JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Songwriter Message Forum Why Do You Write?

Why do you write? Just a curious question. I expect a few long winded explanations.

Because

1) I enjoy creating atmospheres and emotions with music and words

2) I want to share my thoughts and feelings with the world

3) I am a creative person and I would feel I'm letting myself down if I didn't use my creativity

4) Songs mean a lot to me and I'd like to be able to do for someone what some songs have done for me (ie helped me, gave me hope, made me feel positive about life, allowed me to express and get rid of my anger or my pain etc)

I write to keep from going crazy. (People keep telling me it's not working.)

Joe

Hi Steven

I write because:

1) I want others to be aware of what it's like for a victim.

2) Heal the pain.

3) It makes me feel good about who I am.

4) The best fun I have ever had in my life.

5) Brings out the best in me.

6) Good constructive anger.

7) Raise money for Mental Health.

8) I'm HOOKED!

9) Made a lot of good friends.

That will do.

Michele
Aussie girl

Me with Joe ! ^^^^

cheers, niteshift

I have to agree with that. Although unlike Joe I think it actually helps me

STEVENS,I write because it chronicles my world and what bothers me about the world that is around me.It's my way of touching and affecting those around me.AJ

I write because I like doing it.

(same goes for pretty much everything else I do)

HiDee DutchBro!

I write because I tend to forget things...things that need to be, perhaps, Remembered.

I write because I make Everyday Little Discoveries. The older I get, the more Each Day means to me,..tho they're now really no more important than they used to be. But..most of life I've learned The Hard Way..so maybe What-I-Write'll help The Next Guy/Gal get through Their Day a bit-easier...with a Laugh..or a Knowing Smile..or a New Way of Looking at Things in Life.

I write because the only way to really get Better-at-Writing Is TO Write.

I write because I Bore-Easily. It keeps my Gray Matter from turning Ancient White.

I write because some Inexplicable Muse-In-My-Head says "WRITE This DOWN..." & it shuts Her/Him UP.

I write because I have this Hope of being Valid in "What I Thought" a Hundred-or-Two years down the pike, when I no longer CAN Write. (Not that I WILL be "Valid"...but ya gotta give it a shot!) I don't rage against The Machine...I rage against The Dust.

I write to give Critics a Reason to Exist.

I write to make enough money when I'm good at it so I won't have to do anything-else-much BUT write. Or NOT Write, if I get REALLY Good at it..heh!)

And..I write because You Asked The Question, in this case! (Thanks, Bro!) ;-)>

Big Guy-Hug,
Stan

When an idea comes to mind that deserves to be written in song, I feel compelled to do it, because if I don't, no one else will, at least not the same way I will. Someone else might do it better or worst, but not exactly the same way. So I feel obligated or else it might be lost to the world LOL

1) I started writing pop tween songs so that Justice, age 11, could pursue her interest in singing. We are in the process of producing a cd.

2) As a sidelight, I started writing country songs. I wanted to see if I could do it. It has been satisfying to hear the recorded demos. Now I am interested to see if any A&R managers like them.

Tom

I'm a songaholic

I don't like performing covers. I want my own identity. Ben

because i really enjoy the creative process and i realize i will never, ever, learn all there is to learn about the craft of writing hit songs. been writing songs off and on for 30 years and can't imagine not doing it. some of my best friends are my fellow songwriters and co-writers.

Most of the above reasons plus a few others too complicated to explain. I also perform covers. Nothing wrong with playing othere peoples songs. I would take it as a mark of respect if someone wanted to sing one of my songs. I think that you can retain your identity performing covers especially if you add your own twist or style. Most pro musicians who want to make a living spend more time on covers than on their own material. Few can afford the luxury of playing all original material. Most audiences DEMAND covers unless you are pretty well established big time playing concerts to fans.

Hi 119:

Why do I write?

1. I enjoy it.

2. I want to be remembered long after I'm gone.

3. I aspire to create a legacy for my children.

Dave

http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/DaveRice

My body lives by breathing,
My soul breathes by writing.

Sorry Big Jim, I should have went into detail. I learned to play from other peoples music so I don't hate covers. I found from playing around town that everyone else was playing the same covers that I was even when I did them in my own style. I wanted to be different, and the only way was to write my own music and that's why I started writing. I rarely play live now but if I did, I know that I would have to play covers to please the crowd. I know that guys like you and BC make a decent living playing live and cover tunes are part of the job and I don't have a problem with that at all. It takes a well rounded talent to write and perform others songs at the same time.
I've been out of the loop for so long that I wouldn't know what the audience would expect from me if I played a popular song. At least when I play my own songs, they don't know what to expect. Ben

It's mostly an excuse to buy musical instruments and recording gear.

Dan

World Peace, and money

I write because I like to be creative. And it’s something you can do anywhere, anytime.

Hi Ben I understand you and know exactly where you are coming from most of us are in agreement. It would be nice to play music that is original or even cover music in your own style. It would even be a change to play something different rather than the accepted, expected. Unfortunately the audience, our agents, club owners and their rather bland limited tastes dictate our set list. We have to do it or starve.

In that order?

Amen to that

I started to write again, stopped for many years,l started up again to leave something behind for my children and grand kids to remember me by..one of my grand daughters sings and I wanted for us to have songs that grandmother wrote and grand daughter sung..that's the main reason, plus it's fun and have met alot of fun, talented and exciting professional people..keeps me busy and very happy..and at my age it keeps me off the streets, lol.

"In that order?" Hmm, now that you mention it, it's "Money 1st, lol.

I found copying styles and sounds even more fun than copying the actual songs. That, and teaming up with Buddy Holcombe in 1978, who wouldn't even want to hear me play a cover when getting together. So, that made me try to come up with melodies and music to his lyrics, and sometimes his melodies that he would hum. It just all grew since then and keeps going, like a snowball rolling downhill.

John

When I was a teen and learned to play the guitar, I wrote songs because of a creative drive. I loved to write poetry and found that I was good at creating good melodies.

Now I write songs on demand to help my students understand and express their faith. I also write songs for our congregation for the same reason. I have written only a few songs to express personal feelings. Whenever I start feeling and acting crabby, it's usually because I haven't written a song for a while.

HI Joice,nice to put a face with your music.Nice picture.I'm getting ready to post more of my scratch disc songs up and record a new song Cast Our Hearts along with redoing a couple demos i did with Caroline holder and April Johns.TOO much coffee and not enough rest make me play and sing fast.I'm on my way back to Nashville 10/6 to 10/10.Things ought to slow down a bit after that.have a great day and i'll be checking in on your work.AJ

Why do i write?.....it is not for me to ask why!..i just do...and the greatest compliment any songwriter can have is to hear other people sing your songs...that in itself makes it all worthwhile..it is a great feeling!...also, songwriting is a unique craft,to be able to touch people's souls with your words and music is the ultimate gift.

As I'm no good at life
thats why I write it all down
I try to share my feelings
my emotions with reason
thoughts with a meaning
seems to keep me a dreaming

I write because i need to.Ilove givin some of my heart to the world and its up to them if they want some or not. Either way i need to write and love it .Its hard to find time but i manage . Write On. S.Dee

For me it's about creativity.It's about taking a simple idea and having it germinate from a seed to a completed piece of art.Also,because I love music and words and can't draw to save my life it's my way of expressing the world as I see it.

The second reason is that as I am new to guitar playing I'm not yet good enough to play very many other people's songs,so I make my own with the limited skills I have.Hopefully as I progress both creating my own music and learning other people's will make both better in the long run.

It's hard to explain why most of us still have sex, even when we're not trying to make babies...but I write for the very same reason.

Hey Mark:

As they say in the Press, "Can I quote you on that?" LOL! What an analogy! Brian may be forced to create a special award for quotable quotes!

Dave

http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/DaveRice

I write, therefore I am...

"Song writing is about getting the demon out of me. It's like being possessed. You try to go to sleep, but the song won't let you. So you have to get up and make it into something, and then you're allowed to sleep.".......John Lennon

See? Just like sex.

OK, here's the short winded version of the longwinded explanation.

When I write, I can work through whatever is going on in life at the time. I can make myself happier, I can get all the mean things out on paper and not say them to someone I love. I can challenge myself to find new ways to say the same old thing. I can say the same old thing, and be fine with it. I can create something just for me, or to share. I can paint a picture with words, make others feel like I understand what they are feeling, and I do.

I write because I'd have no one wanting ot be around me if I actually said most of what I think. I write because I love to, I have to, I can't stop.

I (attempt to) write songs for the following reasons:

1) I enjoy it

2) It's given a sense a purpose back to my life, something I hadn't had for a few years because of health problems.

3) I have a talent for it and want to find the limit of this talent.

4) I'd like to earn enough money to no longer be on welfare.

5) To get my moment in the sunshine. I have burning desire that drives me on every day: To turn around to those people who had written me off, and say: "You're always asking what I do with my life, and if I watch TV all day?" At this point I'd like to turn round to them and say: "You hear that song playing on the radio? I WROTE THAT! Now what do YOU do?"

6) It makes me feel very good about myself, being someone who is attempting to create something.

7) I wish to leave a mark on the world.

Wow! Lucian, you said it all and for the right reasons too. I hope I get to hear one of your tunes on the radio one day.

I write because I have a lot of truthful tales to tell. All of my songs have song story's that go along with them. My perspective of life. If I don't say it, nobody will.

I write:

1. because of the immeasurable psyhological rewards I reap from creating something intangible with my mind and getting appreciated for it (that surely counts for something even if I haven't gotten any monetary rewards yet).

2. because I enjoy playing with words, images, and melody in order to shape a cohesive and exciting piece of work that will be worth 3 to 5 minutes of anyone's life.

3. because I can more effectively affect the emotions of people through the messages in my songs without being intrusive.

4. because I can meet and interact with other songwriters who understand where I'm coming from in terms of wanting to develop my songwriting skills to the best that I can.

5. because if I don't, sometimes I feel that my emotional dam will explode and that's not healthy.

6. to make good use of this gift despite the fact that sometimes I feel I am a "mutant" whose need for songwriting is not fully understood by people around me.

7. because songwriting is really a happy place to be.

8. because it's my window of opportunity for immortality.

9. because I have a reason to include "Making a great hit song and getting a Grammy for it" in my own bucket list when I do get to the point of having to make that list.

Thanks for posting this question Stevens. It made me reaffirm that songwriting will always be a part of my identity and my life.

Dennis

For me, writing is a tool for discovering subconscious feelings and forces. I don't understand how it works but somehow these feelings 'grab onto' a developing song and come to the surface.

I write as an expressive outlet. All of my songs so far have come about as the result of dealing with "life". They are all faith based songs (in other words, Contemporary Christian!) and tend to pour out of something I'm working through on a very personal, internal level.

I write to make loads of money. Cant wait till it happens.

i get all itchy and scratchy if i don't... like riiigiggggghhhhhtttt now.

rorrroooocckccckkk on.
r.

I write because it's cathartic and much cheaper than therapy.

Sometimes it's a way for me to tell my deepest, darkest secrets - I can always claim "poetic license" and no one is the wiser Then people have to guess which ones are based on truth and which are merely my imagination. Trust me, some of the stuff I've written about is too bizarre for me to just think up.

I write to exorcise demons. It seems I write best when life seems dismal, hopeless and bleak.

I DEFINITELY don't write for the money. I just received my first Royalty Check last week and there's no chance of retiring any time soon on royalties alone!

But mostly, I write so I can breathe...

Tink

As with all of the above replies, I am equally driven to write....
I suppose that I have been channelling all of my creative energies into writing for so many years because I can, so I do.

To make their art, one must first live their art.....Write perhaps not so much about what you know, but what you endure?

Because there's always something to write about.

That, or something just begs to be written, enough for it to "write itself..."

Good therapy.