To create with no goal, no clear or even blurry idea of what you’re after, no way of telling whether you’ve succeeded or failed is a hopeless, thankless, and possibly even meaningless task.
The above is from a post that Jeff Shattuck wrote for Songwriting Scene: A Songwriting Tip Straight From Mad Men. Jeff has worked for nearly 20 years in the advertising business, where they routinely use a tool called the creative brief.
A brief is a one page document that tells the creative team (copywriter, art director) what exactly they need to create, why and for whom. The most important part of the brief is the Key Message, the one thing that the ad campaign needs to communicate…
With a good, clear Key Message, the creative team can focus all their energy on how to say something, as apposed to having to split their brains between what to say and how best to say it.
This is a great idea, and I’ve worked this way for months now–though with an additional step. After deciding what the song’s about, I outline its sections. For example:
- Verse one might set the scene and introduce the problem.
- The chorus might then comment on the situation or connect to the central idea that runs through the song.
- Verse two might ramp up the conflict.
- The bridge might contain the climactic, pivotal moment…
- Then the chorus takes us out.
The chorus is even more powerful if it connects to the core theme of the song—because the extra verse and bridge have tinted it with additional meaning.
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That’s kind of what I’ve been doing too – I got it from Jason Blume’s book. And I really hit a road block every time I don’t!
You example above is a bit vague. Give us a real life example earthed in a real song eg
v1 – boy meets girl
v2 – boy meets semi truck grill
ch – I’m going places but I feel kinda flat…
Hmmm… you’re right.
I’m on it!