Diving into a co-writing session is a great way of expanding your creative horizon.
Apart from shaping important aspects of your overall craft, collaborative writing also nourishes various soft skills. These are absolutely vital in the musical field: Flexibility, empathy, respect, patience, communication.
To shed some light on how to get the most out of your co-writing session, we gathered a few pointers. These might be things that you are already doing, maybe a few that are completely new to you. In either way it makes sense to keep them in mind when embarking upon a shared experience like this.
Let’s start with…
Release the inner pressure cooker
Even if you’re working in a competitive manner, be it at a publishing camp or something similar, try to release the inner pressure cooker.
There’s no use stressing the necessity of an outcome of a session.
The more let go and embrace the liquidity of the process, the easier things will fly at you.
You can also communicate that with your partner – underline the concepts of fun exchange, and experimental production. But more about that later.
Complementary craft
Finding a co-writing partner that adds complementary value to the creative process is a huge advantage.
If you’re a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but refrain from digging into production tools – find a tracker who does.
The whole idea of co-writing is engaging in creative synergy.
Be aware of complementary skill sets and importantly: Be straight up about your own strengths and weaknesses. This will help you out a LOT when trying to figure out whom to partner up with.
Work on partnerships
The music isn’t the only thing you have to work on.
Building and maintaining solid creative partnerships is key to long-lasting co-writing relationships.
Also building up to that – ask trusted individuals in your network if they have suggestions for co-writers. People that know you will have a feeling for a good match.
Alternatively, you can hit up local producers and musicians via Soundcloud, although that will need patience from your side. Writing together can be an intimate, playful process and not everyone is up to that.
Create a lab
Think of your co-writing space as a laboratory.
It’s all about experimentation, trial and error.
Judgment has no place in this special sphere. It should be left on the outside.
Set up a common ground of dynamic interaction.
Great ideas can be volatile. One moment they’re here, the next they’re gone.
But that’s only a bad thing if the process is static and unflexible.
By thinking of your co-writing space as a lab area, you embrace the possibility of nothingness.
Having no outcome at all. Spending hours without a clear, sonic picture.
But that’s the mode of acceptance you want to get at. As soon as things get too heavy everyone in process has something to lose. Try to refrain from that mindset by embracing neutrality towards creative output.
0 be the first one to show some appreciation for this!