The last The Craft of Songwriting post, Overcoming Writer’s Block in Songwriting, talked about how you can use pictures to jumpstart the imagery in your songs. In Songwriting – Let Her Scream, we will focus on bringing power to your lyric writing with concrete versus abstract words.
Having said this, you might think of an image as just visual, like a photograph. However, any sense impression can become an image, not just the visible ones.
“The cold wind hit him in the face like an angry slap.” The image has the impact of remembered sensation. You feel the bite of the wind in your body and recall what it feels like to be slapped.
You create sense “pictures” through words that show sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and touches. Using images, by depicting details, engages your emotions through your senses.
“I smelled the fresh chocolate chip cookie aroma wafting from the bake shop. It took me back to grandma’s house.” Showing the character’s joy creates a more vivid event than saying, “I felt happy.”