FILL THE WELL with ALVA LEIGH — part one

In this series, I ask other songwriters about their quest for inspiration and how they tackle the day-to-day tasks of writing quality, engaging songs. Behind every good song is a hard-worker. I want to know how songwriters work and how they fill their well so it never goes dry.

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photo by bradley spitzer

Today I do the answering… I’ve been pursuing music full time for six months now. That means no school, no desk job, no excuses! I’ve written a song a week in 2013 and am gearing up to record my third album in May. Here’s what I do to keep my wheels spinnin’… 

1. What is your typical work day? 

I am an early riser – most of my best ideas come to me before noon, so I keep the mornings loose for writing. Will  usually makes us breakfast – bacon & eggs or a scramble with leftovers. I try to free write before 8am then move to the piano after Will leaves for the library around 9. Then I break for lunch and spend the afternoon doing other things – recording demos, reading, cooking, answering emails, directed leisure, working on the blog. In the late afternoon, I go to the gym, come home and cook dinner. Two or three nights a week Will & I work for a few more hours but usually I like an 8-5 schedule. In the evenings, I’ll meet friends for drinks, go to a show, catch up on American TV or go to bed early!

If I can be focused for those 4 hours a day, I have no doubt I will meet my writing goal for the week. But I have to be organized and committed to sitting my ass in that chair. When I stare at the piano for 8 hours a day, I explode from all the pressure. Like a painter looks at their work from different angles across the room, I have to take breaks to think about how the sections of the song and the story of the lyric fits together. You gotta let the paint dry a bit before you slap another layer on.

2. What tools do you use to keep you organized and productive? 

Evernote for lyric writing and fleshing out ideas; Google for email, calendar, word processing; Firetask for to-do lists; Seashore for blog posts and design.

I write on a rented upright piano and record demos with a Babyface preamp & sE 2200 mic on Garageband. I would also like to credit my octopus pajamas (that I won in a blog giveaway!) – they keep me very productive.

my workspace

3. Do you have any habits, exercises or activities that jumpstart your creativity?

Staying mentally engaged with a steady diet of nonfiction, fiction and poetry. Free writing for 10 minutes in the morning. Writing the narrative and setting the scene for the story behind the song. Taking notes. Talking out the song idea before I sit down to write the lyric.

4. Are there any specific (or favorite) books, films, lectures, etc. that continue to inspire you?

I love reading about how writers build the lens with which they view their stories. It like to see how the shadows & light of their own lives bleed into these perfectly formed pictures they are trying to create. The introductory essay from Eudora Welty’s One Time, One Place has stayed with me – more on this soon.

Mark Duplass’ interview on WTF Podcast with Marc Maron – his DIY approach to writing and making movies continue to inspire me to think outside the box and create the future that I want.

I share my latest BOOKLIST and have recently joined Good Reads if you want to follow along. The quotes on WORDS TO LIVE BY or WORD ART are the passages I am turning around in my head. They are almost always inspiring the song I’m working on.

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I’m splitting my FTW into two posts (this is my blog after all). Stay tuned for the rest of my answers next week!