💡✍️ADN #073: Create a hook book for songwriting

Hey Friends -

Last week, we discussed The Creativity Faucet.

You can re-read last week’s newsletter here if you want to refresh.

Today, I’m sharing how to create a Hook Book so you always have something to write your next song about.

Let’s go — ->

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Open your iPhone Notes app, Google Sheets, or an analog journal and create a “hook book” file.

(You can call it whatever you want.)

This is simply a place for every unfinished idea you have.

Get them out of your brain and onto a page.

I have random words, titles, lyric ideas, half-written verses, choruses, photos that inspire me, and more in my hook book.

Creating a ‘hook book” is like having a self-curated cheat sheet for songwriting.

When you have some quiet time, 5 minutes or 5 hours, you can look at your hook book and see what inspires you.

I’ve found that something may not resonate with me one day, but a week later, the same idea feels essential to explore.

The point is constantly collecting ideas even if you don’t have time to write them immediately.

Doing so will give you endless ammo for your next co-writing session or the next time you want to write but don’t know what to write about.

All you have to do is open your hook book and find a jumping-off point.

Some great places to find song inspiration for your Hook Book:

• Book stores
• Movies
• Conversations
• Bumper Stickers
• Graffiti
• Pinterest
• Poetry
• Photo Albums

I created a simple Google Sheet for you to try.

Click “File” and select “Make Copy.”

It is yours!

See you next Sunday!

Neil Mason

Artist Development

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