I recently had another day when I wrote 20 songs in 12 hours. Who’s tried it? I was sure skeptical before I did it the first time, but man, it really works! Somedays when I’ve done this I’ve gone back and found they were all just crap songs, but I actually like a number from this last batch. I’ll try and get some recorded and put up on youtube…

One day, as I was searching on Amazon, I came across a book called The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook. What I took away from it was a way to get you into a super focused head space for writing. You block out 12 hours straight – I usually try and go 7 am – 7 pm – and in those 12 hours, your task is to write 20 songs. I know, impossible, right? Wrong! The first time I did it, I *only* managed to write 17, but I’ve done it a number of times since, and every time I’ve gotten at least 20 done. Sometimes I end up with a number of fiddle tunes, especially when I’m nearing the deadline and am three or four songs short, but usually they are pretty complete. Anyone else tried something like this?

Welcome to the first blog on songwriting. The first song I wrote was completely forgettable, except that I wrote one! I was in junior high school, and my friends and I had been listening to music, and we decided we could write, too. It took a few years (and much maturing) along with listening to hundreds of great songs before I actually wrote anything I was proud of. I’d love to hear your stories of what got you writing.