Want to write a song?

Music has always played an important role in my life, but it wasn’t until 2020 when I started songwriting myself and considered it a potential career path. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it became a way to process my trauma and stress. Since then, I have greatly matured as a songwriter and would like to share some examples of how I have elevated my storytelling. I will also give advice to those who want to hone their lyrical craft by sharing tips and tricks I have picked up in the past five years.

1. Show rather than tell.

My choir professor in community college told me something along the lines of, “The key to a great song is to get the listener swept up in a story, rather than telling the listener what to feel.” This changed my perspective on song writing tremendously. I felt the urge to spill out all my emotions at once, but it took time to reveal them in a way that wasn’t so blunt and shallow. After this change in perspective, I considered other ways to express feelings in my lyrics. Applying this to songwriting has greatly improved the way I communicate emotions and how effective the stories are.

For example, instead of telling the listener how you feel, set up the situation in a song and let the emotions unfold naturally. Whatever genre you attempt, think about ways you can implement metaphors, motifs, or imagery to immerse your audience rather than explicitly telling them what you think. You don’t always have to explain yourself in a song, that's up to the audience to pick apart and what makes you unique. Although there are times when blatant, emotional exposition can be effective in a song, too much can distract from the story and wear out the listener.

2. Remove “clutter” words.

It can be challenging to try to find just the right number of words to fit into a melody. When I first started writing, I felt the need to fill every beat with syllables. Sometimes I would force a line into a melody that offset the flow I had in my head because I couldn’t envision the line written any other way. I learned that, over time, cutting out these unnecessary “clutter” words helped reframe my lyrical structure while telling my story in a cohesive way.

Example words such as “but," “and," as well as “so” are common filler words that can easily be removed at the beginning or middle of most phrases, and the line won’t feel as cluttered. Being concise with your lyrics is crucial. Simplicity may be your friend if you feel there are too many words distracting from the message you want to share and want to prevent overcrowded phrases. Of course, go with your gut if it feels right to you. Just remember, every word you incorporate carries significance, so be intentional with what you are saying.

3. Development and “Song Mapping”

In traditional storytelling, there are three distinct parts that can be identified: the beginning, the middle, and the end. I used to only focus on one of these and struggled to connect the dots. Whether it be the hook, bridge or various transitional moments in the song, knowing how to tie these elements together to tell a story can be overwhelming.

One thing that has helped me is “song mapping,” or the process of laying out the story you want to tell by visualizing it in parts that make up the whole. For instance, say you have a standard song structure:

Chorus -> Verse 1 -> Pre-chorus -> Chorus -> Verse 2 -> Pre-chorus 2 -> Chorus -> Bridge -> Chorus

All of these parts are important, but the verses and bridge especially act as the "make or break" of a song. Choruses are typically what come to mind first for most writers, so it's really the other elements that make a song work. When writing, consider the emotional highs and lows, shifts in perspectives, realizations, and where it makes the most sense to introduce new elements. The payoff is the message, and that can vary depending on what angle, genre and sounds you use to amplify the tone and story.

Conclusion + Bonus Tip

I hope this helps some of you aspiring writers out there. I'm still learning new ways to elevate my storytelling as well. There are some songs I wrote 3+ years ago that I am still editing. It's a long process, at least for me, so don't beat yourself up if your first draft doesn't sound the best. Revision is another important step in any attempt at writing a song. Enjoy the process, reflect on your work, and try again. I can't wait to hear what stories you may have for the world.

(here's a link to a YouTube video by 12tone about songwriting that I found to be very helpful!)