Songwriting Secret No. 1

As with most things in life, there is no one right way to write songs. There is no one secret that, if you know it, guarantees your success. However, the secret that I'm about to share with you has made my songwriting process easier and more enjoyable.

Thus, I present to you: the Lyric Palette.

Now, I've read several different books and blogs about creating a lyric palette, so again, there is no one right way to do it.

In painting, a palette is where artists put their paint to prep it for going on the canvas. Similarly, a lyric palette is where a songwriter puts their words to use in the draft. Pretty much, it's a way of brainstorming.

When I create a lyric palette, I list my title, then I brainstorm related images and words, synonyms of related words, antonyms of those words, rhymes, associated common phrases/idioms, etc.

I'll give an example:

Title: Game of Love

Related Words:

• Board games
• Cards
• Poker
• Monopoly
• Dice
• Win
• Cheat
• Victory Dance
• Tag
• Hide-n-seek
• Baseball
• Play by the rules
• Keep score
• Ace
• Joker

Synonyms:

• Face cards
• Playing cards
• Texas Hold 'Em
• Triumph
• Roll the dice
• You're it

Opposites:

• Lose
• Play honestly
• Sore loser

Associated Phrases:

• Play your hand
• Royal flush

Rhymes:

• Hide-n-seek, peek,
• Cards, heart

Anyway, this is just the beginning of a palette, but once you have so many creative words down, it makes it easy to string them together. Also, writing and brainstorming helps you find new words and idioms. It makes your writing a lot more creative!