For the past year, I've been keeping a talley of where the best songs come from. Hands down, the quality of the writing by the non-singing songwriter is far superior to the material written by singers.

I thought you would enjoy the tale.

A few years ago, I had some free time, and wanted to give something back to the community that had nothing to do with music. I was introduced to a very shy, robust, young woman named Svetlana Barkash, who had just arrived from Latvia with her husband and two young daughters.

Choosing just the right music for your wedding is as important as the love, the ring, and the dress, so it deserves as much care and attention. In the most memorable and beautiful nuptials, no matter how large or intimate, the music has an actual personality that compliments the theme, tone and setting of your event.

My writing partners are talented people just like you who usually have part of a song but need help finishing it. Maybe you’ve written a first verse but are stuck there. I start with what you have and take it the rest of the way.

There is no songwriter I ever met who didn't have trouble with a bridge now and then. And there is no songwriter among my clients who doesn't try to negotiate his/her way out of writing a bridge every time out.

I get at least ten telephone calls a day, plus an equal amount of e-mail, from writer/artists who have problems with collaborators. I'd like to give you my take on how to handle this in the most constructive, professional way.

To write stronger, memorable, singalongable tunes, here’s the process I use. It has worked for 92% of my clients. The 8% who didn’t have success, just plain didn’t do it.

I've written poems and I've written lyrics. I've learned if you can do one, you can usually do the other. As a poet, I've enjoyed the pure creative process, and the occasional publication of my work.