Guys,

Most of what I post here and on other threads come from my personal experience of writing with some of the most legendary writers in the business. This is a partial list of some of my co-writers and their hits (These are not mine):

David Vincent Williams-
I'm moving On (Rascal Flatts
Just Got Started Loving you (James Otto)

Jimbeau Hinson:
Tonight I'm Looking for a Party Crowd (David Lee Murphy)
Setting Fancy Free (Oak Ridge Boys)

Kim Tribble:
Guys Do it All the time (Mindy McCreedy)
I Can Still See You (Colin Raye)

Kim Williams
"Ain't Going Down till the Sun Comes Up (Garth Brooks)
"Three Wooden Crosses (Randy Travis)

Joie Scott
We're not that Different (Colin Raye)
Shoes (Shania Twain)

Wood Newton
Riding with Private Malone (David Ball)
Too Much Blood in my Alcohol Level (David Ball)

Larry Butler
Hey Won't you play Another Somebody done somebody wrong song
(BJ Thomas)

Chas Sandford
I Ain't Missing you at all (John Waite, Allison Krause, Brooks and Dunn, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner)

Richard Leigh
Don't it make my Brown Eyes Blue (Crystal Gayle)

Jeffery Steele
(Everything in country music for the last 7 years)

That is enough. I have been around for a long time and you get people that take pity on your from time to time. I think it has something to do with community service. LOL! The reason I am doing this name dropping, is to tell you not to name drop. Just kidding.
The real reason is that these people and I always try to do very similar things with songs and pass it on the best we can. That is that three elements of hit songs exist, essentially for our form of writing in Nashville but also in others as some of the rock writers demonstrate,

#1 Reality based.
#2 Conversational tone
#3 Great melodic hook.

They always try to keep songs in a reality based situation. Jimbeau calls it the "Mirror of the soul." That is that people want to see themselves in the song. If they look at it, can see the situation and relate it to their lives, you are in the ballpark. If they don't, "They go back to what they were doing and ignore you."

They try to keep it conversational, that is like two friends., lovers, parents, etc. talking. That eliminates the poetic lofty words that sound like Shakespeare, or the "Sam I Am Green Eggs and Ham" cliched' rhymes. Makes it not sound like a silly Dr. Suess book. (Not that there's anything wrong with that for Dr. Suess.)

The melodies are infinately singable. And designed as to where people can easily hum along. You can usually sing along with it by the second chorus.

Just wanted to pass along those tips. Hope it helps.

MAB