My 2nd verse curse...

[suzdoyle]

I find I always write the beginning and end of a project first (be it music, fiction, etc.). For some reason, the middle usually is written last and comes more from a place of editing and pragmatism than unfettered creative flow.Not sure why. Perhaps it is -- gasp -- the curse of the second verse syndrome!!!I like Linzi's idea of shifting verse 1 down and writing a new verse 1. How cool is that? !! Suz

[squids]

Oct 29, 2008, 8:53pm, suzdoyle wrote:I like Linzi's idea of shifting verse 1 down and writing a new verse 1. How cool is that? !! Suz I especially love how she jumps out and ambushes it on her way by. Heh!! Talk about takin' it back girlfriend! WhooHOO!(grin)

[jchitty]

Oct 29, 2008, 7:44pm, squids wrote:I think it's anxiety. I get it too and have to back off (like I'm skeert it's gonna jump the fence on me! hahahahah) but it's fo a reason; if I don't stand back and get some clarity, I could waste jes a ton of time noodlin' with lyrics and then get lost in it, become despairing and wanna off myself by chocolate. LOL, if you're gonna die, excess chocolate consumption is the way to go.

[jchitty]

Oct 29, 2008, 8:53pm, suzdoyle wrote:I find I always write the beginning and end of a project first (be it music, fiction, etc.). For some reason, the middle usually is written last and comes more from a place of editing and pragmatism than unfettered creative flow.Not sure why. Perhaps it is -- gasp -- the curse of the second verse syndrome!!!I like Linzi's idea of shifting verse 1 down and writing a new verse 1. How cool is that? !! SuzI liked Lindz's idea too, Suz. The next time I write a song, it's worth a try!

[devin]

I...um...(*dang! Still can't get this second post working...*) These are ALL great points everyone, just great!I'm going to try the "Linzi-swap" this weekend.

[mojobone]

Nov 17, 2008, 10:30pm, matthoggard wrote:I think anything from Mark Knopfler was killer!Storyboards and outlines are really great. Just started this a while back. Im really happy with the ideas that come from it.What year is that strat your playing in your avatar? I have one very similar. Same color and pickguard at least. Hell looks like the same neck. Rosewood?It's an early 80s Fernandes, near-exact copy of an early sixties Strat; stamped-steel folded S-type saddles, slab rosewood-brazilian rosewood. joy. I noticed Kenny Vaughn (Marty Stuart, Lucinda Williams) and the guy in Lyle Lovett's band use 'em, too. It had a bad volume pot, so I got a great deal on it.

[boyatheart]

I often move verses around after I have written the song, so sometimes my verse 1 becomes verse 2 etc... However buying into a notion that you are cursed to write a good 2nd verse is the main cause. Because you have unintentionally grown a belief that you can't write a good 2nd verse, you will pick more holes in it than the first because you expect it to be not good enough.It is very likely that others may love your 2nd verses. I didn't even write any lyrics for years because I just believed that I wasn't any good at it until I decided to simply ignore that belief. Now it's possible my lyrics could still be terrible, but I have stopped caring so much, which allows me to actually write and for the most part I get very good feedback from my songs.The songs you write for fun are easy for you because you don't care so much about them and so if people do tell you the lyrics are silly or whatever, well you can tell them. "Yes that's the point. It's not a serious song". The serious ones are important to you and you have a certain abount of your identity invested in them, so of course you want them to be as good as they possibly can.I would see if you can alter your perspective of your"serious" songs and let go of the attachment to whether they are any good or not because one thing is guaranteed. There will always be someone who won't like a song, but if that someone is you then it might as well be not liked by anybody.I'm sorry if this sounds condescending. Definitely not my intention. I am just talking from experience. Caring less is what enabled me to be happy with my songwriting (I still aim to improve) and it also means that I feel ok about rewrites too if I have a flash of inspiration.Just don't give up and stop believing in curses! Anyone...please feel free to put me in my place though

[devin]

Dec 7, 2008, 6:02pm, boyatheart wrote:Anyone...please feel free to put me in my place though I respect ya too much to discount any advice given. I also respect everyone else's abilities on this forum, (and my own potential as well)...there's too many good songs to be written to waste time by taking offense to any advice given!I'm going to follow Tim W's suggestion and post a link and lyric to one of my long-term songs....as soon as I get home and rip one to mp3.