On writing in general.
- Writers must read. One corollary being that composers must listen.
- Songwriters are usually working on something and may fear being overtly influenced by a strong outing from a respected colleague. I don;t like to listen to radio - sometimes for three or four days at a time when I'm writing. Often it causes me to forget something I'm trying to remember and at other times I have found musefl subliminally "borrowing" something I did not intend to appropriate. So when an amateur songwriter submits a tape of songs to a professional songwriter in hope of assistance he is committing what is essentially an unnatural act.
- We learn that words create the colors that poets use to paint images on the mind itself. We come to understand that not all great poetry is lyrical but that all great lyrics are poetic.
- To be able to quickly jot down a chord pattern over a printed lyric line is to save hundreds of hours "backtracking" in order ro remember what has just been write, especially when there is no recording equipment readily available. The muse surprises capriciously.
- It is important to draw an imaginary protective circle around ourselves and step inside. The place where we write is important whether it is a physical room or a spacious loft in the heart and mind. We must clear a safe space around us.
- There are many pragmatic reasons for having a completely dedicated workplace, whether it is a small room in the home or a separate office/studi or even a favorite boulder in a quiet part of the woods. One of the most important is continuity. We need to be able to leave a work in progress for hours or days at a time and return to find it completely undisturbed.
- I suffer from intense loneliness while I'm writing and crave human companionship. My assistant bringing me a coup of tea is akin to an angel visiting a doomed man on a desert island with a magical elixir. On the other hand it is virtually impossible for me to abandon self-consciousness and write anything meaningful (particularly a lyric" with another person in the room.
- Most writers are going to find after four or five hours of intense concentration that they are ready for an Advil and a B movie. What seems to work best for me is a period of intense focus -- say, thirty-five minutes and then a stretch, an infused stare out of the window (since I'm lucky enough to have one) for five minutes or so before returning to the anvil. The right side of the brain goes into rigor mortis if it's pinioned in the same attitude for too long, resulting in frustration, angst, and lack of progress. It is amazing sometimes how tenaciously and blindly we can pursue an artistic goal -- feeding on anger or stubborn will - achieving nothing, only to return the next day and in a more relaxed state see the answer immediately and effortlessly. When working indoors it is important if not completely essential to have a sensory escape - a window with a view or a porch or patio with access to the outside world.
If you are a serious songwriter, or want to get serious about it, I strongly suggest this book.
, though not intending to be, seriously, sometimes I think I take it too seriously, even though I have been accused of not taking it seriously enough, however, well, when I read these things seriously, then I look at the lyrics of say "Up, Up and Away" for instance, or I have a book about melody writing by the author of "Run, Joey, Run", another example, I'm thinking, that I would have to be feeling really goofy, and maybe a little high?, even though I don't use drugs, 
if it was me writing those songs. I have to admit that sometimes I dance around the kitchen fixing something to eat, with the dog as my audience, though probably more captured by the possibility of what food I will share, singing parodies of whatever drama or commercials that are airing on the television at the moment, but would never even think about recording and using as serious song writes. 
But maybe I'm missing the point. Maybe it's the goofy that is the serious after all? 
Jimmy was right there, yes it is hard if you want to write stuff that stands a chance of commercial acceptance, even though we can all just sit down and write something. I'm grateful that I have far less of a problem when creating music, so even if my music is as bad as my lyric writing, there's still a ton of joy for me in the process. 
