u/illudofficial

I like to repost this for new writers every once in a while:

My advice as someone who has been writing for 10 years, this is the same thing I tell everyone

So think about it this way. Every song is a story. So find what story you want to write about. If you can't think of anything, reading will definitely help. Read books, comics, novels, fiction, poems, anything. And truly absorb it. Try not to do it on your phone though, because you'll tend to remember it more if it's on actual paper because of the way our brains interact with our phone screens.

If you can't think of any chords, sometimes I'll just open up a book of chords (or website) and play a bunch until I find one with the sound I want. And build off of that. Or you can just learn a FRIK TON of songs on the same genre so you can figure out a pattern to follow.

Find the melody you want to follow. If you have it recorded, play it on loop for a bit to keep it in your mind. If you don't have it recorded, you can also just either play it a few times over, it just imagine it.

Keep it in your mind and just think of the music in your head. Lay/sit down. Close your eyes. And picture what you want the music to sound like. Then hum out the melody. Feel what kind of story the music tells. Romance? Revenge? Anger? Love? Sadness? Feel every note with your heart. Remember how it makes you feel and let it resonate with you with every bone in your body. Feel it in your ears and let it fill your mind. And once you realize what story the music is telling you, write it down. You don't have to write the lyrics down, but write the story down. Remember the story. Then go back and fill it in with lyrics, telling it in a melodical and poetic way so when you hear it, your heart still feels it as if you're going through it again.

In technical/practical terms, I use this format for songs but it's not hard and fast by any means

Intro (Present): The hook of the story - Jump right in and tell what's happening in the present

Verses (Past): The exposition of the story - Tell the surroundings as indirectly as possible while still getting your point across (I tend to use as many metaphors as I can but you don't have to)

Chorus (Present): The heart of the story- What's happening at the present moment? Why is this story important?

Bridge (Present): The changeup/advancing of the story. - What happens after the Chorus to continue the story?

Outro (Present): The ending of the story - Wrap up the story with the moral and the purpose? (Often but not always a modification of the Chorus)

Try using this format to remember where you are and where you need to go with the story

SIDE TIPS:

1. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN NO MATTER HOW STUPID IT SOUNDS. If you get a whole song or verse pop into your head, write/record it on your phone so you can get it quicker before you forget it. If you're doing it slowly, write on paper because your brain builds a stronger connection

2. White noise can help if you can't think of chords. Your brain tends to try and find patterns in white noise, rain, fans, etc. find something that works and switch it up. Remember that it can also distract you as well, so if it does, you can always turn it off

3. Try to find music in anything and everything around you. A faucet dripping. A toilet flushing. The sound of a page turning. The sound of a door opening. Anything.

4. Don't overthink it. You can (and should) always go back and expand on your lyrics. Correct them, make them more precise and less direct

5. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help or advice. You'll get better a thousand times quicker by a friend ruthlessly critiquing your work until you learn the structure you like than you will by showing someone who will tell you that you did a good job every time.

I know this is a lot but I hope it helps! You're gonna do great! Godspeed!!!

[Edit]

NEVER USE AI!!!! EVER!!!! FOR ANY REASON!!!

Since in theory the average win rate must be 50%?

On one hand, being more specific gives better imagery but on the other hand, what about people with brown eyes and green eyes? Are they left out?

When performing a song live, you need to make sure the song you’re singing actually has gaps for you to breathe since you can’t just splice takes when you’re recording it in the studio.

Especially if you are dancing while singing, you’re gonna need to take breaths more often.

Alternatively, how do you decide where to breathe if you wrote a song that doesn’t give much room for it?