Craig Allen

Right now, millions of people are scratching out notes on small pieces of paper, singing a short melody into their iPhone during their drive to or from work, and coming up with ideas in their head.  Sometimes it’s hard to write anything, but other times you will find a prolific time of writing.  At some point you will undoubtedly ask yourself, when is it good enough?

It’s pretty impossible to judge your own work.  The problem appears the moment you first have an idea and try to capture it.  It always seems brilliant, like the greatest thing you’ve ever done.  And that excitement is great, it’s what we strive for.  But sadly, it almost never lasts.  The next day, week, or month you look at those same lyrics or musical idea and think, “What was I thinking?”.

You’re not alone.

The second problem appears when you play something for someone else.  Usually, a friend or family member.  They are probably not going to be brutally honest with you, and in fairness, probably aren’t qualified to objectively critique a song.  So when we ask, they say they like it, whether or not they do, or should.

They key to knowing when your stuff is “good enough” is to first define what you mean by that question.  Is it “good enough” play at an open mic, a coffeehouse gig, or festival?  Is it “good enough” to record?  Is it “good enough” to submit for licensing or a songwriting competition?

There are two levels of “good enough” that you need to worry about, depending on what you want to do with your music.  The first is to ask if it’s good enough for you.  If that’s all that matters, then let your ears be the only judge that matters.  If you like it, keep doing it and keep working to get better.

If you want to play for other people, and want people to really like it and not just tell you they do, you’ll know once they start telling other people.  That’s why you don’t have to try to reach a lot of people with your music.  Just play it for 10 people, and if they really like it, they’ll tell their friends.  Then you have something.  Until then, keep working.

Don’t listen to the people who are negative (especially online) just for the sake of it, but don’t also fall into the trap of your friends telling you it’s good but they’re not buying your CD, coming to your shows, or telling anyone.

Good art will market itself to some extent, so if you’re not there yet, keep working on it.

Have you ever noticed this common theme in so many Disney movies? First, you meet the main character. Then, almost immediately, one of his/her parents die or you find out they already have passed away. Sound familiar? Here’s a few I could think of off the top of my head:

• Bambi (Mother)
• The Lion King (Father)
• Cinderella (Both Parents)
• The Little Mermaid (Mother)
• Finding Nemo (Mother)

I’ve always wondered why this tragic event is so common (in these cartoons made for children). There must be a specific purpose for creating such dire circumstances, especially so early in the storyline.

But is it a sign of great storytelling or just a cheap trick to pull on our heart strings?

Because these are fictional stories and not based on reality, one must question the common thread that weaves these characters’ lives together.  When it’s a true story, it’s simply unavoidable.  When it’s fabricated, there must be a reason, right?

What We Can Learn

There are a few things going on here that we can learn from.  First, it gives the protagonist emotional baggage that can be used to explain why other problems come into their life.

For Simba, he refuses to return and claim his rightful place as king because he believes he is responsible for his father’s death.

Since it creates the conflict, it also helps to give him an obstacle to overcome.

Again, using the Lion King as an example, he ultimately decides to come back to his herd before finding out the truth.  You are taken on a difficult journey, which creates an emotional attachment and where you find yourself rooting for him to succeed.

How It Applies To Songwriting

What can we take from this in songwriting?  Do we have to kill someone off in every story?  Certainly not, but it should give you an idea of where to draw some inspiration at times.

Almost any difficult circumstance can be used to write about the trials and tribulations of a certain character.  Whether you tell it from first, second, or third-hand experience doesn’t matter, as long as it’s relate-able.

I have written a lot of bad songs. I truly believe it takes writing a lot bad songs to learn how to write good ones. So even though you are not a good songwriter (yet), you have to start somewhere. Just start, and you will write some terrible songs.

The next step is not to listen to any feedback. The problem is most people will tell you it’s good, but not because it is. It’s because they’re your friend and don’t want to hurt your feelings.

Just keep writing. Every day if possible.

What makes a good song? A good story.

What makes a good story? A specific one, told with a purpose. There are many elements that make a good story, but one is the element of surprise. Think of all your favorite movies, or at least the ones that are the most memorable. Did the obvious thing happen or was there a twist in the end? Did the good guy turn out bad or the bad guy turn out good? We like those stories because we didn’t see it coming.

Write about yourself. If you can’t make up good stories, tell your own. Or have someone tell their story and write it. Not in a song yet, just write it down. Then write the story. Then the song.

If you still can’t think of anything to write about, watch a movie and write a song about the character. This is good practice because you already have the storyline. Just write about them and what they’re going through. Write in from their perspective at first, then rewrite it from yours as someone watching it.

Now that my EP is out and I’ve sold or given it to pretty much everyone I know, I feel a little unsure of what’s next.  The problem has not been a lack of ideas, but more so a lack of clear direction.

• Do I continue to play these songs at shows and try to grow a larger following based off of that music?
• Do I start recording the next batch of songs and make it better this time?
• Do I take a huge risk and make something totally different from the last time?
• Do I take a break and do something else until the direction is 100% clear?

Even though the album may be relatively new to you, these songs have been the soundtrack of the last five years of my life, and I’m ready to move on.  In case you’re wondering, this is something every artist goes through as they try to balance the old with the new in their life.  Right now, I’m in this “no man’s land” in the sense that I still feel responsible to play those songs for people, but what I’m most excited about is the new stuff I’m writing, which you won’t hear for another few years.

In regards to the new stuff, I have plenty of options.  I could release another short EP (acoustic or produced), a full length album, and instrumental album, a Christmas (or other cover songs) album, and the list goes on.  What I think should be next changes almost daily as new inspiration breathes life into each possibility and direction.  But I can’t do it all, at least not all at once.  So, a decision has to be made and that means saying “yes” to one and “no” to the others.

This whole process has me thinking about two things: my filter and risk.

Filters

Every moment of every day we are filtering our life by the decisions we make.  Who we talk to, what we say, what we do, what we listen to, what we buy, what we eat, where we go.  For every decision of what to do, there are a million other things we are simultaneously deciding not to do.

My filter in songwriting started out extremely closed.  I thought I could only write about one specific thing, and actually only one perspective on that one thing (those who know me should know what that is).  But with “Ready To Fall” I stopped trying to fit my lyrics into that filter, attempting to open the valve of creativity and allow my entire life to flow through it.

To some extent it worked, but in reality it was only a small change from everything I have already done, both lyrically and musically.  The side of things I have the most room to improve is the music part of songwriting.  So now, I’m expanding that filter as well.

Risk

With every choice comes a risk.  With every decision, we are choosing to either get it right or wrong.  Sometimes there is only one right choice, while other times we have many, equally advantageous options.  Some choices are literally life and death, but most are not, which is why we get complacent as we get older.  Maybe you found a safe spot to pull over on the road of life, because of a fender bender a few years ago and you still feel the pain of those experiences.  Or maybe it was a full speed collision and your engine is busted.  Or maybe you just ran out of gas.  But I think the scars are there to remind us of the time we took a chance and survived.  After all, we’re still here, still breathing.  So I’m going to stay in the race.

In terms of my music career I realistically have nothing to lose by doing something completely different.  So in that sense it’s not a huge risk that my livelihood depends on.  But in terms of my time, choosing anything means sacrificing all the other things, so that’s what makes it so important.

I can’t say for sure what my next project will be, but right now I’m just turning off the filter, taking a big leap and hoping the parachute opens.  If not, at least I will experience a spectacular fall.

There are tons of quotes online you can find and read about risk, but I’ll leave you with this simple one:

“Why not go out on a limb? That’s where the fruit is.” – Will Rogers

I have been wondering what would be a good use (if any at all) of the blogging section of this website. Since I have started to teach songwriting recently, I thought it’d be the perfect place to track online what I am doing offline, so I could possibly turn it into an eBook (or something) that would be useful to more people.

So, over the next few months I’ll be laying the groundwork for sharing my process, what I’ve learned about, and my experiences over the last fifteen years of writing songs.

Sound like a good idea?