How Keeping A Journal Helps Me With My Songwriting

Do you keep a journal? If not, you should.

For me, keeping a journal is one of the best ways to keep my songwriting process in check and flowing with creativity. It’s also one of the best ways to play with the muse.

Keeping a journal can mean many things to many people.

It can be a detailed snapshot of life as portrayed in the film “Bridget Jones’ Diary” or, it can be more of a ‘stream of consciousness’ concept as mentioned in Julia Cameron’s groundbreaking book on the creative process “The Artist’s Way”.

Personally, I think the stream of consciousness idea is a much more effective way of gathering songwriting ideas. Being able to empty my brain of all its information accumulated throughout the day is for me, really beneficial.

I look at my journal as a loyal friend who’s always there to listen to my problems and share in my hopes, dreams, questions, thoughts, feelings and aspirations.

Personally I find the physical act of writing down whatever’s on my mind very cathartic. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The more I clear my mind of trivial clutter the more room I have for the good stuff.

Writing in my journal every day has enabled me to get to know myself a whole lot better.

There’s no hiding from the truth when I do this, it always comes out in the end and because of this, my journal writing has a therapeutic quality to it.

Now here’s where I’ve found the real benefits to my songwriting come into play.

After about four to six weeks of writing consistantly I noticed the volume of information I wrote and was amazed by it. I can’t use that old ‘I havent got anything to write about’ excuse anymore now can I?

Once I started re-reading my journal entries I started getting some flashes of inspiration here and there. It was from these flashes that potential new songs were born.

I noticed I was reading some juicy stuff in my journal and it made me realise that what I think, feel and how I see myself and the world around me is worth writing about and sharing with the world.

As I was re-reading my journal entries I would look for anything that popped up and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.

Anything that made me say ‘wow, that would make a great song title’ or ‘wow, I really like that line’ I’d grab a highlighting pen and mark it.

I’ve been a regular journal writer for many years but my re-reading process has always been the same. Every few weeks I still read over my entries and highlight all of the good stuff.

I’m constantly amazed at how easily a song manifests itself to me by doing this technique. I’m also equally amazed by the insights and flashes of raw honesty I find while reading my past entries.

It’s really wonderful what you come up with when you just allow yourself to write.

If you’re already writing a journal then keep at it but if you are just starting then start it today. You’ll not regret it one little bit.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: songwriting, songwriter, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, songwriting resource, corey stewart

Tags: Corey Stewart, Creativity, lyrics, music, song, Songwriter, Songwriting, songwriting blog, songwriting tip, Songwriting Zen, writing, zen

Monday, June 2nd, 2008 Songwriting Help

2 Comments to How Keeping A Journal Helps Me With My Songwriting

Sanoittaja says:

June 2, 2008 at 9:39 pm

=) One of most famous songwriters in Finland Heikkisalo has written a diary since he was very young. He told one of hes books that the diary is the most powerfull tool for him to get up the feelings he have once going trough.

So i think that life-blog can work on the same way as a tool, but this kind of blog you (and i) have is more like a toolmaking-blog

songwritingzen says:

June 3, 2008 at 11:47 am

“…so i think that life-blog can work on the same way as a tool, but this kind of blog you (and i) have is more like a toolmaking-blog ”

Yes you’re right there. I like the way you describe the blogs that you and I are doing as “toolmaking blogs” very true.

I do have an ongoing diary that I write by hand which is seperate from my blogs. I have been keeping this diary for many years and I go through periods of writing every day to say once a week.

I still love the feel of pen to paper. I guess I’m a bit old fashioned in that way but to me what I write in my diary seems more real if I do it by hand rather than on computer.

Either way, diaries, journals whatever you want to call them are fantastic songwriting tools.

Corey