Prepping For A Song Co-Write

Co-Writing Expectations and Encouragements

(1) Make contact with the rest of the team before the writing session. Identify someone to host the session and help guide the group through creative roadblocks and challenges that may emerge along the way.

(2) Decide in advance whether you are going to track the session. If so, determine who is bringing what gear. If you choose to record while writing, please ensure that the technology remains a servant and not the master. If the recording process begins to slow the session down, be prepared to abandon it and finish the write the old-fashioned way.

(3) If possible, have someone prepared to capture iPhone video of the writing session, as well as a performance of the song at the end of the day.

(4) Bring your instrument and some means of recording ideas, even if it is only your iPhone and a voice memo app.

(5) Come to the session with one or two unfinished song ideas. A small spark is often all that is needed to start a meaningful write.

(6) If you are unable to prepare, or if current circumstances make it difficult for you to participate boldly and confidently, please consider excusing yourself from the session with enough notice for the others to make alternate plans. Co-writing works best when everyone arrives ready to contribute.

(7) Come with a generous spirit. Come as a listener. Come with eyes in the back of your head.

Be careful not to dominate the session. Avoid language that shuts ideas down prematurely. Rather than saying, “I don’t like that” or “No,” try exploring what might make an idea stronger.

Treat other people’s ideas with the same care you would hope they would show yours.

Also, do not assume that every song must be completed before you leave the room. Sometimes a writing session produces multiple promising ideas that can be developed later.

(8) If you are carrying something heavy—whether sadness, frustration, anxiety, or discouragement—please let the group know. Sometimes the best thing a team can do is encourage one another, pray together, or adjust expectations for the day.

(9) If you are writing with people you do not know well, do not assume they share your experience, background, vocabulary, or understanding. Be sensitive. Be curious. Avoid being presumptuous or overpowering.

(10) With regard to lyrics, embrace the possibility that the lyric may not be finished during the initial session.

Great lyrics often require time. Be willing to live with a song for weeks or months in pursuit of the best possible lyric. The pursuit of excellence can occasionally create creative tension or relational awkwardness. This is normal. It is part of the process of writing something that lasts.

Please read our encouragement to writers regarding lyrical integrity.

(11) Record a demo or voice memo of the song at the end of the session, regardless of its level of completion.

If you are writing for a label, project, organization, or ministry, timely demos matter. Organizations cannot effectively build projects around songs that are never delivered. Consistently providing demos and supporting materials is part of being a dependable collaborator.

When submitting your demo, please also include any photos or videos captured during the writing process.

(12) Please read our blog on the business realities of co-writing.

Malcolm du Plessis