One of my first articles was on the value of keeping a journal. Today I want to re-iterate the importance of this songwriting technique.

Keeping a journal can mean many things to many people. It can be a detailed snapshot of life as portrayed in the film "Bridget Jones' Diary" or it can be more of a 'stream of consciousness' concept as mentioned in Julia Cameron's book "The Artist's Way". Personally, I think the stream of consciousness idea is the more effective way of gathering songwriting ideas.

Being able to empty your brain of all the stuff it has accumulated throughout the day is extremely beneficial. Look at your journal as a friend that is always there to listen to you problems and share in your hopes, dreams, questions, thoughts and aspirations.

Some people (me included) find that the physical act of writing down whatever is on their mind very cathartic. It's like a weight has been lifted off thier shoulders because the mind has beed unburdened of stored information that it doesn't need. The more you clear your mind of trivial clutter the more good stuff cas take it's place.

Keeping a journal and writing in it every day also enables you to get to know yourself a whole lot better. You see, there is no hiding from the truth when you do this, it always comes out in the end. Because of this, journal writing has a therapeutic quality to it.

Now here's where the real benefits come into play.

After about four to six weeks of writing you will be amazed to see how much stuff you have actually written. You will not be able to use that old 'I havent got anything to write about' excuse anymore. Start reading and re-reading it to see if you can get some inspiration from it bearing in mind that what you are reading is the uniqueness that is you.

You will be reading some juicy stuff here, what you are thinking, what you are feeling, how you are seeing yourself and the world around you. How can your life not be interesting enough to write about? (Oh, and by the way, there is another common excuse for not writing thrown out the window)

Look for anything that pops up and grabs you by the scruff of the neck. Anything that makes you say 'wow, that would make a great song title' or 'wow, I really like that line/story' grab a highlighting pen and mark it. once you have finished reading its time to put together the puzzle that is the song.

Be free with your mind when you are doing this, let it wander. You will hear your inner critic trying to shoot you down but dont let that phase you. Just keep on reading and finding those gems in the rock.

I am a regular journal writer so every few weeks I read over my entries and highlight all of the good stuff. I am constantly amazed at how easily a song manifests itself by doing this technique. I am also equally amazed by the insights and flashes of raw honesty I find while reading. It's wonderful what you come up with when you just allow yourself to write.

If you are already writing a journal then keep at it but if you are just starting then start it today. You will not regret it one little bit.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

Keywords: song writing, songwriting, songwriter, rss feed, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting technique, songwriting resource, songwriting basics, free songwriting tip, corey stewart