"is There A Moon Out Tonight?"

[BoParker]

Found this part of the chapter very interesting and touches on the need for consistent writing:

Insert from Pamela Phillips Oland’s “The Art of Writing GREAT LYRICS”

Chapter 2 “The Great AHA”

“IS THERE A MOON OUT TONIGHT?”

Are you one of those writers who talks about writing all the time? Or are you one who actually writes? Can you always find a marvelous excuse not to write? You have to make a phone call; a traveling salesman interrupts your train of thought; your favorite soap star’s long-lost daughter is about to make a dramatic reappearance and you can’t miss the episode; you’re not in the mood. That’s the real reason, isn’t it? You’re Not in the Mood, are not likely to Get in the Mood, and don’t know how to Work With Your Mood.

As a professional lyricist, I can’t afford the luxury of waiting for a full moon to put me in the mood. If I have a song that needs to be written, I have to sit down and write. Any number of people talk to me about how they write songs, but when we get down to the nitty gritty, I discover that all they do is talk. “When was the last song you wrote?” I ask them. “About a month or two ago,” they say blithely. Or even “Last year!” Last year, I tell you! Unless it’s January 1, I cannot find it in my heart to take these people seriously! Who are they kidding, saying they’re songwriters! Dilettantes perhaps, but where’s the dedication? Hate to break it to you, but writers write. How do you ever expect to get good at what you do if you wait for a full moon? When you don’t exercise for two months, it’s pretty slow going on your muscles until you get in shape again. Songwriting is like that too; The more you do it, the easier it gets. The more times you use all the tools and devices, the formulas and turns of phrase; the more trial and error, the more reaching and stretching – well, the better your lyrics will be! One day you’ll suddenly realize how thoroughly familiar and comfortable you are with your own lyric-writing process. Though not all great ideas turn into great songs, the more you see your ideas developed on paper, the more you will recognize your strengths and weaknesses and will grow and evolve as a lyricist.

What’s certain is that the hardest part of writing is beginning. So you have to start making a conscious effort to create the time and space necessary for the process. Writing lyrics may not be the top priority of your life, but unless you make and keep your dates with yourself to put forth your best efforts at songwriting, you’ll be shortchanging yourself from ever finding out how good a lyricist you really might be.