Pick a random object and write for 10 minutes: bookshelf
Smooth under my fingers as I make my way from edge to edge. Your hardness satisfies me. Perfectly flat to perch my book upon your wooden grain. I love staring at you, seeing the colorful spines of books I’ve read and ones I want to read. My home is never complete with you holding my books against the biggest wall in the house. The centerpiece like a massive hearth that keeps the creative fire burning day and night, providing the necessary warmth to stay alive. Musty and dusty you get. I love wiping you down clean, rearranging the books, adding a vase, a plant, a brass to swan to hold my keys. I vibrate when I approach you to scan up and down searching for my next good read. Soft thumps as I pick up book and set them back down. Not that one. What about this one?
This exercise is from the book Writing Better Lyrics (Second Edition): The Essential Guide to Powerful Songwriting by Pat Pattison. I highly recommend it if you’re wanting to improve your songwriting.
I just started reading Chapter 2: Rusty’s Collar – A Lesson in Showing and Telling. Remember, “Show-and-Tell” in elementary school? This is kind of like that but for adults. The order is very important. The reference to “Rusty’s Collar” in the chapter title is used to illustrate why you must “show” before you “tell” when it comes to writing a good song. Imagine going to school to talk about your puppy without something to show like his collar. It’s just not “show-and-tell” if you ain’t got anything to show first.
If “Show-and-Tell” sounds fun, you might be interested in joining the Creative Comeback Club, a place to rekindle your spark one week at a time in a supportive community. I host “Show-and-Tell” sessions about the music, art, or any creative project you’re working on. Join us!
If you’d like more creativity in your life, check out my next workshop The Artist’s Way for 50 and Beyond. It’s a 12-week guided workshop to reignite your creativity later in life because it’s never too late to create.