Writing Christian songs that deliver great content, memorable hook lines and prophetic lyrics that touch the heart and soul should be the aim of every songwriter.
However, the use of the internet, pre-packed music loops, keyboard workstations that do all the work for you and countless other add ons and devices that produce music at the touch of a button, has made us lazy in the song writing process.
All of these resources can bring a new edge to our writing as long as we don't fall into the trap of regurgitating what other people have already worked on.
So switch off the computer, the workstation and the sequencer for a couple of hours and try this exercise. You'll need a A2 or A3 sheet of blank paper. Now use your powers of observation. Take a good look around you and write down what you see. Not everything of course, just the things that capture your imagination. In another one of my 101 songwriting tips, I stress the need to think like an artist. Now do just that. Let the side of your brain that is triggered by visual images be free to think visually.
The brain is recording visual information at the speed of light every moment of the day! As a songwriter you need to educate your senses to collect a photo album of the visual information that will trigger the creative process.
So your environment will speak to you. The places you go, the people you meet, the encounters you have, the commercials you see and hear etc. Write down any creative word describing the experience of your senses - objects, people, scenery, colours, artifacts, possessions, books, magazines, TV pictures, conversations. Write words that describe the visual images that attract you all over your piece of paper then circle the interesting ones, the ones that grab you.
Now here comes the interesting part! Educationalists use Mind Maps to enable people to remember key facts. Especially useful when revising for examinations, test and interviews. Public Speakers also use the technique so that they can dispense with notes, get eye contact with their audience and communicate effectively their core message. However, this principle can also be used in songwriting to explore a theme and develop a song.
So, on a second large piece of paper pick one of the key words that attract you - a word that has the potential to create a visual image in the mind of the hearer, a good 'storyline' word. Write the word in a box in the middle of the sheet then create your Mind Map by drawing lines out from the center box to adjoining boxes where you will start your Lyric Explosion! In each of the new boxes you have created around the central key word, write as many related words as possible. For instance, if your key word is 'storm' then you might use related words like: 'rain', 'thunder', 'weather forecast','howling','gale', 'water,' 'flood' etc. Now extend your Mind Map out further, creating new boxes attached to the secondary boxes.
Write in these 'secondary' words that are related to the key word like: 'rage', 'anger' 'umbrella', 'fear', 'panic'. You see how you are gradually building a visual image with words and importantly, you are not going off subject but staying with the main theme.
The next stage in the process is to start looking for related words that might create verses for your song remembering that as a songwriter you want to tell a story that progresses and develops through the song to a climax at the end using 'hook lines' and a powerful middle eight.
It's not uncommon for writers to sit for hours in front of a blank piece of paper or computer screen! Once you start the 'lyric explosion' exercise, you will be surprised how much comes tumbling out.
Resist switching on that computer! If you really get stuck, use a decent Thesaurus or Dictionary to give you a good spread of word associations for your Mind Map. Persevere and work with the process. Make sure you give yourself the creative time and space you need without interruptions.
Enjoy!
Steve Flashman has written over 150 songs and recorded 100 of them on 10 albums. He has performed in the Royal Albert Hall, the Marquee Club and the Streets of Calcutta. He is an author, broadcaster, writer and vicar!
Songwriting Club
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