So you heard a song idea in a casual conversation. What next? All songwriters are born with a certain "song antennae" that helps pick out the hooks in everyday conversation. Here are a few exercises to help you record and organize your thoughts in a way that will be beneficial to your songwriting.
1. Write it down, quick! Text yourself your song idea or record it in your phone notes. If you are able to get to a journal or a post it, write it there and keep a running list of options for your next co-write. Even having a text chain back and forth from yourself can prove to be beneficial if you don't always have your journal on you.
2. People-watching! Head to the movies or the mall or your local grocery store and just look around. Pretend you are in a movie scene and pay close attention to the stories happening around you. Pretend you are in these random people's lives and write a story about them to a melody.
3. Watch a movie or a television show. Much like people-watching, putting a face to a muse for a song can sometimes add depth and substance when it once was lacking. Sometimes, trying too hard to write to a commercial motive can clutter the creative standpoint of a song.
4. Call a friend and ask them for a plot. Sometimes, a friend could be going through something they want to vent to you or celebrate about that could be a perfect song. Make sure it is alright by your friend if you run with the prompt and try to summarize their situation in song. Taking yourself out of the point of view of the main character can really elevate a song.
5. Check out social media. There has never been a more prevalent rise of prompt ideas than there are now with social media. Type in a random hashtag and see where it takes you. Or just cruise through celebrity accounts to write stories about what their lives may be like. The possibilities are endless!
Whatever you do, stay organized. Keep your thoughts written out in one place so you have a catalogue of ideas to choose from once you intentionally sit down to write.