David,

My songwriting plan of attack is at the opposite end of the universe to yours. I approach everything I do with various strategies in mind, depending on what I'm setting out to achieve.

I'm at my most creative when I'm developing the first draft of material. This is usually a verse and could be a draft of lyrics or simply 150-200 words of sense-based prose about a chosen topic.

As others above have mentioned, it's best not to worry too much about rhythm and rhyme initially. I do that too. When I have a sequence of ideas in place, rhyme and lyric rhythm follow.

Once the above is done, the editing phase begins. This is where I look to strengthen my words. Some of the things I consider include...

  • Verb tense: is it consistent throughout the section?
  • Are there enough long distance lyric relationships?
  • Do the lyrics sufficiently develop in emotional strength as the song progresses?
  • Are there better word choices than the ones I have?
  • Do I have the words sitting on notes that have the correct melodic stress?
  • Have I chosen the best point of view?
  • Can I take any of the 'tell' lines and make them into 'show' lines?
  • Are there any places where I can find words that strengthen sonic flow using alliteration, assonance, consonance?
  • Do I have long vowel sounds on sufficiently long notes?
  • etc.

I admire people such as yourself who can home in on creativity. For me, it has to be analysis and method all the way. My brain doesn't function properly with any other approach.

Regards,
Noel

MY SONGS...
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