Writing tips
Writers work in a range of different fields beyond writing stories. Have you ever thought about writing a song or a script? Well, read on because the following writers have been kind enough to let us in on their writing secrets: how they overcome writers’ block, where they get their inspiration from and how they got to where they are.
Kate Miller-Heidke (singer/songwriter)
Roz Pappalardo (singer/songwriter)
Helen Wentland (script writer)
Kate Miller-Heidke (singer/songwriter)
Kate Miller-Heidke is a singer/songwriter from Brisbane who was nominated for four ARIA awards, including best female artist.
Kate Miller-Heidke's tips for writing songs:
- Lose yourself in the song. Don't think about the finished product, or performing it.
- If you're stuck, crank some great music and do a silly dance around the house. It helps.
- A great songwriter by the name of Kristina Olsen once told me, '"Writing songs is like a packet of Lifesavers. Every one knows the red ones are the best, but sometimes you have to get a green and a yellow before you get to the red". So if you write a terrible song, don't despair! The next one could be great.
- It's good to occupy your body with repetitive tasks so your creative side can really take flight. I like to make up tunes while I'm washing dishes, or driving, or walking to the train station. It loosens me up somehow. I also like to sing in the bath.
- I like to make myself a cup of tea before I sit down at the piano.
- Sometimes it's good to have the radio or TV quietly in the background. That way, if you run out of ideas, you can just listen and maybe something being said will trigger a new idea.
- Most importantly, have fun! If you're not enjoying it, chances are it's not a good song. Move on to the next one.
To learn more about Kate visit her website.
Clarence C (hip-hop artist)
Here are some great tips on how to write hip-hop lyrics, by Clarence C from ‘Elements Hip-Hop Workshops’.
Hip-hop lyrics
There are no rules to writing hip-hop lyrics, but here are a few tips to get you started.
- It is often good to listen to an instrumental that you would like to rap over as you write your lyrics. Raps that are written over slow instrumentals often sound really cool and heaps more technical when you rap them over a different beat that is slightly faster.
- A typical hip-hop verse is 16 bars long. Each bar represents a count of 4 beats (1, 2, 3, 4) and often is represented by one line of rap on the page.
For example, an 8 bar rap might look something like this:
My name is Clarence and I kick the mad raps
While all the other rappers are a bunch of sad sacks
They make bad tracks but my flavours are delicious
Lyrically and spiritually I school 'em like fishes
I'm vicious like Sid and I'm rotten like Johnny
I don't make much money so my car is bomby
Can't stop me, like the cable's cut on my brakes
Kickin truth on a beat from the dustiest crates
The above verse relies heavily on two rhyming tricks that can help you make your raps flow better, and sound more interesting.
The first trick is transitions. A typical poem, or nursery rhyme, will follow a simple rhyming structure.
------------------------------------ A
------------------------------------ A
------------------------------------ B
------------------------------------ B
or
My name is Clarence and I kick the mad RAPS
While all the other rappers are a bunch of sad SACKS
They make bad tracks but my flavours are DELICIOUS
Lyrically and spiritually I school 'em like FISHES
To make a rap ‘flow better’, try inserting a third rhyme halfway along the third line.
------------------------------------ A
------------------------------------ A
----------------A------------------ B
------------------------------------ B
or
My name is Clarence and I kick the mad RAPS
While all the other rappers are a bunch of sad SACKS
They make bad TRACKS but my flavours are DELICIOUS
Lyrically and spiritually I school 'em like FISHES
This technique can sound good when repeated throughout the verse in the following structure:
------------------------------------ A
------------------------------------ A
----------------A------------------ B
------------------------------------ B
----------------B------------------ C
------------------------------------ C
----------------C------------------ D
------------------------------------ D
etc
The second technique is 'Multi's' or multi syllable rhyming.
Instead of just rhyming the single syllable words 'raps', 'sacks' and 'tracks', this verse often includes an extra syllable in the rhymes, and the rhymes become two syllables - 'mad raps', 'sad sacks', 'bad tracks'. Or the four syllable near-rhyme of 'cut on my brakes' and 'dustiest crates'.
The verse below has the Multi's and Transitions in capital letters for your reference.
My name is Clarence and I kick the MAD RAPS
While all the other rappers are a bunch of SAD SACKS
They make BAD TRACKS but my flavours are DELICIOUS
Lyrically and spiritually I school 'em like FISHES
I'm VICIOUS like Sid and I'm rotten like JOHNNY
I don't make much money so my car is BOMBY
Can't STOP ME, like the cable's CUT ON MY BRAKES
Kickin truth on a beat from the DUSTIEST CRATES
You can also try expanding your rappers vocab with an Online Thesaurus or Rhyming Dictionary.
For more info and some further examples please check out ‘Elements Hip-Hop Workshops’ myspace.
Roz Pappalardo (singer/songwriter)
Roz Pappalardo, from 'women in docs', a Queensland acoustic duo, answers a few questions about song writing.
How did you get to where you are today? Did you study music?
I studied piano for about 3 years, but I have never formally studied singing, except for one year in my early 20's. I've been singing for as long as I can remember. Really my singing is all self-taught as is my guitar playing. I think the thing that has made ‘women in docs’ successful is the fact that we are very determined and force ourselves to be business people, even though it doesn't really come naturally to us. ‘women in docs’ are self managed and independent, which means we do all the business, promotion, strategic development as well as have all the fun like touring, playing, writing and recording.
What is your process when writing a song?
I usually start off with an idea that I've heard (e.g., a phrase, a comment, a news story, something I've read) or melodic line that I've conjured while I drive something like 100k's a day. Then I sit down with a piece of paper and I brainstorm all the ideas that I can think of that may or may not relate to the idea that I've had. I then get my guitar and see if any of the phrases / words that I’ve written down during my brainstorm inspires a melodic line - which I can then turn into a chorus. I usually always start my songs with a chorus.
Sometimes the song takes an hour; sometimes it doesn't get finished for a few months.
Do you write for all the instruments as well as the lyrics?
I write for the acoustic guitar and lately I've been getting inspired for lines for our violinist or keyboardist. Usually, I go to the band with the bare bones of the song and then the individual musicians come up with extra musical instrumentation. We live with the arrangement for a while - see how it comes up live and usually it creates its own path.
How do you overcome writer's block?
I usually force myself to write through it - I find that doing the brainstorm thing really helps with writer’s block as it allows me to write anything on paper and I can't be judgemental because you can never judge what comes out in a brainstorm.
Do you ever write songs about real people? And if so have they recognised themselves in your songs? How did they react?
Yes I do. And yes, people have recognised themselves in the song, which can work negatively or positively for you. But in reality I like to have a little poetic license with any song that I write.
What do you think makes a good song?
A good chorus and an honest and emotive vocal line.
What is the best or worst advice you have ever received about song writing or life?
Suzi de Marchi, from the then 'Baby Animals', once said to me, 'Don't ever let anyone say you can't do it.' She rocked the house!
For more information on Roz check out 'women in docs' website.
Helen Wentland (script writer)
Helen Wentland is a Queensland scriptwriter who worked on 'FARMkids'.
How did you get into script writing? Did you study it?
Getting into script writing seemed to be a natural progression from my writing career in advertising, journalism and public relations. I’ve always loved movies and good television, and I was looking for a new challenge. No, I didn’t study script writing at university, but I’ve done dozens of courses with the Australian Writers’ Guild and the Australian Film Television & Radio School, and of course read dozens of text books. But like anything else, you learn more by ‘doing.’ And doing and doing! If you’re a writer, you just have to write – lots!
What was the first script you wrote that was produced?
Apart from TV commercials, I’d have to say it was an episode of a soap called ‘Pacific Drive.’ And what great training! Sitting in the ‘writers’ room’ with the story producer (the person who knows what story material has to be covered in a particular episode), a script editor and a couple of other writers tossing ideas around – and knowing you have to come up with 22 ‘beats’ (scenes) and work around commercial breaks – and map out five half-hour episodes in two days – it sure gets the blood flowing!
What is the process for writing a movie and where do you fit into the process?
There are two ways movies are written. One is where the writer has the idea and sits down and writes the script and then tries to find a producer who likes the script well enough to find the finances to make it. The other way is when a producer (or a director) has an idea for a movie and hires the writer to write the script. Either way, the first draft is just the starting point, and the producer, director, and even the actors when they’re cast will have input. It’s a long and collaborative process and the writer has to walk a fine line between being flexible enough to accommodate production problems (e.g. the producer can’t afford to shoot that opening scene you wrote featuring three armed helicopters in air-to-air combat around the Glasshouse Mountains) and fighting for something intrinsically important to the script.
How do you overcome writer's block?
A walk in the fresh air helps a lot. Even working in a different part of the house instead of at my desk can help. Writer’s block is usually caused (for me anyway) by not having worked out the story. I might have been so keen to get stuck into writing the script I didn’t spend enough time writing a treatment (the story of the movie in prose form) to make sure the story actually worked.
Do you find it easier or more difficult to write certain characters? And if so which ones and why?
I love writing comedy – tough as it is – and I love writing flawed characters - characters who are pompous, or nervous, or jealous or whatever. If they have a flaw it makes them easier to write. The hardest character to write is often the ‘hero’ who in too many movies is Mr Perfect. Boring!
What does an average working day include for you?
I work at home and try to get to my desk around 8.30am. I try not to read what I've written so far (it's a great way to waste a morning), but just plunge on from where I finished off yesterday. If I have an assignment (e.g. an episode of 'FARMKids' ), the day will more than likely involve getting email notes from the producers giving me suggestions to include in the next draft of the script. I break for lunch and take care of household chores like bill paying and so on, then go back to work until around 5.00 or 5.30. If I'm struggling to meet a deadline, I stay at the desk for as long as it takes – no matter what. If you're going to work as a writer you have to treat it like a job and be professional about it. Scripts don't write themselves (rats!).
What is the best or worst advice you have ever received about writing or life?
The best advice I ever received about writing was: Make sure there's enough story. The best advice I ever received about life was: Don't sweat the small stuff.
What do you think a scriptwriter needs to be successful?
Tenacity.
What do you think a script needs to be successful?
A good story with characters you care about – love 'em or loathe 'em – and energy in the writing. Energy is everything. If you're feeling energetic and enthusiastic - that excitement flows onto the screen/page. The trick is to be in that energetic frame of mind when you sit down at the computer every morning.
