In an exclusive interview at The Wrap, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne did an interview that contained some gems of interest to other kinds of writers, too.
One point: “I’ve learned how to present what I do well and keep out of sight -- for the most part -- the stuff that isn’t ready. Don’t show 'em what you can’t do; show 'em what you can do.” Good advice for anyone: lead with your strengths, don't mention your weaknesses. For instance, I've seen more than one query letter to an agent or publisher that said, "I haven't had much work published so far..."
He said that a long time ago he changed the way he worked. Instead of finishing a song and then taking it into the studio to record it just that way, he lets the playing of it help him finish it or change it: “I don’t really want the song to be finished before I go in. The last time I tried to finish a song and then take it into the studio -- it was probably about 10 years ago -- I was writing songs in Spain and came back. And right away, as soon as I started playing with my band I thought: “Oh, no! I don’t want to hear that in this order.”
For the writer, especially the screenwriter, that could mean getting some actors to read the work in progress and being open minded enough to let that process possibly suggest other directions in which to take it.
Another comment he made that I think will resonate with writers in general is, “Songwriting is a way of excavating your understanding. It’s one way of talking about what matters, and eventually you can see what it is that’s coming up…Sometimes there are people in life that you write more than one song about, or for that matter you might write a song 10 years later and not realize who it was for and then you realize: “Oh, I’m still talking about that. I’m still talking to that thing.”
That’s one reason why I disagree with the writing books and teachers that say you have to know your premise or theme upfront. It may be that writing a story or a script if the best way you have to process something at the time; perhaps it’s too early to give it a name and maybe if you do give it a name you will no longer feel compelled to write it.
Hmm, time to put on some Jackson Browne tunes…
(You can get writing advice from the greats like Dickens, Twain, Austen and modern masters as well—all in my latest book, Your Creative Writing Masterclass, published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or you other favorite book seller.)
