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Robert Martinobert Martin SONGWRITERS WORKSHOPNGWRITERS WORKSHOP

where do all our ideas go?

Where do all our idea’s go? I have been writing songs More recently I have started to co-write, and I
for over 30 years and in all that time my biggest literally am writing more finished songs than I have
challenge has to be the dreaded Procrastination. The ever written before. This is great. I have also started
thought that I will finish the song tomorrow, because to play open mic nights, which gives me a reason to
you see dear friend, that is where the hard work finish a song (another great motivator). Facebook
begins. I literally have thousands of ideas captured and supportive groups like the ‘Songwriter’s
on Dozens of tapes, and more recently I have the Workshop’ are brilliant. I have had some success
voice recorder on my mobile phone. Whenever I recently. Following a songwriter’s workshop in 2018.
have an idea, I immediately run somewhere quiet I co-wrote a song called “Oceans of Peace” which
and capture that little nugget that that has silently won the prestigious Tipperary song of Peace Award
been gifted to me by the powers of song writing. in 2018. I recorded the song and it is on Spotify.
“Right” I exclaim. “That is now captured forever.” When I won the competition, I remember my
The problem is that it remains an idea “for ever”. mother saying she was delighted because I had spent
so many years looking to write such a great song.

We as songwriters all have the ability to write that
great song. The reality is however, that it will take
some work. All the great hits initially took a great
idea which had to be developed and developed some
more until the finished song emerged. A song that
you would be proud to be played anywhere by
anyone at any time.

Over the years I have tried to motivate myself. I My final thought, which I will share, is don’t worry if
brought one of my “ideas” tapes and a brand new A4 no one gets to hear your song or play your song. If it
writing pad to Spain on a family holiday recently. doesn’t make number one all over the world. Write it
Can you imagine how many little ideas one 60 for yourself and if you are true to yourself your song
minute tape could hold. Alas, barring a few minutes will be wonderful.
on the flight over I barely got to listen to any of the
ideas ,and as soon as I returned home the tape was
put back in the box. Perhaps it contained a potential
worldwide hit, or the soundtrack to a popular
Medical Drama.... I will never know.

The problem is what I call ‘the second Verse
syndrome.’ Every idea contains of course the first
verse and perhaps the killer chorus. Gotcha! Taped
and recorded, the idea is captured. I believe however
that perhaps I am avoiding the hard work that is the
Dreaded second verse / Lift/ Bridge and ending. All
these different elements of the song which are tricky
and require an element of effort. Some songs roll off
the imagination, and that is great. But not all songs,
and I suppose the fear of my great idea turning into
a difficult and perhaps not so great song is what puts
me off.

08 SONGWRITERS WORKSHOP