Songwriting Tip of the Day #24

Tip #24: Practice writing a story with structure

To become a better songwriter you can practice story telling in different forms.  Try writing a story with five acts.  Follow the five act structure of A B D C E!

A = Action
B = Background
D = Development
C = Climax
E = Ending

Start your story with a strong action that draws your reader in.
Next, give your reader a big of background context to better understand the story.
Now that the reader nows the starting action and the history of your character, you can further develop your plot!
Bring your reader to the most exciting and pivotal moment of your story when you reach the climax.
And finally, tie everything up with a pretty bow in your ending.

Now let's look at how this can be applied to songwriting!

Verse one starts with an action -- you lean in to kiss him for the first time, your heart is racing, the moon is shining on his face

The Pre Corus tells your background -- you've been best friends for so long, you've wanted to kiss him for so long and you can't believe it's finally happening

During the chorus the plot develops, but it has to develop in a way that will also be relevant after the next verse so keep it a little generic -- you tell him he was always worth waiting for, the hook of the song becomes "No matter how long, I'll always be waiting on you"

Verse two opens up with another action -- your love goes off to war right after you get married

The second pre chorus tells the background of what has happened since the first kiss -- talk about remembering your wedding day and how it seemed like yesterday, talk about how scared you are for him to be at war

The chorus continues to develop the story but it now has a new meaning -- now you are telling your husband as he goes away to war "No matter how long, I"ll always be waiting on you"

The bridge of the song is the climax -- your husband doesn't make it home from the war, two soldiers hand deliver a letter written from your husband to you

The last chorus is nearly the same words but now it changes from a development, to an ending -- the letter tells you that if you're reading this he didn't make it back, and the last words in the letter from your husband are "No matter how long, I'll always be waiting on you"


(My apologies for both how corny and sad that example was! Please keep in mind that is not a refection of my writing just me trying to find a very extreme clear cut example!)