The 7 Best Kept Secrets About the Songwriting Process

The process of songwriting is a mystery.   

To begin the process, you might jump onto the internet looking for answers.    There you’ll find a batch of stories about how successful songwriter’s came up with great songs. After a weekend long vlog blitz, you find yourself right back to where you began, as confused as ever. When you finally come up for air, you feel like you’ve just eaten five ice cream cones in a row and now your stomach hurts. 

The real songwriting secrets lie in the the deeper questions, the ones no one is talking about.     

So, let’s do a bit of sleuthing and start to unravel some critical secrets you need to know as you embark on your songwriting journey. 

Secret #1:  Your personal process has to evolve over time

The answer to Where do I start?  is an invitation to start anywhere.  You will only develop a  personal songwriting process by doing it over and over again.  Writing a song is entirely personal and based on many factors like skill level, repetition, failure, more failure, then mini successes.  It involves wrestling with paper, frustration at your schedule being interrupted (constantly), issues  with phrasing, rhythm, subject matter and form.  

When Michaelangelo so eloquently stated, “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it”, this was what he was talking about.  

Here’s the Secret:  Quietly, we are all afraid of unexpected outcomes. We know that songwriting will take a lot of effort, a whole lot of time and some surprises will undoubtedly arise.  In order to develop a working process over time, don’t let your doubt and fear run the show. If music is in your heart, you’ve got to keep going.

When in doubt, it’s best to think like the pro’s. When Steven Spielberg was embarking on the making of the film Lincoln, he said, (and I’m paraphrasing here) “I don’t do projects unless they scare me. And this one was really scary”. Good art requires some element of apprehension and it’s part of the equation. Motto: There is always a fear factor. Be scared but do it anyway.

Secret #2:  Writing one song takes longer than you think

Sure, we hear stories about songs that were written in 15 minutes and then became big hits.  And yes, this can happen.  There are unbelievable moments when miracles do occur and the stars do align. 

But the truth is that even the greatest of songwriters take their time and work hard to write a brilliant song.   Janis Ian took two years to write the chorus to “Jesse” because she wanted to have the best chorus possible.   Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame, took one year to write the song “My Shot” because he wanted every couplete to be perfect.  

It’s also important to consider other people in the collaborative process.  Unless you are a self-contained singer-songwriter/producer then your song will also require other skilled people to help you collaborate, and you’ll have to work with time constraints and schedules.  

Here’s the secret: The true work of songwriting requires the writer to be HONEST and AUTHENTIC in their writing.  And this will take time.  If you are trying to make your music sound like someone else’s music, then your best efforts will fall flat if the song doesn’t have your perspective woven into it.   Dig deep, and give each song your best effort and please don’t rush the process. 

Secret #3:  The inevitable psychological curve ball 

When the going gets tough in the songwriting process, do you tend to plow through or do you find yourself dropping the whole thing?   Do the demons of criticism raise their ugly head and beat you down from the inside out?  

The songwriting process will undoubtedly throw you some psychological curve balls ranging anywhere from feelings of catastrophic failure to grand elations.   Although the understanding of emotions is a songwriter’s super power, unbalanced emotions can challenge the best of us.  

Here’s the secret: All songwriter’s experience lack-of-confidence moments.   It doesn’t matter if you are Sting, Adele, Halsey or some new rapper dude on the scene.    A blank page can be a scary thing and a lack of confidence comes with the territory (yes, I know I’m repeating myself here). Each new song collaboration brings new situations to navigate; and how you handle these moments  is a matter of strategy and positive self talk.  By all means,  ask the critic in your head to step out of the room while you take care of business in your writing sessions.     

Secret #4:  If you want to paint a wall, you’ve gotta buy the paint. 

If you want to accomplish anything, then you have got to get started and have a method to keep going. 

Would you like to research this month, write next month and then ask your guitar playing friend to join you the following month?  The songwriting process can be a complicated endeavor so anchoring your thoughts onto paper is a powerful way to control the process.   

Here’s the secret:  Without a calendar your creative muse doesn’t have any place to land. A few soft deadlines can work wonders to kick your creative spirit into submission. Measure your time with a  planner, a calendar, google calendar or a bullet journal.  If you don’t know what a bullet journal is, check out one of my favorite BuJo ladies HERE.   Tell your schedule  what you want to do, then use the yearly, quarterly, monthly and daily calendars to help you achieve your songwriting wishes.  Two brains are better than one, so you might choose to work with a mentor to help you plan.

Secret #5:  Study!

Dig deep into your craft.   Do you want to write songs about social commentary?  Then you might check out other top Billboard artists to see who is writing such things.  Do you want to write a country song?   According to Wikipedia, there are over 66 genres of country songs to pick from.   Which type of country song speaks to you?  Which artists do you admire?

Here’s the secret: The best way to write a song is to study other great songs.  If you jump over this step, you might find it tough to anchor your music into a sound that works for you, unless you are super clear about your direction.  Also, don’t get stuck for too long researching the music market, but bite off just enough to inspire you.    Listening to songs from other artists, or take a songwriting class that will help to  spark your creative muse, get your juices going and inspire. 

Secret #6:  Wait for it. 

I’ve spent time written songs that I thought were awesome, but for some reason didn’t work in the end.  I’ve written songs with artists who I considered great writers but they lacked any sort of confidence in their writing; and I’ve written with those that had more ego than talent.  

Your song will go through at least 7 or 8 (or more) variations, from the time of its inception to the final product; and in the end it won’t sound at all like it does at the beginning.  

Here’s the secret:  Time develops character and strength.  To support your efforts,  you will find that there is a certain element of grace that walks with you, through time. You will find synchronicity happening and new collaborations will emerge.   This means that you are aligning yourself with a higher purpose that will bring you opportunities down the road.  If you are not focused on the outcome and can breathe into the moment, you’ll discover a part of yourself along the way.  People with character, great songs and are pleasant to work with are a valuable commodity in this business.    It will open up doors and opportunities for you simply  because you are calm, productive and centered.    

Secret #7:   It’s not the destination, it’s the journey

“Those times when you get up early and work hard, those times when you get up late and work hard, the times when you don’t feel like working and you push yourself anyway.  That is actually the dream.  It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” -  Kobe Bryant

Here’s the secret: The journey of discovery is part of the process.  As you write, you will learn.  As you collaborate, you will discover pieces of yourself.   This is what makes a great song and great artists.    If I haven’t said it already, go with the flow and give yourself some grace.   The result: a greater sense of happiness and accomplishment because you’ve been brave, done the work and pioneered through to the end.

Enjoy the journey.  

If you’d like to dive in deeper, here’s a free mini course — The 7 Keys You Must Know To Be A Powerful Songwriter: A Songwriter’s Guide to Writing Songs Effortlessly and Authentically.

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Lisa M. Arreguin is a songwriter, recording artist, a mentor for artists and a speaker.   She holds a master’s degree in psychology from Cal State Los Angeles and has founded several companies including Love and Laughter Music Group (LLC) and Living Crazybrave.   She is the author of “The Crazybrave Songwriter: A Spiritual Guide to Creative Songwriting” and runs e-courses focusing on the growth of musicians and creative artists. Lisa has written hundreds of songs, recorded her own album and has had many song placements on TV and in film.