A lyric is what we sing. It is the words to a song. In contemporary song lyrics, we sing what we feel, preferably, in a way that hasn’t been said before. Your job as you write song lyrics is to tell us something new – something only you can tell us because nobody but you is you.

Insider Secrets to Hit Songwriting in the Digital Age is Molly’s 8th book on songwriting and is now available from Simon & Schuster, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BAM!, Bookshop, IndieBound & more.

Everybody’s different. Some tunesmiths start with the rhythm they tap on their steering wheels while stuck in nasty traffic. Others overhear somebody say something that makes them dive for a pencil or an app to write that idea down.

A melody is a series of single notes with rhythm. It’s what you sing in the shower. It’s what you whistle and hum it. But it’s not a chord progression. There are lots of developing songwriters who prefer writing chord progressions first, then digging for the melody later.

A melody is a series of single notes with rhythm. It’s what you sing in the shower. It’s what you whistle and hum it. But it’s not a chord progression. There are lots of developing songwriters who prefer writing chord progressions first, then digging for the melody later.

It’s important for every song in any genre to have good song structure. Most songs have a very simple structure with three main sections…

When writers and artists send us their songs/CD’s/Mp3’s for consultation, we are happy to accept them if they have the following information at the bottom of each lyric...

I don’t care what the naysayers in your life may think. You are talented and have a special contribution to make. We are all richer for your being here, sharing your gifts with us. Something important would be missing without you.

Too many very, very talented lyricists introduce themselves to me, and to everybody else on the planet, by saying “I’m just a lyricist.”