SAME WORDS, NEW STORY
Brainstorm 20 classic “holiday” words or phrases that evoke the spirit of the season (i.e. snow, white, bells, tree, etc.). Select ten of these commonly-used words and create the next fresh, seasonal hit! In a similar fashion, brainstorm 20 words having to do with the concept of “home.” Use a combination of those words or phrases to write a song pertaining to this theme. Think outside of the box to express this common emotion in a new way!
TITLE REWRITE
Think of an interesting title of a hit song that you like. Reimagine what the song could be about and write it completely differently, using only the title in your new version.
SYNONYMS
Open a novel to any page and select the first noun on the page. In one minute, list as many synonyms for that word you can think of. Say your chosen word is “job.” Your list could be: occupation, career, livelihood, task, responsibility, trade, gig, con, swindle. You can see this list starts with words more traditionally associated with the word “job,” and slowly becomes more informal, to even the more sinister and slang meaning of “job.” This is a terrific way to flex your brain and practice finding more unique words that will hopefully find their way into your songwriting as well!