Journal · 24 articles

Songwriting

How songs actually work, section by section — written from inside the sessions.

This is the core of the journal. Everything here comes from the same practice: taking songs apart to work out why a chorus lands where it does, why one line hits harder the second time, why a change feels like relief — then applying that mechanism deliberately.

If you’re starting from scratch, how to write a song is the entry point, and the parts of a song maps what every section is actually for. From there the cluster splits four ways: structure (verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, second verse, outro), lyrics (specificity, the scene test, rhyme), melody and harmony (contour, top notes, chord progressions, toplining), and process (finishing, improving, co-writing).

The through-line: most songs that feel wrong aren’t missing inspiration. One section isn’t doing its job and the writer hasn’t named which one.

Why Songwriting Gets Harder the Better You Get

The better you get at songwriting, the harder the decisions get. Craft gives you options; judgement is the skill that decides which one the song actually needs.

How to Get Better at Songwriting

Writing more songs isn't what makes you better. Here's how to actually improve at songwriting: take songs apart, steal the mechanism, and practise one skill at a time.

Love Songs and Breakup Songs Fail the Same Way

Two songs, one craft problem. Both name the feeling instead of the moment. How to pick the stage, find the second feeling, and let the melody carry the size.

How to Rhyme Without Sounding Forced

Perfect rhyme is often what makes lyrics sound forced. Here's how rhyme actually works, and how slant and internal rhyme let lines land naturally.

What to Bring to a Co-Writing Session (And What to Leave Behind)

Most artists walk in underprepared or overloaded. Here's what actually makes a co-writing session work: the right brief, references, and what to expect to walk away with.

How to Write a Topline

Toplining is writing the melody and lyric over a finished track. Here's how to find the topline a beat is asking for, and how to work with the producer.

The Split Sheet Conversation Nobody Wants to Have

Most co-writers skip the split sheet because it feels like distrust. It's the opposite — here's what goes in one and how to bring it up.

How to End a Song, and When You Need an Outro

Two separate decisions get confused here: whether your song needs an outro, and how it stops. Cold endings, fades, lifts, and what each one tells the listener.

Stop Writing About Feelings. Write About Furniture.

Most lyrics describe the emotion. The best ones describe the room it lives in — one object doing the work of a paragraph.

Why the Second Verse Is Where Songs Fall Apart

Most second verses repeat the first from a different angle. A second verse that works advances the situation — here's what that means and how to write it.

How to Finish a Song

Most unfinished songs aren't stuck for lack of inspiration — one section isn't doing its job. Here's how to diagnose which part is broken and fix it.

Chord Progressions Are a Palette, Not a Formula

Stop memorising formulas. Think of a key as a palette, learn what each chord is actually doing, and you can build progressions that serve the song instead of borrowing someone else's.

What the Chorus Is Actually For

Most choruses describe the same feeling the verse already showed. A chorus that works pays off the stakes built before it — here's what that means.

How Melody Carries What Lyrics Can't

Melody makes a second emotional argument alongside the words. Here's what that means for contour, top notes, and why rhythm matters more than pitch.

How to Write a Song

Most first songs fail not because the writer lacks talent, but because they start in the wrong place. Here's what to do first — and in what order.

The Parts of a Song (And What Each One Is Actually For)

Verse, chorus, pre-chorus, bridge — most writers know the names. Here's what each section is actually for, and the specific job it has in making a song move.

What a Bridge Is Actually For

Most bridges are just a break from the chorus. A bridge that works shifts what the final chorus means when it returns — here’s what that requires.

What the Verse Is Actually For

A verse's only job is to build stakes the chorus can pay off. Here's why most verses stay flat — and what to build into them instead.

How to Co-Write a Song

Most co-writing advice is about logistics. Here’s what actually determines whether a session works — and what to do when it isn’t.

What Is a Pre-Chorus? (And How to Write One That Actually Lands)

Most songs don’t fail in the chorus — they fail right before it. Here’s what a pre-chorus actually does, and how to write one that makes the chorus unavoidable.

What Makes a Hook Land

A hook isn’t a clever line — it’s a line that compresses the whole song into one moment. Here’s what that compression actually looks like in practice.

Why Your Lyrics Sound Generic (And How to Fix It)

Most generic lyrics fail the same way: they describe the feeling instead of the scene. Here's how to write lines that feel specific to one person.

What Makes a Song Feel Like a Moment, Not a Loop

Most songs loop well but go nowhere. What separates movement from repetition — and the specific decisions that give a song direction.

Why Most Songs Fail the “Scene Test”

If a listener can't picture where your song is happening, you're writing atmosphere, not story. The scene test reveals whether your lyric earns its feeling.

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