Using the Past for Inspiration

Inspiration for songs can come from the most random things and hit you at the strangest moments, but waiting for inspiration to hit before you get anything done can waste a lot of time. Use your past as inspiration to keep writing.

A journal is something that can really help with this. If you don't use one now is a good time to start. You don't need to write on a daily or even weekly basis. Just write about the events that effect you the most-that person you can't stop thinking about, your financial struggles, the drama at work, your friends sudden illness, etc. Keep a journal in which you write about those moments that evoke strong emotions in you.

Thinking about your past in a general sense can be less productive than focusing on specific emotions or moments. Use these prompts to help you develop ideas based on moments from your past.
-school fight
-a time you were really sick
-the first time you ever felt really guilty about something you did
-your first crush
-your first day at your first job
-an audition or interview you were nervous about
-your first date
-something you've always wanted to accomplish
-a nasty rumor someone spread about you
-a time you wanted to get revenge on someone who mistreated you
-a time someone assumed something negative about you
-a time you tried to impress someone who didn't like you
-your first bad grade or failed project
-a time you didn't get to do something you really wanted to do
-your first sexual experience
-the first concert you ever attended
-the first time you tried to write a song
-a bully that intimidated you
-a time you got in trouble at school
-an event that made you really late from something important
-a time you had to apologize for a big mistake
-a time your boss blamed you for something that wasn't your fault
-a time you blamed someone else for something you did
-something you said to someone that you've regretted ever since
-a moment you wish you could go back and change
-a moment that you feel defines who you are as a person

There are plenty of other moments you could use as inspiration, but hopefully this list at least got you thinking about some inspiring moments in your life. If nothing inspires you right now, look through a journal, a yearbook, or maybe even an old calendar. You might find something interesting.

~Eliza

Songs that Deal with Grief

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 most of the songs that come to my mind are songs that deal with grief. They are either about releasing grief or overcoming whatever hardship caused the grief.
People often say that the purpose of music is to make people happy and spread joy. I believe that the purpose is to help us feel and not every emotion we feel is happy. I have found many times that I didn't realize just how much I needed to release my emotions until I started singing along to a song that helped me release them. Songs don't bring back lost loved ones or make all of our problems go away, but they do help us recover when we are hurt.
The hurt that was felt in the United States on September 11, 2001 is difficult to comprehend. I was only eleven years old at the time. Since I couldn't remember much from that day, I looked at some of the newscasts, images, and phone calls from that day. The phone calls were the most painful, but I'm glad I listened to them. It's important that we never forget that event and listening to those phone calls was a good thing for me. When we look at the images, it's so easy to just see a couple of buildings with smoke coming out of them, but when we hear the voices on those phone calls and see the images of people jumping from windows to escape flames it is a somber reminder that those were real people and real lives that were lost that day.
I remembered 9/11 today through videos of the days news, but when I finished these were the lyrics that stood out to me, the lyrics that I wanted to sing.

Oh, beautiful, for spacious skies for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain's majesties above the fruited plain
America, America, God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea

It's not that 9/11 makes me think of beauty. That was a very ugly day, but it reminds me how glad I am that I'm still here, how glad I am that there haven't been more attacks like this, and how glad I am that I'm an American. And as an American I will always remember this day and the lives that were lost.

~Eliza

Lyric Critiques

Lyric critiques are an important part of the revision process and help songwriters make the changes they need to make so their work will be the best it can be. I won't be posting very many of my own lyrics on this blog, but I will on occasion. I will also be posting my own critiques of lyrics by some of my favorite artists. This is also a good exercise for songwriters because it makes them think about what they like to hear in lyrics and incorporate those interests into their own writing.

I would like this aspect of my blog to be more interactive as I update more regularly and gain more readers. In the meantime I will pursue my dream of having my lyrics recorded by local artists.

~Eliza

Bits and Pieces

Occasionally I will be working on a song and all of the lyrics will come to me at once. This has only happened a couple of times, with songs such as "Angelface" and "Damage". Most songs will come to me in bits and pieces.

It will often be one single moment that I write about, as opposed to an event in my life. And because it is only one moment I will only be able to write a few lines. Since so little happened in that moment I find it difficult to complete those songs and build an entire song based upon those few seconds or minutes, yet for some reason those few lines tend to be the most provoking and meaningful lines in my songbooks. It may be because those single moments can still be the most memorable. For example, I have written two songs about an illness I struggled with in high school, but I have written dozens of lyrics that are still incomplete that were inspired by a sentence or two someone said to me.

These songs that come to me in bits and pieces are very frustrating. I want to finish a song, but if I force it I am unhappy with the outcome. That's why I've learned to write down every lyric. When it comes to me I'll grab whatever's nearby, which can happen 0-20 times a day, and save it to look over later. (They usually tend to come to me when I'm busy with something else.) When I have time I'll read it a few times and if I think it has some potential I will then write it in my songbook.

It can be an irritating process, but it's better to save those lyrics that have potential and take a lot of time revising and completing them than missing out on those opportunities. Just because a project can take a long amount of time doesn't mean it's not worth it.

~Eliza

Self Education

Songwriting and creating music are things that a lot of people dream about. And most people who actually pursue it don't just want to get by. They want to make it big. People who want to take advantage of that to make some money know that a lot of these dreamers are not as educated as they think they are.

Take myself for example. In terms of having pride in my work I am ready to pursue a songwriting career. And a few weeks ago I felt like I was ready despite a lack of knowledge of how the songwriting business works. It seemed like an acceptable approach to see where networking could take me and learn along the way. Fortunately an unplanned stop by Barnes and Noble made me realize how naive and unprofessional that was. I saw some books about songwriting and the music industry and decided to educate myself a little. I couldn't believe how much I had learned, things I had before thought I could go without knowing, after only a few chapters. One thing the books talked about was legal contracts with anyone who you write or record a song with. I hadn't put much thought into that. I realized as I continued that there were a lot of important things I hadn't considered much at all. And I realized that that put me at a serious disadvantage.

In terms of having completed songs and having pride in my work I am ready to pursue a songwriting career, but there are a lot of people who would be more than willing to take advantage of my ignorance. That's why I am focusing on educating myself on the music business, as well as music itself. If I see an opportunity in front of my I'll obviously take advantage of it, but at the same time I recognize the value of increasing my knowledge on things that are vital.

As I learn I want to help other people who have the same interests. I am creating a new page for resources for songwriters. I will post books, links, and websites that I find helpful as I continue to learn more. I will also occasionally add a blog post for resources that are exceptional.

~Eliza

Rejected Lyrics

A few weeks ago I submitted my lyrics for a song called "Damage" to the American Songwriters Lyrics competition. I found out yesterday that I am not one of the finalists.

I have had other forms of writing rejected, but I had never entered a lyric competition before. Strangely I felt no sense of discouragement or even disappointment. Perhaps it's because I spent so much time telling myself that rejection didn't mean failure. It's only a stepping stone to success. One way to looke at it is that since my lyrics are not longer tied up in a contest I now have the freedom to do what I want with my lyrics and have no obligations to any judges in a contest.

At this time I am currently seeking artists who have an interest in recording this song. I have no music for it, just the lyrics.

If the song interests you, please leave a comment or a send me a messsage at elizabeth.marion490@gmail.com. I would also appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

Damage

Don't ask me to wake up

Don't ask me to move

Don't even know if I could if I tried

I don't wanna get up

Though I was never truly asleep

Everything seems so surreal now

I'm just dead tired from this insomnia I've been experiencing since you left me

Out of my mind wondering when and if I'll see you next

You can't come that close to me and then just pull away without leaving any scars

And even if you came back and asked me to forgive you

The damage is already done

Oh it's done

I just wanna move on

But that's easier said than done

Don't even know if I could if I tried

I just wanna stay up all the time

So I don't dream of you

So I don't dream of you

I just going crazy trying to figure out if I can somehow get you back now

And at the same time hoping I'll never have to see you again

You can't come that close to me and then just pull away without leaving any scars

And even if you come back and ask to me to forgive you

The damage is already done

Oh it's done

I do have a bridge and I final chorus, but I feel that those parts can use some more editing. I'm satisfied with the rest of the song and hope that it will someday be recorded.

~Eliza

Lyric Competition

A couple of days ago I entered a song I wrote into the American Songwriters lyrics competition. As I mentioned before, while I have written many lines and verses to songs I have fully completed only a few, so I only had a list of about fifteen to work with.

The song I ended up sending in was a song titled Damage. I will wait until the results of the competition have been announced before I post the lyrics here or try to promote them to anyone.

My impression of the American Songwriters lyrics competition so far is very positive. Since I write lyrics and have no recording devices or instruments to make a recording even if I wanted to, a competition that allows you to send in only the lyrics is something that I appreciate.

I also like the fact that those who have never submitted before get something out of it other than the submission fee and bragging rights that they finally got up the nerve to enter their work into a competition. The submission is $12, but when you submit you also get a 1-year subscription to the magazine. Even if I don't win any of the prizes or even an honorable mention that's plenty of incentive for me. I have been interested in subscribing to the magazine, and through this competition I was able to do so for only $12. I have not received my first issue yet, but will post here when I do.

~Eliza