Secrets To Writing A Great Song with Mia Fieldes Part 1

Webinar Notes

"To be good at anything you have to work hard at it. If you work at it you can do anything." - Mia Fieldes

How do you get started in writing a song?

• "Be willing to suck!" You need to not feel like your first song needs to be your best song. If you don’t get it right the first time, keep working at it.
• Decide that you want to get good at it by being willing to work at it. If you are writing consistently, even when you don’t feel like it, you will get good results. You don’t always have to wait for inspiration to come, you work at it to get better.
• Consolidate your ideas. People often put all their good ideas into one song. Sometimes there are too many thoughts in one song. Choose one central idea or theme and keep returning to it when shaping the song.

What does a songwriting day look like for Mia?

• Breakfast is the best meal of the day. "If I don't eat, I don't write."
• Rarely do I write at home, I get distracted easily so I often go to the writers room at Provident. If you don't have a place where you can go to get away from your living space, be sure to create a space where you are not going to be distracted.

What is the evolution of a song on a writing day?

• I go to work and write for a reason, there is a purpose behind it. Have a motivation to complete a song. Have an end game in mind. There is not need to take 4 months to complete a song, have a reason to finish it. 
• Use your time productively so that you end up with a final product.
• I generally write with another person. I have been committed to learning. Co-writing is a good way to learn how to do something you are not great at.
• When I write with others, I offer the floor to them first, asking them for their input and ideas. "Co-writing is about serving people as well, and my heart is to set people up to win."
• I always comes with ideas in case the person I am writing with doesn’t have any.
• Decide where to go with a song. Then narrow it down and pick a lyric hook or title. Pick a theme and be clear about it.  Themes should generate an emotion and a feeling and people should be able to relate to it. 
• Make it personal but make sure everyone can relate to it. Be sure that ultimately it and points everyone to God.
• I write every idea down and keep track of them by labeling and organizing each one. "I keep a page on my iPhone with all lyric ideas."

What Makes A Great Idea?

"Great ideas spark great ideas.” - Mia Fieldes

• Titles can be an idea.
• When you establish what your idea is, it will help you mold what your song is going to become. Sometimes the idea gives you hints as to what your song is going to be. A song on joy is not going to sound like a downer, its going to have an uplifting sound to it. Here the theme hints towards the sound.
• Already written songs can be a meter or template for writing other songs. Just because its been written does not mean it can't be re-written. Find the things that you love in other songs and measure those against the song you are writing.
• Have a template for yourself. Using someone else’s template from an already written song can help mold your song. Don't "rip off" the song, but use it as a meter for creating and writing your song.

Suggested Books On Songwriting

• God Songs by Paul Baloche
• Songs Of Heaven by Amanda Ferguson

Keep an eye out for "Secrets To Writing A Great Song" Part 2, where we will continue this topic and answer the questions you had.