Having written the main pieces of a song (say the words and music for a Chorus and one Verse), one of the most common challenges for songwriters is the need to write a few more Verses that follow the melodic and rhythmic template created in the Verse already written. This is the labor, the hard work, the craft part, the finishing-the-crossword puzzle aspect of songwriting.

Especially if the Verse you have is a good one (getting that first good Verse is a whole other story; read here), you might have to write quite a few Verses, lines, and couplets to get three Verses you feel good about.

If this situation frustrates you and gives you pause, my suggestion is, get some words in there. They can simply be words that just sing easily, even if they don’t make a whole lot of sense. Or they can make a lot of sense but not sing so well. It doesn’t really matter. Trust your instincts and write something. Because…

Then you have something to rewrite. It’s likely you’ll have stumbled onto at least a few lines, words, or sounds that you like and that work. You can build around those.

For me writing is often about momentum. The world’s biggest momentum-killer is a blank page (or empty recording). Put something on that page, then go from there. But mainly, keep moving forward.

It’s easy to stop after those first sections, especially if they come easily. Don’t fall for that. Get something in there. You’ll have written something… and you’ll have something to rewrite.

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts, additions, disagreements in the Comments section below:

And please share on facebook etc. by clicking these tabs –