The Songwriting Process: Take a Step Back and Organize There are certain steps that I take when writing a song that people may not know. Sure, some songs can "write themselves" and most songwriters can't explain the process. This is a chance to get into the mind of someone writing a song. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that's true, then a song cold be worth a million. The next step to writing a song (see the first step) is to make some sense of the story you want to tell. This is a story of love, and most stories of love don't make sense, especially since love is an irrational act. I don't want to edit the story and make something up that isn't there, but at the same time, I want to capture something worth telling. If I can't convince myself that there is something important to say, then the songwriting process will be difficult at the least. What I have done to further develop this song is to take the key important data that I already identified and put it into a convincing story of their life and love. You have to take a step back to do this, but it is beneficial to the song in that it makes the entire thing look like a whole connected piece. A painter might step back for a moment and imagine what the canvas will look like as a whole first. The painter may want to know that the picture will look balanced and that the colors used will blend or compliment other colors. The song is but a vague painting in my head, but here is my plan. This is my step back to say to myself, "Yes, this is a painting worth painting (song worth writing), and it looks balanced and goal directed." Verse 1: FAIRY TALES- princess, castle, puffy dresses, shiny tiaras, knight in shining armor She's a modern day princess. She has high standards, and she doesn't fall for just any night in shinning armor. She, like many princesses of old, must wait for her love, but in the end she knows this will make it all worth while. High standards are her strength. Anticipation builds, but to what? Verse 2: CHANCE ENCOUNTERS- old school mates, gazes, seeing faces, not knowing names, not love at first sight, no formal acquaintance Seeing is not loving for them, they must be acquainted. These two have been appearing and disappearing in each others' lives until it becomes an unmistakable truth that they must get to know each other better. They are revolving around their fate, and neither is aware that as they get closer their eventual collision is inescapable. Verse 3: DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIP- hold hands, hug, heart flutters, butterflies, conversations, questions, long distance, praying, family, friends, love, faith, God, blessed Both are finally woken to the fact that they are meant to be major players in each others' game of life. They feel the rush of emotion that comes with infatuation, but as they get to know each other, they find that they have a connection that they believe is stronger than the distance of thousands of miles. They still feel the rush of infatuation-like emotion after their anticipation of seeing each other builds and builds. They are blessed by the long distance because they get to feel the "falling in love" feelings over and over. Chorus: They hold onto their faith, draw support from friends, and pray to maintain their strength as they hold their breath for the next step. Confident in each others' love and God's love, and strong in their belief that they are meant to be, they use all the patience they have. The fate (kismet) that made them bump into each other is still at work, but no longer needed. Even in this time they are to learn something. There is a larger plan, and it isn't over. There is meaning to their lives, only God knows the rest of the picture that will be revealed in the future. A few final thoughts about this song: The song will likely end like a television show that flashes "TO BE CONTINUED..." because every day of everyone's life is a single episode of a series that always leaves you hanging to finish the story. That's what makes life interesting and worth living. Hope, fate, possibilities, kismet, are the unknowns that keep us all from killing ourselves.
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Blake Flannery
I love writing and I love writing music, so this is my blog about writing music |