“Having a deadline sharpens you”
—Robin Gibb
Achieving success as a songwriter is about being highly focused and productive as well as having the necessary talent and ability to craft hit songs. That means giving yourself clear objectives—and sticking to them.
For example, try setting yourself monthly, weekly or daily songwriting targets— such as ‘finish four new songs this month’ … ‘complete one verse every day’ … or ‘write a song this week using a chord I haven’t tried before’. Write these goals down and pin them up in your writing room as a reminder of what you’re trying to achieve.
The feeling of knowing that you’ve hit your target is a great motivator. But make sure your goals are achievable.
In an interview with Music Week magazine, the Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb emphasized the benefits of working to a deadline: “I know a lot of people don’t like pressure, but it works,” he said. “If you’ve only got a certain amount of time to write some- thing, you will come up with it. And it’s amazing how you focus and get inspired if you know there is a limited amount of time.”
He pointed out that the Bee Gees were given a very tight deadline when they were asked to write the music for Saturday Night Fever. “We ended up writing ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, ‘Night Fever’, ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and ‘If I Can’t Have You’ all in one week,” he said.
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