In November 2006 I asked the question, “So, I want to be a songwriter?”
When you follow your bliss . . . doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.
— Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) American author and professor of literature
How often do we come up with ideas, and think, “Sure, I can do that.” I wish I could remember more clearly the exact steps my logic took in convincing me that I could be a songwriter. Maybe it was my heart telling me—that seems to be how I navigate life anyway. No matter how rational I try to be—in the end, my gut feeling always makes the decisions.
The thought of becoming a songwriter wasn’t totally off the wall. I had a degree in music composition. Writing music seemed like a reasonable thing to do. But what about writing lyrics? I was enamored with the power of words. I loved to write essays. In fact, over the last five or six years, I had fallen in love with my Roget’s Thesaurus. Surely I could learn to write lyrics.
In a previous blog, Begin the Journey – Songwriting Journey Part 1, I described the initial decision I made in September of 2006 to dedicate myself to music composition. In order not to become overwhelmed, I began with baby steps by writing small things for my church choir. I did not write the words, though. That seemed beyond my capability. Thankfully there are many public domain and Bible texts readily available.
That Fateful Evening . . .
On the night of November 24, 2006, for some reason, I decided to become a songwriter. I suppose there were many events leading to that moment, but I had not put them together until that night. At 11:26 p.m. I emailed a friend and told him my crazy idea. I thought if I really told someone—that would make me accountable and compel me to follow through with this decision.
Here is what I wrote, “I think I can write songs. THERE. I have said it. I have never said that to anyone. Have I written any? No. Do I have proof that I can do it? No. I just think that I can at least try. . .” Then I wrote the word “songwriting” and the date on a sticky note and put it by my computer as a constant reminder of my decision. (It is still there, right where I put it fourteen years ago. It is a constant reminder to me of my decision to be a songwriter.)
Before that night, I had song ideas. I even had a box filled with pieces of paper—with phrases or sentences for lyrics. Some had melodies, too. I did not know how to finish them. That night, I certainly had many concerns about my ability to write songs. 1) I wasn’t sure I had enough interesting life experiences to inspire very many songs. 2) I had never written any lyrics. 3) My background (for the most part) was in classical and church music. 4) I did not know anything about the form of lyrics or songs.
About ten or eleven years prior, I had bought the book, The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis. I had read part of it, but for some reason, had not followed through by actually writing any lyrics. That night I began reading it again. The decision to be a songwriter was the first step in my songwriting journey. So, I want to be a songwriter? Now what?
The Journey to Be a Songwriter Continues . . .
Next, I start learning about songwriting and discover NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) in Part 3 of my Songwriting Journey.
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What is something you have felt inspired to do? Did you follow through? If so, how?
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