As a tunesmith who didn’t sing, I was anonymous to the people who recorded my work and misspelled my surname on their CD’s.

Maya Angelou
Poet, singer, author, mentor, songwriter. When she was afraid, she sang.

While I was taking my walk along the ocean early this morning, someone on NPR recited this poem. It’s too perfect not to share with you.

The power players in the music business are acutely aware that Molly knows the best new, lyricists, unsigned bands, writers/artists everywhere, and constantly seek her out for referrals.

It’s rare for me to write a song on Tuesday and not want to tweak it several times that night, on Wednesday, Wednesday afternoon, night, Thursday and even throughout the following week.  Therefore, I always schedule my recording sessions far enough ahead so I allow revision time.  

When collaborating, there aren’t just two of you in the room.  There’s a third energy present. Writer A suggest a melody line, writer B tweaks it a little, and they settle on Melody C.  It’s not a contest to see who writes the biggest chunk.  As professional songwriters, we always try to go what’s best for the song, not our egos. 

These days, when new country acts need material, they start start with a producer, who cuts a track.  No melody.  No words.  Just the track.  Someone else, usually a person who hops on the band bus, writes the “top lines”, which consist of the melody and words.

The creative process is different for everyone who ever uses his/her imagination, with or without a partner or writing/production team. But it NEVER – EVER, EVER, comes out whole and perfect on the first try.

For the first half of my life, I thought being exquisitely sensitive was wrong. Other people hoped I'd get over it, so I could be like them. But for the second half of my life, I've realized that the best part of me is my sensitivity, and without it, I'm just another pretty, witty face with a bad back.