What Inspires Me To Write

E-mail Valerie

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A fallen, spider-veined leaf, a smooth agate stone, a whispered conversation, a compelling advertisement's headline; these are some of the things that have inspired me to write songs. Songwriting is similar to poetry, but very different. In poetry, I like the cadence and the sound of the words. In songwriting, the words must convey a meaning, and the challenge is to create a picture or feeling with few words, and try to rhyme as well. A tall order! I always marvel at people who say they wrote a song in 15-20 minutes. They must just think in some sort of structure, or have an amazing command of our language and how to use it.

As I've matured in my songwriting, I've adopted a philosophy of using less to say more. Sparseness and simplicity are worthy goals. A conversational tone also makes for an accessible song.

I guess my biggest inspiration for songwriting comes from my life experiences. Songwriting is a way for me to express feelings and say things that might otherwise get stored away or go unsaid as I assume that others somehow "know" how I feel. There are a lot of sad songs and songs of longing and sorrow because when we are melancholy, we reflect. We wallow, we analyze and it is the perfect setting for songwriting. When we're happy or content, we're out doing whatever it is that makes us happy and content, we're not sitting around writing about it.

I have been inspired to write a song after hearing a clever line of dialogue in a movie, or reading a slogan in an ad. That can set the whole concept for the song, and often becomes the title, or "hook."

I'm definitely inspired by other musicians whom I admire and think were successful in portraying a feeling or story through the puzzle they've assembled with their words. In fact, I view songwriting like a puzzle (jigsaw puzzles are a weakness of mine; I can work at them for hours, even after my neck aches from looking down and my eyes are watery from concentration). The elements are there, the idea, some key words or phrases; now how do I work them around and upside down into a cohesive flow of words. If I just keep at it, I'll solve it. All of the answers are there, it's just a matter of time, patience and skill. For there are definitely some skills that can be learned and applied in songwriting. One of the best ways to do that is to analyze successful or popular songs and identify their parts. I've been dramatically inspired by spending time in Nashville, Music City, where songs are revered and respected. Hearing other writers that are better than you at getting an idea across (very often an idea you've had too!) can either make you cut and run or hunker down and re-write and get better. If you're really fortunate and can bear some constructive criticism, you can get invaluable advice from people that have been through the same thing you have. There's strength in numbers sometimes; support groups are positive! Going to songwriter nights and being exposed to as many songs as you can feeds you with ideas.

I am also inspired by the aesthetic. I need a certain surrounding or atmosphere in order to concentrate and enjoy songwriting. It's important to recognize your own style and the comfort zone that gives you your best results. My ideal songwriting set-up is to be somewhere beautiful, like a cozy bed and breakfast inn with a private balcony overlooking a landscape of natural beauty, like a lake, the ocean, woods or a garden. Warm sunshine, a comfortable chair, my writing "tools" (yellow 8-1/2"x11" pad of paper, Pilot V-ball black pens, sharpened #2 pencils, a rhyming dictionary and a thesaurus, and my folder of ideas), my guitar, tuner and capo, and some refreshment like iced tea, juice and a scone. This puts me in a great mood and I don't feel like I need to get up to get anything as the process gets involved.

I often get inspired late at night as I'm readying for bed. An idea pops in my head, it's dark, hushed and quiet (quiet is very important to me), and I just have to jot it down. I usually get a melody line for the idea immediately and I have to record it on the small hand-held tape recorder I keep by the bed (I have to be more disciplined about labeling the tapes, though; I have stacks of them and no clue which is which!) Once I start singing it in my head over and over, it stays with me for several days, until I finally just have to sit down and try to work out the whole song. I think I have a sense of value about it, that if I don't get it fairly finished, I'll lose it completely and what might have been my best song yet will have frittered away. Often, by the time I try to work out chords to it, it sounds pretty different from when it was born as a mere melody, so it's great to hang on to the initial "sung" tape and hear its evolution, and use that for revising if you want to.

The other place that inspires me believe it or not is driving alone in my car. Especially long distances where I have to think for a while. I get an idea and start singing it. By the time I'm home, I need to race in the house and get it on the tape recorder before it leaves me. One time, I had an idea that I thought was so strong that I turned around from an appointment I was headed to and went home to record it (I guess I should have a tape recorder in the car, too!) This idea was worked over a month or so, in several locations, and I finally recorded a demo of it. My hunch about the idea was right; I subsequently won the 1998 Song of the Year Award from the Northeast CMA and the 1999 Great American Song Contest, Country Category for that song! ("Hey! That's My Kiss).

I've written songs that are truly from a heartfelt, personal perspective, and ones that are exercises in applying skills, like certain rhymes, forms, etc. The ones that are a blend of both are probably the most accessible, and other people can relate to them. Every now and then, however, I just write something just the way I want it, not caring what anyone else might hear or relate to in the song. Those are the easy ones to perform, because they have meaning and nuance. It all depends on your goal as a songwriter. If you are writing for yourself and you are the only one likely to perform your songs, you have much more leeway. If you are writing to "pitch" your songs to other artists to perform, they have to be understandable and relative to others.

I guess I'd have to say that everyday life inspires me, and all of the things I experience or hear about. I'm at the point where I know I will always write songs, it's just so pleasurable in so many ways. Once you've seen, you can't "unsee;" there's no going back to silence or just listening. They are like a chronicle of my life, or my views on life. I'm proud of my songs, like they are my piece of art that will survive me and have a life of their own. They are completions of ideas and work, and can stand alone without me.