MAB CHALLENGE OF THE DAY
I wanted to leave this with you before I headed out on my trip. I CANNOT tell you how much SONGS WEAR ME OUT! I have to listen all day, every day, every minute. Everyone has them.Everyone does them. But I will tell you, THEY ARE ALL PRETTY MUCH THE SAME. As I sit around listening to songs on these writer's nights, open mics, and just really get worn out because no one seems to take a different look at anything. AND THEY ALL SOUND LIKE SONGS!
You HAVE TO MAKE THEM ABOUT REAL LIFE. REAL CONVERSATIONS.
So here is my challenge.
Today, while you are just living life. Going to work. Watching the world around you, MAKE SOME NOTES. find something ACTUALLY HAPPENING TO WRITE ABOUT. And no, don't watch the television and write something about this guy getting beheaded, Obama's golf game, or rioters in Fergeson. That is not what I mean.
I am talking about the LITTLE THINGS. The things that happen around you in your life. Weird discussions with a loved one. Something your kid did. Walking into rooms forgetting why you walked into it.
But find things that are COMMON and RELATABLE to other people. That is what people are interested in. Stay away from the trucks, the alcohol, the Angry, bitter stuff. Just do things that really happen.
Remember, there is a quality all great writers have.
THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE ORDINARY, SEEM EXTRODINARY!
The small,every day things, seem amazingly interesting. HOUSE THAT BUILT ME. I DRIVE YOUR TRUCK. I'LL DRINK A BEER. Everyone of those are just average things people do, but each one has an interesting twist on the life it portrays. And you can ALL find yourself doing those exact same things.
That is what you have to search for.
DON'T WRITE SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE SONGS. WRITE SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE REAL LIFE.
MAB