Category: Language
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Writing better lyrics with metaphor magic
In this video, I show you how to write songs—and specifically lyrics—like Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and John Mayer. There is a particular type of song and songwriting that these three songwriters have in common—it’s a way to write songs that lots of songwriters use: metaphor songs. I start by defining metaphor, and share the…
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Mastering the Elements of Lyric Writing
Studying and understanding the tools that go into making a song can help anyone learn how to write a song more effectively. I hope these conversations give you ideas for your own songs and songwriting. We were lucky enough to have a long conversation with Berklee Professor Pat Pattison. But was my teacher and mentor…
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Examples of Sense Writing
The first exercise I run in any lyric writing class is called ‘Sense Writing,’ which is essentially the same as Pat Pattison’s Object Writing (which you can find out more about here). I’ve written before about Sense Writing, and recently put out a YouTube video that explains it, which you can watch here: It’s one…
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Drunk in the day – and other tips on writing well
Writes William Zinsser in, “On Writing Well”: …you have to strip your writing down before you can build it back up. You must know what the essential tools are and what they were designed to do. Extending the metaphor of carpentry, it’s first necessary to be able to saw wood neatly to drive nails. Later…
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This is Your Brain on Metaphor
When I teach lyric writing, the first concept I introduce in any class is the power and impact of sense-based language. I usually start with a sort of psychological magic trick: I read a list of words, then ask people to recall as many as they can. Without mentioning this to the class, I have…
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Writing Tips from George Orwell
One of the most incisive essays I have ever read on the art of writing is the short and stunning piece, ‘Politics and the English Language‘, written by George Orwell in 1947. Here, Orwell described a cliche as a ‘dying metaphor’. Orwell follows up with a succinct list of guides to follow: Never use a…
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I Have a Confession to Make
I have a public confession to make. I have a serious problem—a profound weakness, and it only gets worse with age. I am completely, totally, helplessly in love with reading. But not just one book. I find myself embroiled, entangled, enmeshed, ensnared, and ensnarled in reading sometimes more than 10 books at a time. It’s not healthy.…
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What Can Business Learn from Songwriters?
I was kindly invited by Soren Trampedach and Work Club Global, in collaboration with the Sydney-based organisation Affectors, to present an information session on some of the craft and process of a songwriter and musician. The audience were entrepreneurs and culture creators. The discussion that came about found fascinating interplays between language in song and language in…
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VIDEO: The Psychology of Lyrics
Thanks to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for hosting their first inaugural Teach Meet – a public lecture series of music educators presenting a short demonstration of an effective classroom tool. You’ll need a pen and paper to do the quick exercise at the beginning of the lecture. Enjoy!