u/Impossible_Tank3822

First off, we don't need a reason to write a song. We just write them and that's reason enough.

Going on a different tack, I listen to the songs posted here and read the OP's posts, but there seems to be something wanting in all of them and that's their creative process, and even their stated reasons for writing what they wrote about.

On their stated reasons, some are quantifying songs to assemble an EP or album as a goal, talk about the technical aspects of it, but scarcely hint at the creativity and the process it guides them with.

Others, also quantifying it by way of writing a song a week (with some even more ambitious than that), also discuss it but leave out the creative process.

Then the majority post their songs for feedback but don't describe the nuts and bolts of their approach and process to creating the songs. I count myself in with this company of writers.

What does it say about the songwriting process? Nothing, but isn't that one of the purposes of this forum.

I'm not saying we should all be obliged to explain our creativity and process for each song we write because that would become kind of over-reaching and odious to some. But, I wouldn't mind explaining what a particular song's process is because it can be unique to each song, to some lesser or greater extent, and perhaps give helpful insight into what drove me to write about stuff that came to mind and how I ended up with a finished song.

For me, when I write a song it's because something is on my mind compelling me to air it out with a song. The mood is set by the topic I need to say something about, which can be a positive thing I want to share, or a negative thing I need to elicit empathy with. That would summon up a major or minor key and I would then find a progression and adjust its pitch to suit my vocal range. Then I'll create the lyrics in conjunction with the chord-melody of the score out of my own abilities to do that at this point in my experience. That's the basic over-view of my succession of steps, but it says nothing about the details each song differs by, where I had rough spots to resolve and how I resolved them. Going forward, I will be a little more detailed about each song I write and post.

Because I register my stuff with the US Copyright Office my information is on file in the public records of that agency. Anyone, especially (claimed) publishers can use that information to contact me to pitch their scams. They have already and just yesterday I blocked the latest one. One, a publishing agent, wanted me to pay for listing my work in a pending printed volume of poetry. I was of the opinion that he should pay me and he went ghost. Another went into details about a deal where I would get back-royalties once I relinquished right to a song to them. Mama dint raise no dummy. Anyway, if you register your work you open that door to let scammer into your life but it's easy to recognize one. They will ask if you, by your full name you are registered with, if you are the author of (name of work). That's when you go dark.

I've been in the music game for many years, having started in 1974 as a singer songwriter, and in that early time of my life's artistic ambition I managed to get the benefit of warnings about the hawks and doves of the industry, local as it might have been (Chicago). Instead of being convinced to sign away my intellectual property, I went another direction and put music aside and protected as a personal form of entertainment (hobby).

Anyone can and will come out of the shadows with seemingly great motivations for making music with all the right buzz words, pics, media and a box full of ambition. Put the guardrails up until you've vetted this person as genuine and trustworthy, and then just throw out a jingle to collaborate on (bait) to get a reading on the relevant responses and discussions.

I've only collaborated with people who've exhibited all that works for me to form a trust of their personas, and have also exhibited their musicality with posted works of their own. Those were the good times. With the bad times, the people were very serious but when put to the test I found them barely capable of playing any instrument, if at all, couldn't sing, and by all measures were just looking to get their names legally associated with my work.

Also, I copyright everything I do with the US Copyright Office once I'm satisfied with it for publishing in the raw. I copyright the work as a written piece and separately as a song. It may well need collaboration but I'm protected. I found that this official registration of ownership deterred or otherwise ghosted some people who were looking to collaborate because, obviously, they would have no claim on the original work. They could if a collaboration went forward successfully but it seems they were wanting in on the ground floor for equal claim on the entire song. It costs $65.00 to register a work for copyright protection but you can list up to 10 works on a single registration application. It's worth the $6.50 for each work to register them that way. That said, if a registered song is the difference between a collaborator or a non-collaborator, then you can surmise that the former is a serious musician and the latter is not. I always let a person know up front that I hold a copyright on a work I'm looking for collaboration with, and explain that they can have a claim on a published collaboration after that, but they cannot backwardly claim ownership of the original song.

Theoretically, once you publish a song in the public domain, or publish a written work, at that moment you can claim to hold the copyright on it. The operative word here is "claim", but so can anyone else, and it goes to court from there. Holding an official registration for the work being contested from the US Copyright Office precludes any of that scenario.

I've been writing songs for a bit now (since 1974) after becoming adept enough to play (fingerpicking) and sing at the same time. That took a bit to coordinate but it was part of the process so my retro is all positive.

When I started writing my own stuff the melody preceded the lyrics only because in the process of learning to play the instrument I made quite a few departures away from covering pop music into creating my own progressions. I found that to be rewarding in and of itself and very useful for developing playing the instrument.

Once I felt confident I could score my own stuff I began writing simple poetic lines that told stories and used my existing melodies to underscore them. That worked well. Then, I began a deeper study in writing and wanted to say more in songs than I had before. This lead to ballads. I had a few. Then I learned the average attention span of a music listener was not long enough to keep interest in listening through the whole song. I began saying more with less verbiage. That was a refinement to songwriting that fits the average attention span, as I experienced it.

Now I try to stay with that strategy but after 71 years on this traveling ground and twice around the world, I have a lot to say on a shortening runway. So, let me close by saying keep it natural. Write progressions that keep the ear's interest, words that come organically and not by force or from an external source (AI), and stick to durations around 2-3 minutes. And, never underestimate the confidence from knowing how to play your chosen instrument well. It, all by itself, is compelling.

This is a typical release from me and I'm thinking it's like peanut butter and jelly - sweet but not savory - in the musical sense. There's none of the rawness, or maybe depth or dynamics that would make it more listenable. Or, maybe I'm just strolling along the edge of songwriting and just can't find its center? I don't know. The sameness is too same.

https://youtu.be/zE_OvCYKAtA