Though Songwriting workshops aren’t for everyone, a lot of writers find them useful. After having led them for over ten years, here are some of the things I’ve noticed that make them helpful.

1) Deadlines. Most writers I know agree that deadlines are the most effective spur to creativity… or at least to getting something finished. In another era, when many more songwriters had publishing deals and more artists recorded songs by outside songwriters, there were more deadlines imposed from ‘the business’ (“Which comes first, the music or the lyrics?” Sammy Cahn: “The phone call.”).

Now we are well into an an era where everyone, even most professional songwriters, is either a freelancer or has to approach their work as if they were. So the deadlines are much more likely to be self-imposed; which is tough, to say the least. A workshop gives a writer a deadline to present or perform their song. It really pushes things along.

2) Feedback. Extremely useful, but it can also be tricky. When you play a song for a group, often you can get a vivid sense, from the remarks the other writers make, of what is clear and what is not in the song, what’s getting across and what isn’t. Since you have to be deep inside your song to write it, hearing from the outside world, particularly in the form of other writers who struggle with the same things, can help.

The tricky part is that, if it’s not a well-structured (and -run, if there is a leader) group, comments can get too negative and even personal. Avoid these kind of groups! The creative spirit is formidable but also delicate.

Also, the writer has to be aware that, after the comments, their rewriting job is not to please everyone by trying to rewrite their song to the group’s often contradictory specifications. It’s to take in the comments, let them roll around inside, and see which ones resonate for the songwriter him/herself… then act on that.

3) Community. It’s been said a million times. As rewarding as it is, writing can be a lonely job; particularly if, like me, you write mostly alone. It’s great to have a group of people ready and eager to hear your latest.

Also, often the relationships from workshops continue after the workshop or into the next workshop. They become part of a network of songwriting connections and contacts that can be critical for one’s professional career or, if songwriting is something the writer does just for fun and personal fulfillment, part of a community of continuing mutual support.

4) Craft. In workshops, a writer can pick up a lot of tips and angles about the craft of songwriting. There is a technical level to songwriting that’s very deep, and can seem very mysterious and sometimes hard to fathom. Workshops can illuminate these dark areas through hearing, listening, and learning how other writers deal with them (or don’t), paying attention to comments, and being pushed out of your comfort zone by assignments, writing prompts, and suggestions.

Also, if the workshop has an experienced leader, that person may offer specific information about the elements of songwriting that can greatly expand your songwriting toolbox.

5) Encouragement. As stated above, writing can be lonely, confusing, and lead you to doubt your ability, not to mention your sanity. A good workshop offers the positive aspects of being in any group of like-minded people: a sense of not being alone with these problems. It’s like running a marathon. Having people cheering you on when you think you’ve reached your limit makes it a lot more likely that you won’t give up.

6) Commitment. Taking a workshop is making a commitment to your writing, if only a temporary one. An inescapable aspect of becoming skilled and succeeding at anything is commitment. A workshop is a step on that path.

7) Writing. Because of the above points, in a workshop you’ll write more, sometimes a lot more, than you would have otherwise. Although thinking about writing or planning to write can be part of the process, writers mostly get better by actually writing.

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