Songwriting News: 101 Songwriting Prompts to Channel the Song Gods and Break Writers Block (2024)

Want to keep song concepts flowing all the time?

As creators, we usually have ideas constantly – but what happens when you get stuck?

Writer’s block is not uncommon—there are always times when the ideas aren’t flowing. See my pinned Instagram post on the 4 Seasons of An Artist to see what season you are in. 

To help stimulate song concepts, I put together a list of my FREE 101 songwriting prompts. You can download a copy of them here. 

The thing is—in real life we are taught to hold back our emotions. It makes sense that we might want to hide the anger we’re experiencing, our rage, depression, hurt, grief, fear, or disappointment. These are emotions that tend to be unpopular to share with others. On the other hand, we might even choose to mask our positive feelings such as love, desire, and intimacy, simply because they intimidate us or we’re afraid of the judgment or envy of others. 

But great songwriting is the process of revealing your feelings. If you don’t we can’t feel you. Songwriting is a place to be honest about them. Inquire into what’s beneath them. Listen to what they’re asking of you. Stop fighting them. Stop trying to hide them. Share them. 

What we’ve found over the past several decades of helping artists, bands and musicians become better songwriters and brands, is that besides bettering your craft, figuring out your real voice is the key to songs that make a real impact. It’s something we call Signature SongwritingTM. 

Signature SongwritingTM is the process of writing songs that tell your story or reveal parts and pieces of your life, how you feel, who you are and what you really think. It’s a way of communicating who you are, standing out without holding anything back. It brands you right into your songs. It’s the one thing that all artists who break through have. I teach this method in our Signature Songwriting Circle. 

Here’s the short list: 

• Signature songs reveal the real you, they tell a real story. Real stories are “alive”, they have an energy that makes an impact. 
• Signature songs are distinctive. They reveal your uniqueness and unique story/stories that set you apart. 
• Signature songs are instantly recognizable because they are well crafted but they do not copy other artists, they help you find your sound. 

Examples of Signature Songs: 

• Adele: Someone Like You 
• Adele: Hello 
• Alanis Morrisette: Jagged Little Pill 
• Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror 
• Amy Winehouse: Back to Black 
• Joni Mitchell: River
• Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody
• Maroon 5: She Will Be Loved 
• Marvin Gaye: What’s Goin’ On 
• Sarah McLachlan: In the Arms of the Angel ? 
• Norah Jones: Come Away With Me 
• Nirvana: Come As You Are 
• Cyndi Lauper: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun 
• and many more! 

Want to break writers’ block and get the song God’s speaking to you? Click here to download: FREE 101 Ideas to Inspire Your Next Song— and break through that stubborn writer’s block while you’re at it.