On Writing (2000)

The most common reason people don't write is because they think they're not "gifted" enough. This is based on the perception that artistic works are a product of pure inspiration. Actually, all great art works are, as the saying goes, more perspiration than inspiration.

If I wanted to take up golf, I would soon learn that sinking the ball in four shots is not as easy as the pros make it look. However, I'd know better than to give up and declare I'm not "gifted" at golf, because we know that sports skills take years of practice, and we don't give up just because we're not as good as the pros.

So it is with songwriting. When you hear an album, it's the most profound sixty minutes the songwriters had in two whole years, and the final, finished product is made to look inspired. The problem is that the audience can mistakenly believe that everything the artist creates is beautiful, and that it comes easy to the true artist. When young writers cannot match the songs they hear on professional albums, they can too quickly assume they aren't gifted.

Other potential writers complain that they can't get a good idea to write about. This is not really the problem. Everyone has opinions and thoughts and ideas (even if they're not original). Think of the times you've heard a song and said, "That's exactly how I was feeling, but I didn't know how to say it." This proves that you had the precise idea that the songwriter captured.

When people says they lack good ideas, what they really mean is that they lack the ability to describe the ideas they have, as indicated by the statement, "But I didn't know how to say it." The only difference between the listener and the writer is not who has the good idea, but who has the skill, techniques, time and guts to write it down. It's like my one-liner about modern art. When people look at the simplistic pieces and say sarcastically, "I could have done that," I respond, "But you didn't."

So, aspiring writers must take the time to learn the techniques and sharpen their skills. And this is work. I'm always suspicious of people who talk about how easy writing is. The best writers describe a love/hate relationship with writing, and a writing process which is like building a house. It takes creativity, but most of the time is spent nailing boards.

The hard part is that learning means admitting our ignorance and being self-critical, which may explain why great artists are disproportionately depressive people. Being self-critical means being able to look at yourself and your work, and judge it well. I think you should write ten songs before you dare think one is great. Songs are like children--if they are yours, then you are convinced that they are perfectly beautiful. The difference is that all children really are beautiful. But all songs are not.

Writers thrive on this balance. They must be self-critical enough to recognize the mediocre and determined enough to rewrite it. At the same time, they must be brave or foolish or starry-eyed enough to realize that everyone is "gifted," and if they work hard, their art can be so extraordinary that people will think it's the effortless product of pure inspiration.

All the passion of art is centered on this feeling--the joy of creating something intangible and beautiful. I believe the joy is so intense because in creating, we share in the One whose image we are made in. God's first recorded act was creating, and when we create, we are following the divine example, and somehow participating in Him.

--This essay originally appeared in GMA Today magazine