HOW TO GET MOTIVATED TO WRITE MORE SONGS

Over the last couple of years, I have personally responded to thousands of emails. Many want to write better songs but can’t seem to get motivated to commit to writing on a regular basis. If this is you, you are not alone. We all feel the pull of emails, social media, answer to that WhatsApp message you wanted to answer for past 3 hours, or that new movie downtown that we just got to go see; instead of writing songs. We see videos of other songwriters and artists and we think they are doing well. We think it must be easy for them. The truth is, no writer that is doing well, does so some without struggle. When we choose to start writing songs or dedicate ourselves to writing more songs, we are really deciding to make a lifestyle change.

Think about those times you’ve decided to start eating healthier, drink less, get to the gym more often, or spending more quality time with your family. Even though these were all good decisions, the decision was the easy part. The follow-through was the real challenge.

So this is the main lesson I want to leave you with. No matter how much you desire change, you have to take action to get the momentum rolling your way. Here are a few things you can do now to help you change old habits get your writing back on track.
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Commit to a weekly co-write! It is so much easier to sit down and write knowing you’ve scheduled a co-write with someone and you have to show up! Not to mention how much more fun it is to sit in a room and share stories and work on a song with someone else, rather than staring at a blank sheet of paper all alone. I can’t tell you enough how this has helped my career through the years. Without this I may have never written my first hit or my next! This is the nature of human being. When we have a commitment, we tend to stick to it better than a solo schedule for ourselves. When you are learning a new language, which approach is better? To roll in a course and attend weekly classes or just randomly write along at home whenever you desire to? Of course the first one works much better because you have made that commitment and not only that, but because of that commitment, you spend time and get prepared for your session during the week.
 
Get a mentor. Who will teach you all they know and drive you to be a better songwriter and potentially a better businessman! A great mentor can help spot your strengths and weaknesses and how to use them for your advantage. A mentor will hold you accountable and help you focus on what you need to be focusing on to reach your goals. A good mentor can be like a good parent, to prepare you for living on your own in the society, teaching you all the details, not only musically but mentally and morally – that exactly is the difference between and a teacher and a mentor – and then leave you in that society. A great mentor will most probably even use their connections and relationships to introduce you to key people around them and to make you be able to have a smooth beginning in the industry.

Author

Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 17 years of experience in songwriting, music production, mix and mastering. He has produced more than 3,000 and written more than 4,800 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.