Writing songs is a sport. Believe me- it is. It can actually drain your energy a lot! You have to train that idea center of yours (aka your brain) regularly in order to come up with great songs more often. Your creativity routine should include the following exercises:
- Continuous writing: Write a set of lyrics every day (or at least as often as possible)! May it be a verse, a chorus or a whole song! It could just be a poem. No matter what you come up with- just do it and do invest in quality wordings.
- Check for alternatives! Once you´ve written your set of lyrics, you gotta strive for perfection. Make sure to examine every word carefully, checking for alternatives. Are there better ways to describe what you´re trying to point out? Are there ways to change the tone and mood of the setting? Could you break down longer sections into shorter ones without ruining the bigger picture?
- What about rhyming? You don´t need to work with rhymes all day long, don´t worry. Yet a certain rhyme density will actually make your song sound more catchy and memorable. You can improve your rhyming skills simply by looking up word groups that rhyme online. Build a catalog of rhymes for yourself and use it as a reference in the future.
- Ask your critics: This is the hardest part of the story. Once you´ve scribbled down your lyrics and having worked hard on them you may think they are just perfect. And they might be! You might even be a bit in love with them. Yet I challenge you to test them. I want you to ask someone you respect for their own linguistic masterpieces…this could be a fellow artist, a friend or an industry professional you may know. Ask them for an honest feedback and try to really listen. It might hurt to hear they aren´t just as fond of your ideas as you are, but their feedback might actually help you stay openminded, leave your comfort zone and try something totally new. At the end of the day you still get to decide over which version you will like better. Your original one, or the one you tweaked on.
Just stay humble- no matter how much you seem to love your own stuff, there´s always room for you to grow! So grow!