At various times most of us writers worry about whether what we’re working on is any good. Because much of the time all we have to hold on to is, “Well, I like it… (I think)”.

There are two times when asking the “Is it good” question is helpful. One is when I’m about to commit to exploring a song idea I have, when I’m considering whether it’s strong enough to warrant that commitment. At that point I have to feel excited about the possibility that I might have something ‘good’ on my hands. Otherwise I won’t have the push, the energy, behind the song to move it ahead.

(I’ll tell you about the other time in a minute.)

Past that starting point, when I ask, “Is it good?’, I’m usually asking the wrong question. Then I need to start thinking in terms of, “Can I make it better?”.

I’m committed, for now anyway, so worrying about if it’s good or not is a waste of time. It’s a way to distract myself from the job at hand; which is… improvement. My attention needs to be on the big and little things I can do to improve what I have.

Because if I make it ‘better’ enough, it might actually turn out to be good.

The second time to think about “Is it good’ is when the song is finished, or almost finished. Then – or maybe a few weeks later, after my enthusiasm or lack of it has cooled, or warmed up, as the case may be – then it’s time to decide if it’s good enough to perform, good enough to record, good enough to move along to the next stage of whatever my process might be.

But in the middle, between commitment and completion? I need to be focused on making it better, better, better. Not getting in my own way with, “Is this any good?”. Time will tell.

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