April 29, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
It’s been a month since i went to Nashville for the writing seminar. Yesterday i pulled out the notebook from the workshop. I read over all the clinician interviews. Those are always so interesting to read and full of so much great advice….so many tidbits of wisdom. I mean here are the top writers in the business talking about how they got started, what things they wished they’d known when they were new writers, and stories of their greatest moments in writing as well as some of the low moments.
I highlighted several things as I was reading that were “aha” moments for me. I don’t know why it surprises me when i read something and just really identify with it. After all, aren’t we more alike than we are different? Don’t we all experience the same emotions? Should we be so shocked when someone says, “i know just how you feel?” It seems easier to believe that what i’m feeling or experiencing is “new”….no one in the universe has ever felt this way/or done this before. How COULD anyone really get it? But in reading what some of the writers experienced, it made me realize again that although my journey won’t be in the exact same steps as another writer, the road we’re traveling on is shared. Does that make sense?
One writer was talking about the writing process and how you couldn’t “force” the song…..you had to just let it develop. I love that! I totally agree and totally get that! In my limited writing years, i’ve found that the best songs are the ones that almost tell you where they want to go, and i just have to get out of the way. It reminds me of something i read in “Bird by Bird” about the creative process:
“I wish i had a secret i could let you in on….some code word that has enabled me to sit at my desk and land flights of creative inspiration like an air traffic controller. But i don’t. All i know is that the process is pretty much the same for almost everyone i know. The good news is that some days it feels like you just have to keep getting out of your own way so that whatever it is that wants to be written can use you to write it.”
I have been there. I have felt like i couldn’t write fast enough to catch all the inspiration that i felt was just flying at me. And it felt like i was writing on holy ground.
In one of the interviews, the writer talked about the craft of writing, but said they never wanted to lose the passion that they wrote with when they were 17 years old.
That passion, that holy ground, that moment of inspiration is magical.
But there’s also the comment i read over and over……”i show up and write”. That’s what it takes to be a writer. Just write. Sounds simple? Maybe. But it takes guts to write. It takes guts to show up at a blank peice of paper and let the thoughts just spill out and hope that something will make sense, that in the middle of all the lines of grey pencil lead, a tiny speck of gold will shine through and something will let you know that THAT is the lyric you need, THAT is the next great hook, THAT is the beginning of a great song idea.
But i’ll never find it, if i don’t just show up.
April 28, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
Do you remember the little informative cartoon commercials by School House Rock on Saturday mornings? They were three or four minutes long and creatively taught all kinds of subjects. One that sticks out in my mind was about adverbs and i just remember the line “lolly, lolly, lolly, get your adverb here.”
And another i really liked was one that was about the process a bill goes through to become a law. And a little rolled up piece of paper with eyes and legs set on the steps and sang “I’m just bill, i’m only a bill and i’m sitting here on capital hill.” And at the end, a big man comes running out of the doors and says, “Bill, you’re a law!”
I thought about that little rolled up piece of paper and about the process it takes for a song to become a cut on someone’s CD when i opened an email last night that i had no idea was coming.
The process goes something like this (and remember, i’m new to all this, so this is from my very limited time being around people who have actually experienced this process all the way through to a cut)…..
a) a song idea begins to take shape b) the songwriter starts putting pen to paper (or starts typing on the computer) and/or finds a co-writer to discuss said song idea c) the writer(s), completes the song by writing a verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge and chorus (this can take thirty minutes or thirty days or three years) d) the song is submitted to a publisher e) the publisher suggests a few changes f) the writer(s) begins a second, third and however many more rewrites it takes for the publisher to say, “bravo, you’ve got it!) g)Publisher makes a demo of the song so that publisher can “pitch” it to an artist/group h) artist/group hears the song and puts the song on hold…….after that, i’m not exactly sure how many people get involved, but there are publishers, record labels, executives, janitors, cousins, etc etc etc. Once it passes all of those people, the artist/group records the song AND, when it’s time to put it on the CD, if everyone STILL likes it, and they haven’t found anything in the last week that they like better, the song makes it to the CD and the songwriter finally has a cut!
SO…..imagine my delight when i checked my email and saw that i had been sent a demo of a song i co-wrote. It was a song that was written last year and i’d almost totally forgotten about it! I listened to the demo and i was just blown away. Whoever was singing it did such a good job! I am so EXCITED!
I don’t know any more than that. I have got to make a few phone calls today to see what’s going on. You’ll be the first to know!
April 26, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
I started blog reading about two years ago. I think the first blog i read was Sue Smith. I was trying to soak up everything there was to know about songwriting….the business, the community, the art of it, just everything. I had attended Sue’s workshop and found out how much i had NO CLUE about. I was so thrilled when Sue started writing a blog and i could check in every day and be inspired, encouraged, and informed!
I had no idea that reading her blog would open up a world of other blogs AND that this world of other blogs was full of so much great stuff. There are blogs that are on a green background, blogs that are blue, and blogs that have lots of fun stuff to look at. There are blog writers that are just plain f-u-n-n-y, writers that are like theologians, writers that have a way of taking you into their hearts and homes, and writers that just make you stop for a second and think.
I just have to share some of it with you. I guess it’s o.k. to copy and paste some of it as long as i give credit where credit is due. So thanks Lisa Q. for being willing to talk about play dough and wisdom.
It seems like the wiser I become, the more I realize how wrong I am most of the time. I may understand truth at times, but the application of the truth (the meaning of wisdom in my opinion) seems to be the place where I break down. Of course, there are too many times when I don’t even understand the truth in the first place, let alone trying to apply it in my life. But this blog is about the break-down part.
What I seem to be learning is that wisdom has a very different look than knowledge. Knowledge is the freshly opened yellow Play-Doh that is still shaped like a big pencil eraser. Wisdom is the lumpy, misshapen Play-Doh that is now brown from being mixed with every color in the package. Knowledge looks better to many many Christians. It’s untainted. It’s beautiful when first beheld.
And what I’ve seen in my life is that knowledge, without being kneaded, and worked, and blended with the colors of grace, and mercy, and humility and faith, is useless, and in the end, is really not that beautiful after all.
I’ve seen people try to keep their knowledge play-doh perfectly shaped and yellow. They’ve surrounded themselves with people who think just like they do. Or, they’ve surrounded themselves with people who don’t know what to think yet, so they can feed their egos by dispensing knowledge upon these newly converted minds, and never have to worry about being challenged. They don’t understand people who sin. They don’t understand people who fail. They don’t have a resume of staying in community with people who are struggling. Their resume is one of leaving, and then, judging. Or, staying, and judging from a polite distance. Or, staying and wounding with their sterile, unyielding, untested, monochromatic religion.
Jesus is brown Play-doh personified. He is the perfect combination of knowledge, mercy, love, grace, patience, faith, humility, practicality, passion, compassion…and on and on. He is wisdom. He is beautiful. When He speaks, lives change.
I am one who worshipped the yellow play-doh. In some measure, I will struggle with that my whole life. I have been one to be quick to correct, or give my opinion, and have been slow to give grace. I have been one to judge people harshly. I have valued knowledge over grace and love. I am ashamed of my behavior.
God is going to keep answering my prayers for wisdom. Sometimes, that thought terrifies me. What will it take? Only He knows. But, I think my heart is more willing to accept His methods than it used to be. Pleasing Him is more attractive to me than it used to be. Not hurting people is a greater desire than it used to be.
Years ago, I was at my friend Gina’s house, and her two oldest kids were playing Play-Doh. Every container had brown Play-Doh in it. I think I even said something like: “You let your kids mix the colors?” I never let my kids mix their colors. I’d try to make them play with one color at a time. Or, if they would make a white cookie, for example, and decorate the top with little balls of other colors, I would make them pick off the balls and put each one away when they were done. There were several times I even spoke harshly to my kids about mixing the colors. I would micro-manage their play time, valuing the pure color of the play-doh over their tender hearts until…
they stopped playing with the Play-Doh. I think they went almost a year without taking it out of the cupboard. When they finally did, they did it when friends were over.
I bet you can guess how they treated their friends who were mixing the colors.
A wise person would learn something from that. Pray that I will.
April 24, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
I don’t hold grudges. I don’t harber unforgiveness. Okay, maybe it’s because my memory is so bad that i can’t remember if you did something mean to me or not 
, but even if i DO remember…..there’s no point in hanging on to it. Life is too short.
So if i run into you while i am out and about on the town and i see you and have to walk by you, i will say “hey” and probably hug your neck. And if you have kids with you (and i have my kid with me), i will say hey to them. Even if your kids may have been mean to my kid in the past, i won’t think about that. And if your kids are unfriendly when i say “hey”, that is a shame. Cause life is too short. And you should always teach your children to be friendly….no matter what.
And wouldn’t it be sad if one of your kids had a little friend with her that knew my kid and that friend WANTED to be nice and hug my kid and she would start to reach out and give a hug, but then would totally stop because she saw that your kid was being aloof and all “i’m too good to give you a hug” acting.’
That would really be a shame. Because we shouldn’t base our behavior on what our friends are going to do. So little girl, if you want to reach out and give someone a hug, just do it. Cause i’m sure your mama taught you better.
April 22, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
Tonight is the big VHS Jazz concert at 7:00! The jazz band has performed several times, but i’ve only been able to hear them once. So that means i’ve only heard Karlee sing, “At Last”, once. And the place they were at didin’t have all that great of acoustics…..so i’m excited about hearing her at the Performing Arts Center!!
Of course, she’s just worried that her big spider bite will be seen. At least that’s what we think it is. She noticed it a couple of days ago (so she tells me now) and thought it was a mosquito bite. Yesterday she gets to school and her pants are rubbing it and it hurts, so when she lifts up her jeans she notices it is much redder and less “mosquito bite” looking. She’s gone all day yesterday to Waycross, so when she gets home at 10:20 we look at it and decide she might need to see the doctor in the morning.
So this morning she has jazz practice at 6:30 at the school, and then i go back and pick her up and take her to see Dr. A. and after sitting in his little room for an hour, he comes in and presribes her an antibiotic to take and tells her to keep the wound clean.
So, she either sings tonight with a bit red circle shining on her leg, or we try to find an attractive band-aid to cover it up.
Of course being the fashion horse that i am, i notice that all the models and tv personality-type ladies seem to be wearing dark hose with their outfits (i noticed that on Carly on American Idol last week, too). So hey, since her dress is black, maybe i could talk her into wearing some black hose?????
April 21, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
Did you know this is Jazz Appreciation month? I didn’t know it until Karlee’s jazz teacher told me that it was. I guess that’s why there are so many jazz festivals going on. The jazz band is traveling to two festivals this week! AND, they are putting on their concert this week at the school. Should be a fun week!
I’m glad Karlee will be able to participate. Thank goodness when she got hit in the head, it wasn’t directly in her eye. She was busy playing this weekend for the VHS Drama, Beauty and the Beast. She was asked to play the piano in the orchestra and they had just finished the last performance on Saturday evening. She was about to go up to “Luminaire” and tell him what a great candle he had been. He didn’t know she was coming up behind him and he happened to wave his pvc pipe “candle” out in a broad gesture and met up with Karlee’s eyebrow. I won’t go ino the gory details but you know what they say about head wounds.
Fortunately, one of the coaches was there and was able to get a medical kit and wash out the wound and when it quit bleeding, he put several of those little bandaids that helped to close up the cut. By the time i got there she was feeling a little better. The coach told us to watch for any signs of a concussion.
She did fine all day yesterday…..just a slightly swollen eye and a little pain that some advil took care of. So this afternoon she is off with the jazz band to Waycross.
Doesn’t that sound fun? A blanket on the ground, a plate of fried chicken and potato salad and some great jazz music playing in the park. I appreciate jazz, i really do!
April 18, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
….did i mention that tax season is over?
….so what’s with the weather right now? flannel pajamas at night and sleeveless shirts during the day.
….ever SO totally disagree with someone that you just want to scream?
….did i mention that we’re through with tax season?
….i have a friend who is on a road trip this weekend; i love road trips
….it’s official–i like Folgers coffee over Maxwell House (even though they both have great tv commercials)
….how can you listen to a song for the 100rth time and still find new meaning?
….NO MORE TAXES!
….still working on getting those snow pictures from Oregan uploaded to my blog. they keep wanting to load as these HUGE, GINORMOUS, things. i know this can’t be THAT complicated!
….my daughter asked me the other night why i still didn’t sell jewelry for a living. Hmmmmmm
….Saturday is supposed to rain, but Sunday is supposed to be pretty. Can anyone say POOL TIME?
April 17, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
I just heard about this documentary. I think it would be worthwhile to try and see it.
Go to the website and watch the trailer.
http://www.expelledthemovie.com/
April 17, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
My last tax season i worked was in 1994. And i must say it was a lot different than finishing up tax season 2008. It’s still weird to think that after 14 years, i am back at the cpa firm that hired me fresh out of college back in 1985! I had no idea what i was getting into at the time, but i found out it was a great group of people to work with. And even though the hours could be long (because in “the day”, tax returns were separated by carbon paper and that took HOURS to sort through)…..it was still fun.
Now, tax returns are printed on a laser printer….with all the copies already made and in the correct order. You know, IRS Copy, State copy, Taxpayer copy, file copy, etc. And now (most often) i don’t even have to attach a W-2 if the return is e-filed.
But some things never change…..like tax day is crazy with people STILL bringing in returns to be done. And invariably staying late to write that letter that lists everyone who we are requesting an extension for. But thank goodness, but 7PM we could call it a day!
And then to top it all off, it was cold last night and we actually enjoyed a fire in the fireplace.
Nice.
Now why isn’t ”The Day After Tax Day” a national holiday yet?
April 16, 2008 - Posted by - 0 Comments
I love to read. I think i always have. I would raise my hand in class to read out loud any time the teacher asked. It worked fine until one time a teacher told me she wasn’t going to pick me to read, so i could put my hand down…because i read too fast and the kids couldn’t follow.
I remember going to the library during the summers and i had one criteria for choosing a book…..it had to be “thick”……at least 900 pages. That’s how I discovered “God is an Englishman” by R. F. Delderfield. And sometimes (when mom would splurge for it), i would get a can of frosting and i would eat teaspoon by teaspoon of chocolate frosting while i lost myself in another time and another place. Mystery….history….it was all good.
Now i choose books for a different reason….i need to learn. I need to learn about how to be a better mom, disciple, songwriter.
So when I read a rave review of a book on writing, i decided i had to check it out. It’s called Bird by Bird and even though it’s about writing books, i’ve found it to be so helpful to songwriting as well.
What’s so amazing about reading a really well written book is that it feels like the author is talking to me. We’re having a conversation…..and i’m saying yes, or what? or so true! So when i came to this paragraph on page 15, i felt like it was EXACTLY what i was thinking!
“…..for some of us, books are as important as almost anything on earth. What a miracle it is that one of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world afer world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet, or excite you…..(books) are full of all the things you don’t get in real life–wonderful, lyrical language for instance, right off the bat. And quality of attention: we may notice amazing details during the course of our day but we rarely let ourselves stop and pay attention. An author MAKES you notice, makes you pay attention, and this is a great gift.”
I think a great song does the same thing.
