I think a reader of this blog, no matter how occasional, might notice how much I emphasize actually doing the writing, as opposed to thinking about writing, talking about writing, planning to write, etc.  It’s a shift of consciousness – from thought to action.  It’s taking a leap into the unknown.  It’s not knowing what’s going to happen instead of knowing.  It’s (often) blundering ahead instead of pretending I know where I’m going.

Even sitting down to write each blogpost (not to mention a song), I usually have an idea of where I’m going, but I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. (And, by the way, outlining, sketching out ideas, etc. – that ‘s writing too. Anything where ideas can flow one to the next, from inside to outside.)

This has created a focus in the songwriting workshops I lead.  I encourage people to present their new songs, or whatever part of them they have, without explanation, before or after.  Without saying what they planned to do, tried to do, meant to do if they had time, etc.

Then I ask them to listen to the supportive but honest comments I and the other songwriters make…  Finally, I ask them to not do the most natural thing in the world – explain and defend what they just presented.

First of all, natural as the impulse to defend is, there’s no need for it, because no one’s attacking.  That’s always off limits.  But there are two main reasons why I take this approach.

One is to keep the focus as completely as possible on what the writer actually writes – as opposed to what they meant to write, etc.  This keeps the focus where it belongs – on what’s actually THERE.  This is how we respond to songs and music in the real world – songs don’t come with explanatory notes (usually!).  They are what is there.  What’s there is what we respond to, what’s not there is not a factor.  So I try to keep us focused on what’s actually there, not the (usually verbal) explanatory notes.

The other reason I encourage the writer not to ‘explain’ their song is that when getting feedback on a song, I believe it’s best for the writer and their song to just take in the responses without giving in to the very natural impulse to push back (remember, there’s no attacking or anything personal going on).

I know well how vulnerable a position the writer of a just-written song is in, and how normal it is to want to ‘push back’ – to explain, etc.  But remember – the writer is under no obligation to take anyone’s advice or agree with anyone’s opinion.  The song is theirs.  They can just listen to the feedback they get, go home, and use what’s useful to them – if anything – and ignore the rest.

When I do my workshops no one, especially me, ever tells a writer what to do with their song.  We give reactions to the songs; opinions about how well something is working, craft-wise; thoughts about possible options that may not have been considered.

The writer can use those responses – or not – in whatever way is useful to them.  Sometimes the most useful thing is to just have a small audience to listen to a new song (or song fragment), to hear the song in another room, for other ears.  Sometimes if several of the people don’t understand something, or if they get a different emphasis from what the writer intended, that’s helpful to know.  Or maybe the writer just gets clearer that the song, or a part of it, is already the way they want it, even if not everybody ‘gets it’.

And, since it’s not personal – the comments are about what is written, not the person who wrote it or the story behind it – the writer can take what helps them make the song better and leave the rest, while feeling supported in their quest to make each song the best they can make it, in their voice.