Lessons in songwriting- and how it relates to life

One of my favorite sessions at the Tin Pan South Seminar in Nashville was given by a songwriter named Steve Seskin. I’m obsessed. He did 2 separate sessions, equally riveting, and I could have listened to him all day. He’s equal parts entertaining and educational. I told him he should take the show on the road as a comedy.

He talked about writing songs in a way I hadn’t heard. It was stuff I knew intuitively but hearing him explain it in that way was so inspiring. He also taught things that made me want to approach songwriting in new ways.

It’s awesome to love something and realize that there’s always more to learn.

In the first session he talked about 4 tools of songwriting that were really helpful. I won’t go into that here. If that’s something you’re interested in, let me know in the comments below.

The 2nd session was something a bit more universal. The “re-write”.

The concept is that the re-write is just as, if not more-so, important than the first write. When you start the first write, there’s nothing there. It’s a blank canvas. You’re creating the mold. The creation is where you get it out and express yourself. Not much editing. Not much thinking as you go.

When you’re RE-Writing there’s a structure, a concept, that you’ve already created that you’re working on to make better. The mold is taking shape. This is where you make sure the story makes sense, in song-writing for example. Or that the melody is right for the words. You comb through what you have so far and improve on it.

Same with writing screen-plays or e-mails, making jewelry, writing a book. It’s where the David’s nose gets sculpted.

The shaping REALLY happens in the re-write. Steve gave such great examples. I wish I had a video of it. The song he shared before the re-write had a totally different meaning than the one he shared after the re-write. Same song, 2 different stories.

If you’re working on something creative, consider this your invitation to linger on the re-write. Knowing which projects to go back and work on is also important. Sometimes, you need the distance to see a bit clearer. I’ve had a lot of success going back and working on songs. They feel so much better now.

Is there anything that comes up for you as you think about what you might want to go back and re-work? An email? A long forgotten poem? A piece of artwork? A spread sheet? An idea that you started and didn’t finish?

Leave a comment below and let me know.

All my love,
Dana