Writing Advice From David Bowie. Kinda.
12 metaphorical tracks from an unreleased vinyl album.
Brian Molko has said the first song he learned on guitar was Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars.’ It made me wonder: what was the first song Bowie learned to play?
Icon and legend that David Bowie became, he was once a kid who had to learn his first song. I discovered that, like most musicians, Bowie learned by playing the music of his favourite artists.
Comparisons between writing books and music may be obvious, but for some reason, people seem better able to relate to music. Look at the “tracks” of this “vinyl album” and think about how it compares to your writing.
Vinyl Album: On Writing
Side 1
1/. Musicians play other people’s music first. Writers emulate other writers while finding their voice.
2/. It takes a long time to learn an instrument, let alone compose your own music.
3/. Music (and writing) need to strike a chord with other human beings.
4/. Musicians spend years in their bedrooms honing their craft before ever sharing it with anyone.
5/. Musicians start their careers in local pubs and clubs, playing songs that will never make it onto their famed albums, sometimes playing to empty rooms.
6/. The ones who made it never stopped playing, never stopped writing, never stopped improving. (But they probably also got lucky at times).
Side 2
7/. The second album is notoriously difficult.
8/. You can’t top the charts every time.
9/. Your skill and craft will improve as you get older. Still, fewer people will listen because they move on to the hot new thing.
10/. This is when many sell out (to stay “relevant” and to keep making money).
11/. Musicians rarely retire.
Bonus Track
12/. The inner artist often decides to release a concept album.
Sound familiar, writers?
You know what you need to do.
No, I don’t mean start with a concept album.
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