These days, when I go more than a couple of days without sitting down to write, I feel a little bit off.
It's as though I forgot to take my vitamins or apply sunscreen. I can live without these aspects of my routine, but I prefer not to.
That's how powerful our habits can become: For better or worse, we don't feel like ourselves without them.
Read MoreOkay, this is weird, but I think it's a useful ability of mine: I know what it's like to be successful without actually having to go to the trouble.
I mean really successful, like number one record, eight-figure income, bestselling novel successful.
I haven't been there, but I know. I can experience it without experiencing it. I know that when you reach that level, you aren't any different inside than you were before, and if how you felt inside was inadequate and unworthy, you will still feel that way.
Read MoreThe performing songwriter has a unique challenge when it comes to their second album.
They had a couple of decades or so to come up with the material for their debut, and now they need to write just as many songs in mere months — likely while touring and doing press to promote their existing record.
What's more, they now have to contend with public scrutiny and commercial expectations on top of that. They need to write hits.
Read MoreI have an Akimbo friend who worries about being original.
He is hesitant even to repeat and build on ideas he's heard elsewhere. He’s afraid to publish, lest he rip someone off.
I can empathize. Sometimes, it might feel like we have nothing to add to someone else's brilliant work — we have the sense that we're cheapening it instead of elevating it.
Read MoreWhen I first tried to write songs as a teen, I was stuck. I had a few ideas, but nothing seemed complex or interesting enough.
As I built my repertoire of other people’s songs, I had a breakthrough. I realized that most of the songs were built out of simple and familiar patterns. I decided to try writing a song that consisted of only four chords, with two of them repeated extensively to comprise the verses. I finished my first song and was on my way to writing several others.
Was my work notable or groundbreaking? No way! They are cute songs, but they will never make me famous. That’s fine. They showed promise, but they were just like any songs you might expect from a teenage beginner.
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