Originally Posted by: iihollyTwenty to thirty minutes? I envy that! Do you ever have a problem leaving songs unfinished? I can't understand why I have such a block when it comes to finishing and its getting to point where all my songs are disorganized and unfinished and I just end up moving on. SO yeah some advice would be cool from someone who can write a lot of song in a quick amount of time on a whim.

When I say I usually write a song in 20-30 mins. I am talking about the lyrics only. The key to writing lyrics (in rhyme) is to practice and increase your vocabulary. The music part takes me longer, but I can usually complete the lyrics and a tune in a couple of hours. Embellishment and polishing takes much longer!

Yes, I have a file on my computer of unfinished songs, ideas, phrases and just words I like the sound of, such as, “pants” and others. I do go back to this file from time to time, but they usually go nowhere. I also have finished songs that I don’t like and do nothing with.

I usually get an idea, an inspiration, and the song writes itself.

I practice writing in rhyme by jotting down little tidbits. A helpful hint to writing in rhyme is there are exact rhymes, near rhymes, and adding and “s” or using slang. Don’t try to put a syllable on every beat. A good singer will make it work by hanging on the word or snapping it short.

Anyway that’s how I do it. There are many rules to songwriting, but rules are made to be broken.