Do not mistake lyrics for poetry. They seem to be the same, because they have many features in common. They both use language and have rhythm and rhyme schemes. In addition, they both focus on creating images, using poetical devices, and they often both tell stories. However, poetry stands by itself as an independent art form, while the words in a song don’t.
In other words, the words in songs work hand in hand with the music to make an artistic statement. For this reason, the song text can’t be as dense as poetry text. To be precise, the lyrics need to have a far fewer number of words than a poem, because you need to leave space for the music.
This does not mean that the skills for poetry do not overlap with writing song text. They do. If you’ve been writing poetry, you have a good jumping off place for getting into songwriting.
The Craft of Songwriting Blog focuses on writing quality songs. Songwriting is a skill that can be learned. Half of the job of songwriting revolves around crafting the lyrics. Sometimes one writer writes the music and words. However, songwriting teams, where one writer writes the music and the other writer writes the words, have a time-honored place in songwriting history.
Whether you specialize in music, words, or both, you’ll find The Craft of Songwriting Blog packed with useful information.
Songwriting Posts on Lyric Writing:
See the posts below for full descriptions.
– Geoffrey Keith
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
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Are you confused about what’s the difference between active and passive voice? Do you need help writing them? You need to understand their advantages and disadvantages if you want your prose, poems, and songs to sound tight and be easy to listen to and read. Click “Active Versus Passive Voice: How to Write Them” to learn what they are and how they work. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you want to know what an oxymoron is? Do you need help writing them? The word oxymoron sounds like it’s something you’d use to insult someone. However, it’s a major literary figure of speech that can add ironic fun to your writing, songwriting, and poems. Click “What Is an Oxymoron and How to Write It” to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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Do you want to know how to transform your poem into a song? Do you need help learning how to write a melody? Setting a poem to music is an incredibly cool way to take your poem to the next level. Keep reading “How to Transform a Poem into a Powerful Song” to learn how to set your text to music. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you want to know what the word hyperbole means? Do you need to know how to use it in your writing? Hyperboles can be funny, or they can emphasize powerful emotions. Regardless, when used effectively, they will help you highlight the points in your work that you want to emphasize. Keep reading “How to Use Hyperbole in Writing, Songwriting, and Poems” to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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Do you want to know how to use slang in your writing, songwriting, and poems? Do you want to know how to keep your language current? Slang can be powerful for connecting with a particular generation. Also, it can help you keep your language current (i.e., by using Gen Z slang) However, it does have a potential downside. Keep reading “How to Use Lit Slang in Songwriting” to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you want to know what in the world the odd sounding word onomatopoeia means? Do you need help learning how to write them? We’ll define the word and have examples from writing, songwriting, and poetry. Keep reading “What Exactly Does Onomatopoeia Mean in Writing” to learn what it is and how it’s used. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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Do you want to know what cliches are and how to avoid them? Cliches are phrases that have been used so often that they lose their impact on your audience. Writers, poets, and songwriters need to be aware of them, because they can drain emotional energy from your work. Keep reading “How to Avoid Writing Annoying Cliches” to learn what they are and how to stay away from them. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you want to write a parody song? Dav Pilkey asserts, “You can’t just steal someone else’s idea… but you can make a parody” (Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations 68 – 69). Keep reading “How to Write a Parody Song without Being Sued” to find out what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you need to know what assonance is? Do you want to know how to use it in your writing? When you write, you need to make each word count. It’s not just the meaning of your words, but also the sound of the words themselves that can impact the feel of your prose, poetry, or songwriting. In addition, assonance opens up more options when you get struck searching for a rhyme. Keep reading “What’s Assonance and What’s the Best Way to Use it in Writing?” to learn what it is and how to do it. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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Do you want to know how adverbs work? They are amazingly versatile words that can impact many parts of speech within a sentence. It’s critical that writers, songwriters, and poets know how to use them. Keep reading “What Is an Adverb? Learn About Amazing, Adaptable Adverbs” to find out what they are and how they work. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
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