Story-First Songwriting

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

No idea how you can start your song's first line? Discover how you can write a captivating start that will instantly hook your audience! 💡 What you'll learn:- the best way to create an emotional connection

- how to write your song's first line as an intriguing hook

- see lots of examples and techniques of this one powerful opening line device

If you’re new to my channel, my name is Melanie Naumanni. I’m the creator of LyricMastery.com. It’s the place where you can master the craft of storytelling in songwriting and discover how to craft your lyric's content. I've been a story editor since 2015, and a Story Grid Certified Editor since 2019.Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below – I love hearing from you and I will read / reply to every comment. ► Subscribe to listen to a new episode each week.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

Have you ever been told the popular songwriting advice of "Your Song Has To Go Somewhere?", but you didn't know how to pull it off? Discover what it means and how you can apply it in this episode.💡 What you'll learn:- Know where to start and where to end- Creating coherence in your lyrics- the two most important questions to ask yourself before you start writing- The two kinds of story (+song examples)If you’re new to my channel, my name is Melanie Naumanni. I’m the creator of LyricMastery.com. It’s the place where you can master the craft of storytelling in songwriting and discover how to craft your lyric's content. I've been a story editor since 2015, and a Story Grid Certified Editor since 2019.Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below.► Subscribe to listen to a new episode each week.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

Unlock the secrets to storytelling in songwriting by knowing the exact moments that go into every story.

In this episode on "How To Tell A Story In Song Lyrics," I show you how you can write song lyrics that tell a story that works so that you can hook, engage, and impact your audience.

I will explain the concept of Narrative Songwriting in a step-by-step strategy to help you tell a captivating story in your lyrics, which can transform your songwriting.💡 What you'll learn:- The Two Kinds of Story- The Key Moments of a Working Story- How to Write A Song That Tells A Story- Lots of Popular Song Examples to See the Concept applied

- WATCH IT on YouTUBE: https://youtu.be/97BXHDZ_dzEIf you’re new to my channel, my name is Melanie Naumanni. I’m the creator of LyricMastery.com. It’s the place where you can master the craft of storytelling in songwriting and discover how to craft your lyric's content. I've been a story editor since 2015, and a Story Grid Certified Editor since 2019.Leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

So, I recently watched Netflix's documentary about Lewis Capaldi, "Lewis Capaldi: How I'm Feeling Now," and let me tell you, it was a rollercoaster of emotions—inspiring and tear-jerking in equal measure.
In this episode, we talk about Lewis Capaldi’s struggle and the pressure of writing an encore to his debut album, "Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent." And how he could have overcome that terrible inner voice saying, “I’m shite at writing lyrics,” or the imposter syndrome that came with it.

So if you’re curious to find out how writing lyrics can become easier without all the overwhelm, keep listening.

1. [00:01:20] Lewis Capaldi - The Rise and Fall of a music artist
2. [00:05:02] Lewis Capaldi - Origin Story
3. [00:07:48] The Importance of Storytelling in Songwriting:
4. [00:11:14]  The ART of writing lyrics
5. [00:12:16]  What is Narrative Songwriting?
   
   

Show Notes

• lyricmastery.com/21steps
• Lewis Capaldi on Netflix: “Lewis Capaldi - How I’m Feeling Now”
  

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

How many of you have a message for the world, but you need help finding your voice or your audience?

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.

I want you to imagine millions of people listening to your song.

I want you to imagine thousands of people knocking your door down wanting to know when you come to their city to play them the song live because that song is so valuable to them.

You can open your eyes.

And I will tell you this.

This doesn't have to be limited to your imagination. 

This is what happens when you go viral.

And I'm going to tell you exactly how you can achieve it.

So pay close attention to this episode of the Lyric Mastery Podcast because it will help you find your voice and show you how to make your song go viral.

Episode Overview:

• What does it mean to go viral?
• Writing A Viral Song
  • For whom are you writing this song?
• Storytelling in Songwriting
  • Make it Exciting
• Distribution: How to get your song out there.
  • Have a Tastemaker
  • No Social Media Tastemaker? Don't worry.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• FOREVER FREE PLAN: Email Newsletter and Marketing Platform: Systeme.io
• Write Attention-grabbing Opening Lines: A Song's First Line
• Flowers lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc
• I Will Survive lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
• bad guy lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group

Visit ⁠lyricmastery.com⁠ for everything on storytelling in songwriting.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

Lets move away from all those love songs we’ve talked about in the past because I recently had the pleasure to listen to the song “The Comeback” by the London-based musician Drew Davies.

As stated on metaltalk.net, this song by Davies “is a call to arms for society's malcontents and a tip of the hat to an era of alternative greats such as David Bowie, Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails.”

And in this episode, we're gonna talk about the power of the lyrics of the song "The Comeback". Specifically, you will discover how you can tell an amazing redemption story in your lyrics.

Drew has really written a masterpiece. So let's go through his lyrics and find out how he did it!

Episode Overview:

• [00:01:19] The S.O.N.G. Framework
• [00:03:38] “The Comeback” by Drew Davies
• [00:07:02] Step 1: Summary
• [00:21:12] Step 2: Observer
• [00:28:34] Step 3: Narration
• [00:47:13] Step 4: Gist
• [00:53:44] Great Songs Take Time to Write.

 
Show Notes:

Listen to “The Comeback” by Drew Davies 

• on Soundcloud
• on Youtube
• on Spotify

Find out more about Drew Davies here: https://www.drewdaviesmusic.com/

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

When you feel stuck in your songwriting or in life in general, I’d like to share the approach that helped me.

So, if you feel stuck sometimes… maybe this helps.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

In today’s episode, we’re gonna explore what it looks when we write about facing a crisis.

We’ve all been in a dilemma in our life, right?

It’s when no matter what we choose, there’s always something to lose, but also something to gain.

But it’s normal if we fear the loss more than having the potential to gain something.

Being in a dilemma, there’s just so much uncertainty attached it.

And we might fear making a choice at all.

So when we write lyrics about a dilemma, we can actually provide guidance to our audience … whenever they face a similar crisis.

And in this episode, you will find out how you can write lyrics about a person’s dilemma.

What it takes to truly create a hard choice for your song’s main character and I’ll also show you all the options of where you can place that crossroad moment in your lyrics’ narrative.

And as a lyric example, we’ll look at Gloria Gaynor’s song: “I Will Survive” because there’s so much to take away from the way those lyrics were written.

Sound good?

Awesome, then let’s get started!

What's the episode about?

1. [00:01:45] Overview: Waypoints Inciting Incident, Turning Point, Crisis
2. [00:04:29] Crisis
3. [00:06:41] Real Choice
4. [00:07:42] Meaningful Stakes
5. [00:08:59] Best Bad Choice
6. [00:10:08] Irreconcilable goods  

Show Notes:

• “Lose Yourself” by Eminem

• If I Let You Go lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
• Warning lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc
• I’m a Believer lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

Today, I wanna answer a question that I got recently asked in my Facebook Group.
It’s from Hudson.
And he asked:
How can I combine every part of the song so that it contributes to one central meaning of the lyrics?
That’s an awesome question, and let’s talk about it right now.

✅ Stop guessing if your lyrics work. Learn story-first songwriting and turn every idea into music-ready lyrics with a proven, repeatable system. Join our community: Story-First Songwriting on Skool.👉 ⁠skool.com/songwriting/about⁠

If you’re like me, you have something valuable to share.

Something that matters.

And that we know that can help someone who will listen to our song. 

And to get our message across in a way that bypasses a listener's critical mind, we have to wrap what we have to say into an experience.

And we create that experience through the journey we send our song’s main character on.

So that’s why we talk about the waypoints of that journey.

So that we can create that experience that leads someone from their mess to a better place.

And today, we will talk about the second waypoint on that journey.

Today, we’ll make it even worse for our song’s main character.

Because that’s life, right?

It has to get worse first before it can get better.

So let’s get right to it.

• [00:01:13] Overview
• [00:05:56] Progressive Complications
• [00:10:03] Creating Progressive Complications
• [00:11:32] Turning Point
• [00:12:41] Turning Point Categories