Killer Comparisons One of the most detrimental things I see writers wrestling with is comparison. I cant count the number of times I have been at a Songwriter In The Round night and heard people whispering My songs are better than his. I want to respond, And your point is? And, Ive had people express frustration to me that Im getting lots of cuts and they are not. One time, I even had someone ask to meet with me in the Pre-Songtown period. He was a music ministry intern at our church, so I agreed to meet with him. When I asked him what he wanted to meet about, he said Im trying to figure out how to do what you do when I get back to Oklahoma. I wasnt quite sure what he was talking about, so I asked what he meant by do what you do. He, very matter-of-factly, said I want to write number one songs and get lots of cuts to support me in my ministry so I can take a low salary at my church and I need to know how to pull that off. I was offended. Im not easily offended, but I was offended. Basically, he was saying, I know that you have worked at this every day, in Nashville for 20 years, but Id like for you to tell me how to just mail my songs in while I work another job and achieve that level of success. I took a deep breathe and answered You cant. I explained that his goal was unreasonable. I told him that I would be here every day trying to bump his song off every record. If he had asked a reasonable question, I would have given him an answer that would have helped him move in the direction of his goals. But, he did not. He asked a CRAZY question. If you are not in a music center, you are not going to compete with people who have been there networking for 20 years and writing great songs. But, you dont have to. I encourage everyone not to compare your songs to anyone elses. If your songs are better than another aspiring writer, so what? If you dont have as many cuts as Clay or I do, so what? None of that helps you. If you compare your songs to YOUR songs, you can make progress. Are you getting better every day? Are you writing better songs now than you were a year ago? If so, you are making progress. It doesnt matter who else you are better or worse than. All that matters is that you are getting better. If you keep writing better songs, then you will eventually have some level of success if you dont give up. I believe that with all my heart. Will you have as many cuts or #1 songs as Clay and I do if you are doing this part time? Probably not. But that doesnt matter. Thats not comparing apples to apples. Dont compare your work to anyone elses work unless you are challenging yourself to get better. Like we always say, writing better songs is ALWAYS the answer. If you want to hear two of my favorite uncut songs that I have written, check out the web site this morning. Write on! Marty Dodson
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015