Songwriting Tip #11. Create Your Own Lyric Explosion!

I've been writing songs now for more than 30 years and it always amazes me that
the basic songwriting principles I learned back then still apply today. Of cours
e, these days there are plently more creative stimuli to trigger the imagination
and bring new energy and vitality into the process.
The trap we easily fall into is to produce "pre-packaged" elements into our writ
ing. The use of the internet, pre-packed music loops, keyboard workstations that
do all the work for you and countless other adds and devices that produce 'orig
inal' music at the touch of a button.
All of these resources can bring a new edge to our writing as long as we don't f
all into the trap of regurgitating what other people have already worked on. Tha
t's why Tip #11 is a useful tool to add to the songwriters arsenal of techniques
.
So switch off the computer, the workstation and the sequencer for a couple of ho
urs and try this exercsie. You'll need a A2 or A3 sheet of blank paper. Now use
your powers of observation. Take a good look around you and write down what you
see. Not everything of course, just the things that capture your imagination. In
another one of my 101 songwriting tips, I stress the need to think like an arti
st. Now do just that. Let the side of your brain that is triggered by visual ima
ges be free to think visually.
The brain is recording visual information at the speed of light every moment of
the day! As a songwriter you need to educate your senses to collect a photo albu
m of the visual information that will trigger the creative process.
So your environment will speak to you. The places you go, the people you meet, t
he encounters you have, the commercials you see and hear etc. Write down any cre
ative word describing the experience of your senses - objects, people, scenery,
colours, artefacts, possessions, books, magazines, TV pictures, conversations. W
rite words that describe the visual images that attract you all over your piece
of paper then circle the interesting ones, the ones that grab you.
Now here comes the interesting part! Educationalists use Mind Maps to enable peo
ple to remember key facts. Especially useful when revising for examinations, tes
t and interviews. Public Speakers also use the technique so that they can dispen
se with notes, get eye contact with their audience and communicate effectively t
heir core message. However, this principle can also be used in songwriting to ex
plore a theme and develop a song.
So, on a second large piece of paper pick one of the key words that attract you
- a word that has the potential to create a visual image in the mind of the hear
er, a good 'storyline' word. Write the word in a box in the middle of the sheet
then create your Mind Map by drawing lines out from the center box to adjoining
boxes where you will start your Lyric Explosion! In each of the new boxes you ha
ve created around the central key word, write as many related words as possible.
For instance, if your key word is 'storm' then you might use related words like
: 'rain', 'thunder', 'weather forecast','howling','gale', 'water,' 'flood' etc.
Now extend your Mind Map out further, creating new boxes attached to the seconda
ry boxes.
Write in these 'secondary' words that are related to the key word like: 'rage',
'anger' 'umbrella', 'fear', 'panic'. You see how you are gradually building a vi
sual image with words and importantly, you are not going off subject but staying
with the main theme.
The next stage in the process is to start looking for related words that might c
reate verses for your song remembering that as a songwriter you want to tell a s
tory that progresses and develops through the song to a climax at the end using
'hook lines' and a powerful middle eight.
It's not uncommon for writers to sit for hours in front of a blank piece of pape
r or computer screen! Once you start the 'lyric explosion' exercise, you will be
surprised how much comes tumbling out.
Resist switching on that computer! If you really get stuck, use a decent Thesaur
us or Dictionary to give you a good spread of word associations for your Mind Ma
p. Persevere and work with the process. Make sure you give yourself the creative
time and space you need without interruptions.
Enjoy!

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Description
There are hundreds of songwriting tips out there - most say the same thing in te
n different ways.

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About the Author (text)
Steve Flashman has written over 150 songs and recorded 90 of them on 9 albums. H
e has performed in the Royal Albert Hall, the Marquee Club and the Streets of Ca
lcutta.
http://www.songwritersonamission.com