It’s that time of year again – we’re coming up to February. If you haven’t tried it yet, I urge you to have a go at February Album Writing Month, or Fawm.
What’s that?
The Fawm challenge is to write 14 songs during the month of February, and (if you want to) post your lyrics and recordings on the Fawm website.
Fawm.org also allows you to hear what other people have been writing, and the forums and comments are an amazingly constructive and encouraging experience.
In short, Fawm does wonders for your songwriting, whether you manage to complete all 14 songs or not.
It’s a challenge, but it’s great fun!
Still need convincing?
I asked some of the people I’ve met through Fawm.org to shed some light on the experience.
Erik Didriksen says ‘February is otherwise a dreary, dreary month — it’s frigid and snowy out, and baseball season is still two months away.’
(I’m a little bemused by this – as an Englishman I know that baseball is really called ’rounders’ and only played by school girls. I don’t see how this might interest Erik.)
More seriously, for Erik the forums have allowed him to meet other songwriters:
‘I have a little group of friends that I’ve made who are fantastic people, and are tremendous sources of support and inspiration. It’s really neat, because it works cyclically — I get to offer them my two cents, and they offer me theirs, and we all improve and get inspired together.’
I’ve had a similar experience – the supportive comments from people I’ve never met who’ve liked my songs, and the inspiration of having a deadline to meet, have done wonders for my songwriting abilities.
What if I fail?
You won’t. Fawm isn’t monitored or marked – it’s up to you how you measure success. I’d say getting even one song written that you otherwise would not is a major success.
If you’re still unsure, here’s a great list of tips to help you out over the month of February, courtesy of Evin Wolverton. (I also heartily recommend Evin’s podcast ‘Colors of the Ghost‘. Even if he can’t spell ‘colours’)
Hide a pen in the pocket of every jacket you own.
Keep inscribables on your person at all times.
Get a portable voice recorder and aggressively befriend it.
Find a quiet or private space to call your own.
Gather each unused title, tailless phrase, and rickety stanza from your mental attic, and take inventory.
Sweep every melody from under the bed and suck it onto tape.
Keep these things safe and organized.
Get silent, get still.
Notice all the things that task your attention:
Turn off all screens and speakers.
Find a phone that won’t ring.
Turn off the lights.
Acknowledge that part of you is thinking ‘I can’t,’ and turn that off too.
Look through your lists, your thoughts, and your fingers to find an idea that wants more.
Follow it all the way down.
Wake without the radio.
Walk without the walkman.
Underindulge, overinterpret, and break the pattern of numb routine.
Start conversations, overhear conversations.
Get lost in your home town.
Eat foods you don’t recognize.
Ask the questions you’ve kept hidden.
And no matter how incongruous or repetitive your instincts seem,
When they call, answer.
Related posts:
Baseball is for schoolgirls? Tell that to Kyle Farnsworth, or Bill James — depending on whether you want a physical or an intellectually stimulating rebuttal. Choose wisely.
I dig the various tips otherwise, and will be sure to adhere to a great many of them over the course of February.
Yup, baseball is for schoolgirls. Also, you’re not supposed to where helmets and pads when playing rugby.
Seriously, I am looking forward to this year’s Fawm immensely.