Finding My Way Back to Writing Great Songs
From the founder
Finding My Way Back to Writing Great Songs
Why I started Writing Great Songs, why I'm bringing it back, and why I believe every songwriter needs a little community.
When I was about 13 or 14, Sunday nights were often my favourite time of the week.
My dad would head out to play bridge, and I'd stay home with my Kawai organ. I'd practice whatever I was supposed to be learning for my lessons, but then I'd start fooling around. Playing different chords, finding little melodies, putting words together, seeing where things might go.
I didn't really know what I was doing. I just knew I loved doing it.
I started keeping little notebooks filled with lyrics and chord progressions, trying to capture ideas before they disappeared. For a long time, those notebooks were pretty much the only place my songs existed. Songwriting was something I did privately, sitting alone at a keyboard or with a guitar, trying to connect words and music in a way that meant something.
It took me a few years to find the courage to share any of it.
Eventually, I started playing music with a friend named Sharie who was an amazing singer. We performed other people's songs together, and over time I began writing songs for her to sing. Having someone else give voice to my words made it a little easier to put them out into the world. We performed my songs together at Expo 86.
Looking back, I think that was one of my first experiences of something I've come to appreciate enormously about songwriting: how much we can learn, grow, and gain confidence through other people.
Finding My People
For many years, songwriting remained a fairly solitary pursuit.
I wrote songs because I loved writing them. Sometimes they came easily. Often they didn't. I'd get stuck on a lyric, wrestle with a melody, or spend hours trying to figure out why something that sounded so promising in my head just wasn't working.
And most of the time, I was working through those things on my own.
That began to change when I started attending songwriting workshops and retreats, taking online courses through Berklee, and getting to know other songwriters here in Vancouver.
Suddenly, I was surrounded by people who understood exactly what I was talking about.
They knew the frustration of having a great first verse and absolutely no idea where to take the second. They understood the strange satisfaction of finding exactly the right word, or finally landing on a melody that made a lyric come alive.
More importantly, they were incredibly generous with their knowledge, encouragement, and experience.
I learned about the craft of songwriting, of course, but also about the business of music. Copyright, performing rights organizations, co-writing agreements, publishing splits, licensing, distribution. All those things that aren't necessarily top of mind when you're sitting with a guitar trying to finish a song, but become pretty important once you start sharing your work with the world.
I also discovered wonderful teachers, communities, and resources, including SongTown. Founded by Marty Dodson and Clay Mills, it's a community I've been part of for years.
The more I learned, the more I realized just how much there was to learn.
A Collection of Links Becomes Something More
Around 2012, I started keeping a document with links to useful songwriting resources.
It was a bit of everything. Rhyming dictionaries, lyric-writing exercises, songwriting courses, articles about the music business, interviews with writers I admired, and websites that offered inspiration when I needed it.
It was really just my own little knowledge base.
But as the collection grew, I started thinking that other songwriters might find it useful too.
I'd been experimenting with WordPress, and one day I checked to see whether WritingGreatSongs.com was available.
It was.
So I registered the domain and started building.
There was no grand business plan. No particular ambition to become a songwriting authority. I simply wanted to create a free online resource where songwriters could find useful information, discover new ideas, and perhaps get a little help with whatever they were working on.
Whether you were writing your very first song or your hundredth, I wanted there to be something there for you.
Writing Great Songs became a passion project. I'd add new resources, share things I'd discovered, and occasionally write about songs and artists who inspired me.
And then, as happens, life got busy.
My professional work and other commitments took more of my time. I occasionally returned to update things, but eventually Writing Great Songs became one of those projects I always intended to get back to.
Until now.
Why Come Back Now?
Over the past few years, I've been reconnecting with my own songwriting in a much more active way.
I've gone through the process of writing, recording, producing, and releasing my own music. More recently, I've been back in the studio working on new material and navigating the ever-changing world of independent music distribution, streaming platforms, promotion, and audience development.
It's been exciting, occasionally frustrating, and an enormous learning experience.
It's also reminded me why I started Writing Great Songs in the first place.
Some of the tools and resources I collected years ago are still terrific. Others are badly out of date. The music business has changed enormously, even in the three years since my last release.
And when I get together with other songwriters, I still hear many of the same questions and frustrations that inspired the site in the beginning.
How do I make this song better? Where do I find a collaborator? What happens when I release my music? How do I protect my work? How do I get anyone to listen?
So I started thinking about what Writing Great Songs could become today.
And I realized that, while the original idea still made sense, something important had been missing.
Community.
More Than a Resource Library
Songwriting can be a lonely pursuit.
I've often thought about someone sitting in a small town in Alberta, or Missouri, or anywhere else, with a guitar and a notebook, trying to write something meaningful.
Maybe they've never played a song for anyone. Maybe they're struggling to finish their first one. Maybe they've been writing for twenty years and are wondering what to do next.
I've been that person.
And I know how much it can mean to discover that you're not alone.
That's what I'd like Writing Great Songs to become. Not just a collection of helpful links, but something closer to an online home for songwriters.
A place to find inspiration, improve your craft, learn from experienced writers, and discover people who share your passion.
I'm planning to introduce regular features on songwriters, exploring their creative processes, their challenges, and the stories behind their songs. I'm particularly interested in independent artists whose music deserves to be heard by a wider audience.
After all, if we can bring together people who love the craft of songwriting, perhaps we can also introduce them to some remarkable songs they might never otherwise discover.
I'd also like to develop a newsletter, share more through social media, and find ways to create genuine conversations and connections between songwriters.
I don't have all the answers. I'm certainly not a multi-platinum songwriter, and I'm still learning every time I sit down to write.
But I know there are extraordinary teachers, writers, mentors, and resources out there. And I believe there's real value in bringing some of that knowledge and experience together and making it accessible to anyone who wants to write better songs.
Pull Up a Chair
When I think back to that kid playing his organ on Sunday nights, I remember how exciting it was to discover that I could make something of my own.
But I also remember the years of working alone, wondering whether my songs were any good, and not really knowing where to turn when I needed help.
Finding a songwriting community changed that for me.
The kindness, generosity, and encouragement I found among other songwriters made an enormous difference, both to my writing and to my confidence in sharing it.
If I can capture even a little of that spirit here, help someone get unstuck, introduce them to a new idea or a remarkable song, or simply make them feel a little less alone on their songwriting journey, then bringing Writing Great Songs back will have been worth it.
So whether you're writing your first song, your next song, or the one you've been struggling to finish for years, welcome.
I'm glad you're here.
Let's write some great songs.
Dean Sawatzky
Founder, Writing Great Songs
