If you are considering a career as a singer-songwriter, it’s first important to understand that many of the most successful singers don’t write their own songs.  They pay writers to pen the lyrics and choose those they believe will be the biggest hits.

However, wanting to create your own music is admirable and is an art in itself.  If you want to focus on creating an album from scratch, you’ll have to learn how to pen some tunes.  It can be very helpful to take a few classes designed to help you specifically with lyric writing.  You’ll need to know how to structure your songs and have a solid understanding of all of the elements that go into a successful piece of work.

Then, you’ll need to find inspiration.  This means many different things to many different writers.  However, there are a few tips to getting rid of that dreaded writer’s block.

First, you’ll need to write about what you know – mainly, yourself and your experiences.  We often overlook the most influential parts of our day from a creative perspective, but each day will bring new experiences worth writing about if you keep an open mind.  For instance, can you believe how long it took you to commute to the city?  Write about it.  Did you get an order that wasn’t yours in the drive-thru?  More lyric inspiration.

These things may seem like simple, every day occurrences, but when penned properly, you’ll be well on your way to creating a catchy narrative – Before another traffic light, I swerve quick to grab a bite.  Come on now! – didn’t even get my order right…

 Keep a journal of any tune that pops into your head – write everything down – and, you’ll probably find that in no time flat you can piece together an entire song.  You’ll just need to remember to actually leave the house each day and experience life.

Trying out new activities and attending fun events are great ways to get inspired, especially if they push you out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes, it takes thrusting ourselves into situations in which we feel a bit out of place to force our thoughts in a new direction.  Enjoy the moment, take notes, and write about it later.

Once you have a few lyrically-based stories penned, focus on belting them out.  One benefit of creating your own songs – you will know intimately how they’re supposed to be sung.  Now it’s time to share your experiences with the world!