow of songwriting started. I'm not saying book an expensive flight to the Bahamas where you can sit on the beach with your notebook and pencil. You can simply sit on the front porch of your house, take a walk, visit the park, go to the store, meet new people, eat at a different restaurant, join a new club, class, etc. Literally any change of surroundings will help get your creative juices flowing. The more you see and experience, the better.

#3 Write About Your Loved Ones

Love songs may seem cheesy every now and then, but they are the most popular because they relate most with audiences. When you write a love song, you can be writing a song for a mother to her daughter, a wife to her husband, a man to his late wife, a friend to another friend, etc.  

#4 Create an Instrumental

If you can play an instrument, just mess around on the piano keys, guitar strings, etc. Eventually, you'll create a chord progression that you like then with that add the words. If you can't play an instrument, simply tap a beat on your desk or something. You also can visit the beat store online. Some people need music to write lyrics. So try to create or find some music that resonates with your soul well enough to write lyrics to it.

#5 Scatter Write

Now I only do this method if I'm suffering from extreme writer's block. Basically, you get a sheet of paper or open a word document and write down a ton of random words. Next, you begin to collect the words that are similar. Those collected words will be your song topic. Next, pick other words or phrases from your sheet to develop the rest of the song.