Best Songwriting Books

1. The Frustrated Songwriter’s Handbook by Karl Coryat and Nicholas Dobson
2. By Pat Pattison:
1. Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling by Andrea Stolpe
2. Writing Better Lyrics
3. Songwriting Without Boundaries: Lyric Writing Exercises for Finding Your Voice
4. Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics
5. Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics
3. Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs by Jack Perricone
4. By Jimmy Kachulis:
1. The Songwriter’s Workshop: Melody
2. The Songwriter’s Workshop: Harmony
5. Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting by Jimmy Webb
6. Songwriters On Songwriting by Paul Zollo
7. By Sheila Davis:
1. The Craft of Lyric Writing
2. Successful Lyric Writing: A Step-By-Step Course & Workbook
3. The Songwriters Idea Book: 40 Strategies to Excite Your Imagination, Help You Design Distinctive Songs, and Keep Your Creative Flow
8. Lyrics: Writing Better Words for Your Songs by Rikky Rooksby
9. By Robin Frederick:
1. Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell
2. Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV: 114 Tips for Writing, Recording, & Pitching in Today’s Hottest Market
10. The Craft & Business of Songwriting by John Braheny
11. Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting by Ralph J. Murph
12. 101 Songwriting Wrongs and How to Right Them: How to Craft and Sell Your Songs by Pete Luboff and Pat Luboff
13. Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs
14. How Music Really Works: The Essential Handbook for Songwriters, Performers, and Music Students by Wayne Chase
15. Six Steps to Songwriting Success: The Comprehensive Guide to Writing and Marketing Hit Songs by Jason Blume
16. Songwriters Playground: Innovative Exercises in Creative Songwriting by Barbara L. Jordan
17. Written in My Soul: Conversations With Rock’s Great Songwriters by Bill Flanagan
18. The Poets of Tin Pan Alley: A History of America’s Great Lyricists by Phillip Furia
19. The Blues Line: Blues Lyrics from Leadbelly to Muddy Waters by Eric Sackheim
20. The Complete Singer-Songwriter: A Troubadour’s Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording and Business by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers
21. By Paul Edwards
1. How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC
2. How to Rap 2: Advanced Flow and Delivery Techniques
22. The Complete Rhyming Dictionary: Including The Poet’s Craft by Clement Wood
23. Inside Greatness: Ordinary People Break Down How They Do Extraordinary Things by Graham English

Fixing the Furnace Blues

The oil furnace in my 1850s Vermont farmhouse may only be a century newer than the structure itself. When it was last properly maintained by a professional is anybody's guess.

Only after I'd overreacted to a low ebb on the cycling a couple days ago, and took well-meaning advice to check the photoelectric cell and nozzle, did I find out about all the things I didn't know about repairing an old oil furnace.

I'd already done everything you're not supposed to do to the nozzle before I found out the best thing to do is to buy a new one.

old wires=faulty connections

Posting Your Poetry At Your Own Site

Many literary journals deem poetry that has been posted to your own blog or author site to be previously published. How can you share your poetry without having to worry about not being eligible for publication at such outlets?

1. Write website exclusive poetry specifically to publish at your blog or site, helping create an audience for more of your work. 
2. Post previously published poems, once the rights revert back to you, being sure to acknowledge the original publisher. 
3. Reserve poems published online for poetry collections; previously published poems are usually acceptable to editors of collections.

Of course, you can always self-publish thereby setting your own publication guidelines. Or just find journals that accept previously published work.

SOURCE: Poets: What You Must Know Before You Post Poems On Your Author Website; April 2, 2015 by Web Design Relief Staff.

8 Tough Creative Writing Lessons from an Ex-MFA Teacher

1. “Writers are born with talent.”

As Ryan Boudinot says in his article for The Stranger: “Some people have more talent than others . . writers are not all born equal.”

2. “If you didn’t decide to take writing seriously by the time you were a teenager, you’re probably not going to make it.”

Ryan says, “Being a writer means developing a lifelong intimacy with language. You have to be crazy about books as a kid to establish the neural architecture required to write one.”

3. “If you complain about not having time to write, please do us both a favor and drop out.”

Ryan writes: "My experience tells me this: Students who ask a lot of questions about time management, blow deadlines, and whine about how complicated their lives are should just give up and do something else."

4. “If you aren’t a serious reader, don’t expect anyone to read what you write.”

Ryan says, “Without exception, my best students were the ones who read the hardest books I could assign and asked for more…”

5. “No one cares about your problems if you’re a shitty writer.”

Ryan says: “For the most part, MFA students who choose to write memoirs are narcissists using the genre as therapy.”

6. “You don’t need my help to get published.”

My advice is for writers to reject the old models and take over the production of their own and each other’s work as much as possible.

7. “It’s not important that people think you’re smart.”

Ryan says: “If you can put your ego on the back burner and focus on giving someone a wonderful reading experience, that’s the cleverest writing.”

8. “It’s important to woodshed.”

Ryan warns about the instant gratification (and distractions) of social media, saying it’s the “enemy to producing the kind of writing that takes years to complete. That’s why I advise anyone serious about writing books to spend at least a few years keeping it secret.”

FROM: CHRIS ROBLEY on MARCH 25, 2015 in WRITING TIPS

The Perfect Opening Line

SongTown Quick Tip: The perfect opening line for your song (or poem) . .

1. Let’s us know just enough about the story to pique our interest and leave us wanting more.
2. Sets the emotional mood and tone of what's to follow.
3. Saves the payoff for the hook (or title).
4. Sets the scene: time and place.

Songwriting Tips from Darius Rucker and Cary Ann Hearst

Darius Rucker, former lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish, and Cary Ann Hearst, one half of folk duo Shovels & Rope, share a little wisdom about writing a song.

SEE: Charleston City Paper