​In my mind, the single biggest distinction between a professional and an amateur writer is their way of thinking. Here are some of the most significant differences I’ve observed over the years in my day to day life as a full-time songwriter.
 
Amateurs think “Somebody is going to steal my song.” 
Professionals think, “I’m going to write my idea better than anyone else. If they write it better than I did, more power to them.”
 
Amateurs write when inspiration hits and only when it happens, and they brag about it.
Professionals write anyway.

​​Amateurs think about what they want to write and what they personally feel close to and write about that whenever the inspiration hits them.
Professionals also think about what audiences want to hear.

I have found that going back to my songs with a clear mind a week or two after I write them and running through this quick checklist helps me catch and fix many of the major flaws that can exist in a song. Print this one out and hang it in you writing or re-writing room to remind yourself to check these issues before you consider your song done. They are some minor points, but they have a huge impact on your song’s overall quality. Paying attention to these little details is what makes a difference between a good and a great song.
 
Is my message clear? I like to run my song by someone else and get their feedback. I ask them to summarize the message they understood from the song. If they don’t get out of it what I intended means I didn’t deliver the message very well, I work on it some more and check with them again until they exactly tell me a summarized version of what I was trying to say in the song.

​The basics of lyrics writing. Each song has a structure for its body and the layout. The structure can be different from song to song but there are certain elements that are in all songs and I want to discuss the importance of each of these elements. For those who are new to songwriting or for those who just want to remind themselves of the fundamentals, here are some of the basics of songwriting.
 
Intro. The instrumental piece that starts the song and sets the musical tone for the song. This piece establishes the groove or feel of the song. It’s always good to keep it short and going fast to the point for commercial songs but in some cases, there is not intro involved and the song starts straight from verse or even chorus.
 
Verse 1. Introduces the characters, context and setting for the song. All of these elements give the listener what they need to understand the song and they should set up and point to your big idea – title of your song.