Write About Jesus ~ Lessons Learned

Here's the re-cap of my weekend at the Write About Jesus workshop. I feel like I'm writing a movie review, and I want to say just enough to make you want to BE there, but not reveal the plot and conclusion. It has taken me a week to reduce this blog draft to bare bones. I really can't say enough about the Clinicians, but don't want to say too much their classes...I want you to COME if ya can!!!! If you are a songwriter, you just have to put the workshop on your calendar for '09. Third weekend in Oct, I believe.

OK, here goes:

Co-writing Demonstration w/ Joel Lindsey & Twila Labar ~ Thursday pm Would the deer-in-the-headlights look ever leave my face? I was truly astounded by the way Joel and Twila hammered out lyric, genre, mood (major/minor stuff), melody, beat, and even to bridge or not to bridge (Twila sure is a rhythm-girl ~ wish I had that!!!)...all as if there was no one else in the room! Truly a fly-on-the-wall experience, and it was an excellent challenge. As of that night, I had only co-written "live" with one person, Glenn Green. I'm happy to say that it was a great write. Our song will be on his cd, released sometime next yr. Watching Joel & Twila gave me tools for future opportunities. (update: The next day at WAJ I was able to sit down and work on a song Mike Mitcham & I had started online. The next week, God opened the door for me to work on songs with a friend in our church. Great stuff happening! Yay, God!!!)

Recognizing Genres w/ Joel Lindsey & Holly Zabka ~ It was a joy to be in Joel's class again...and Holly also knows what she's talking about! Main points were to do your research so you'll know your target, your audience, and your artist. They discussed the difference between Southern Gospel, Inspirational, Praise & Worship, Adult Contemporary/Christian Hit Radio, Pop, Rock, and Choral Anthems. They encouraged us to write each song toward a specific genre, instead of being "genre-less." Makes sense to me! IMHO, the words themselves tell the genre. Sometimes you can write backwards. Sometimes it's more poetic. Others, you want to say something without saying it. Hanging with Holly & Joel made me wanna WRITE! Mission accomplished!!!

Crafting Great Lyrics w/ Dave Clark ~ Dave Clark. I was told I HAD to go to a Dave Clark class, and I'm so very thankful I listened to that counsel!!! Did Dave address lyrics? Did he even mention songwriting? All I can remember is the Spirit of the Lord was in that place, and He was carving "love Me more" on my heart. I did take notes. Lots of notes. I wouldn't have remembered the teaching if it weren't for my trusty notebook! Some lines from Dave's talk: *Songs are SEEDS falling on different kinds of soil. Some Hard ground. Emotional ground. Healthy ground, etc. *Be transparent, but don't flaunt it. *Always write as simple as possible, but never simpler. *To be a better writer, you need to be a better listener (to God) AMEN!!! Gets ya to thinking, no?

Knowing Your Gifts and Limitations w/ Mark Roach ~ I have followed Mark's music ministry on myspace for a year or so. He is an amazing writer, and has so much to offer. Mark meets you right where you are. He pointed out his own weaknesses in writing, and how he had to learn to not focus on improving on those weaknesses. Instead, he works on strengthening his strengths. This was great for me to hear, as I find myself drawn into the desire to sing and dance. Just kidding. The desire is to sing and play the piano. But if I can zoom in on writing lyrics, the Body of Christ stretches and grows, drawing in other writers and artists to complete the song. Maybe we'll shine clearer and brighter if we're walking in humility before the Lord, saying "I need help with this." I appreciate Mark's transparency (and I'm disappointed that he didn't share a song with us in that class...oh well, maybe next yr!!)

Writing for the Country Market w/ Don Poythress (and Chad Cates, yeah!) ~ OK, of all the classes, this is the one where I walked away speechless. Don & Chad taught as they passed the guitar back and forth. I felt like I was in my parents' front porch. Things they said pierced my innermost parts. I didn't expect to be challenged spiritually in that class, but I was. Tremendously. But it's not because of the things they said. It was their meekness. Here are 2 successful writers, just sitting around like brothers, spontaneously giving examples of country songs that could prove their points. And they weren't "their" songs. That was cool, to see how they admire other ppl's work. Oh, and one thing Don said that I hope I keep tucked away in my heart forever: Write from the heart, from a real place. Oh, and another: Country music doesn't TELL you how to feel; it MAKES you feel. It was all great. Don & Chad's class made me wanna write with depth. Dig deeper with words. I'm loving that!

Out of the Box and Off the Wall: Writing for Kids w/ Johnathan Crumpton, Gina Boe & Sue Smith ~ I NEEDED this class. You'd think I'd know all about writing for kids, since I've been surrounded by little ones since I was a little one myself! But it was awesome to pull away and learn the nitty gritty, such as the structure of kids' musicals. They say that kids' music is an area where songwriters need to write within the box. Keep it real. Keep it simple. Hm. Some of my grown-up music might work better as kids' songs. Hmmmm.

Writing on Assignment for Your Church w/ Gina Boe, Sue Christensen & Lisa Qualsett ~ Curiosity kills the cat, right? I attended this just to see how the process works. I love Gina, Sue & Lisa, and wanted to find out how they do what they do. I don't know that I'll ever have the opportunity to write toward specific church goals, but I'm willing! For my church or yours. hahaha. That reminds me of a Kelly Willard song from the '80's. I remember singing it at a youth camp talent show. Little did I know that it would come back to haunt me for many years. Little did I know it would be my crutch, helping me realize I needed to ask the Lord to give me a willing heart, in many areas of my life.

Willing Heart, by Kelly Willard
If you don't have a willing heart,
ask Him to give you one
If you can't seem to make a start,
trust in His power
For the Lord of love is watching you
He sees what you're going thru
And He will make a way if you want Him to
Oh, do you want Him to?
Then tell Him so. He wants to know.
Go on and tell Him so.

Whehehehew. that's good stuff!!!

Being Your Own Publisher w/ Twila Labar ~ To publish or not to publish. I've been asking myself for 3 yrs. My greatest hesitation is that I find it hard to promote my own material. When Twila started teaching, I wondered, "Why am I even in here? I don't want think I could be my own publisher. I don't want to be perceived as pushy." But I knew I wanted to learn how, so I could make an educated decision.

Was I ever surprised and delighted to hear Twila's story! The Father revealed some of His plan for me that afternoon. As she talked about building bridges, I realized I never set out to build bridges, but the Lord established that in my life. It's not because of anything I've done. It's His work. And the acceptance of other writers and artists. I can't explain why God shows favor in those ways, but I'm fovever grateful. As people have cared for me, taking me under their wings, I also want to continue to draw in the writers who are just beginning. I find that so refreshing. I'm not equipped to train, but I love walking hand-in-hand with those who are just beginning to explore writing about Jesus. I love that about God!!!

Twila gave helpful tips for Independent writers, and where to find more online. Her personal walk really ministered to me, except when she talked about goals from early on in her songwriting career. I've been writing almost 4 years now, and have never set goals. Don't get me wrong, I have little goals, like, writing every day. I do that. But bigger...that's the hard part. I tried it that evening. Goals like that don't feel right to me. They seem lofty, unattainable. I gave them to God...might re-visit them someday!!!

To top off the weekend,
a group of artists performed at
The Crooked Tree Coffeehouse.
Great people, great music.
SWEET TIMES!!!!

l-r Allie & Nick LaPointe, Benton Stokes, Sean Smith, Chris Filer