New songwriters tend to view songwriting as an isolated task and write one song at a time. Experienced writers know how to carry many songs at once and let their creative energy serve the moment.
Great songwriters have a notebook full of finished songs, and two notebooks of fragments and scribbles.
Practice noticing when something you’re writing doesn’t fit in the current song but still belongs in your notebook.
You don’t have to limit yourself to the start-to-finish journey of the one song you’re working on. Your creative expression is a multi-faceted practice. So don’t be surprised if you’re writing one song, and another one starts to peek through the lines.
You have a few options:
- Highlight the phrase, melody, or chord and set it aside. Recognize the value of that moment, but stay focused on what you’re writing.
- Pause the current song and explore the new idea for a few minutes. Give the new idea a chance without completely abandoning your current song.
- Turn the page and start a new song. Let the intrusive thought be a sign that something special is stirring.
The right path will be based on where you’re at. Sometimes the stray thought isn’t a distraction to be suppressed. Sometimes it’s a sign that the signal you’re looking for is coming from a new song. Set the current song aside and see where the stray thought takes you.
Catch that moment. Listen to it. Follow it. Remember it.
Keep writing wherever that creative whim takes you.