Looking Back

Hello to whom it may concern (and maybe this post won't concern anyone, but I wanted post it anyway).
So, it's Thursday, and I have a four-day weekend coming up (Teacher Professional Development Day and Columbus Day) so I don't really have much to do. Out of boredom, I decided to count how many songs I've written. Now, keep in mind, I have tossed out many songs, so there are more songs than the ones counted.
The total was fifty. I am not bragging. Or at least I'm not trying to brag - call it what you will. About 1/10 of these songs was written in elementary school, and  therefore are mainly Cheetah Girl rip-offs (don't ask), and really stupid ones. Also, about 1/4 of them were written in middle school, so they are better than the elementary school songs. but still no good.
So why am I telling you all this, you ask? I am telling you this because, when you are passionate about something - anything - and you have been doing it for a while, it can be fun to see how far you've come. Granted, I'm not a paid songwriter, nor am I a famous singer, but I have come a long way from writing about Tiger Girls in a Jungle and turning ten.
Doing this let me know that even though I'm not famous or a professional, I'm still good at what I do. My songs are a lot better now. I write about experiences, things teen girls can relate to. And, just so we're clear, I don't want to be famous. I don't even like that word. To me fame means money and publicity. I don't care about that stuff. I just want to be able to play my songs for lots people, because if there's one teenage girl out there, who can take my experiences, and learn from them, then I've achieved my goal.
So, I guess the lesson is, be happy with what you're doing, even if you think you should be getting more recognition than you are. I've written probably sixty-something songs, counting the ones I've tossed. If I have to write 100, before I get recognized, then I'll do it, because it's something I love. And I really believe that my music could speak to a lot of girls. So, if you're good at something, stick to it. Worst thing that happens, you spent a lot of time doing something you love. And if you're bad something, but truly love it, embrace the concept of privacy and keep at it. Maybe you'll find a new way of taking that works better for you. Again, at least you'll have done something you love.
So, peace, goodbye for now, hasta la vista, all that stuff.

Best Websites for Songwriters (or Any Kind of Writers)

Hey guys! So, if you've read the "About Me" box, you'll know that I love writing and playing guitar, and I also write songs. Sometimes, when I write a song, it's really easy, and it just comes out without having to look up rhymes or synonyms, but sometimes, I can't find the right words to say something. I've come up with a list of websites that I use most often when I need help with a song. Some of these you can also use if you're a poet or story writer. Additionally, I've added a couple websites that have really great advice on how to write songs. 

1)http://www.rhymezone.com/

Rhymezone is great for finding words that rhyme. If you're writing a song (or poem) and don't know how to rhyme a certain word, you type into the search box, and it gives you a list of words, sorted by either the number of syllables, or letters, you pick. You can also find near rhymes (words that sort of rhyme, but not exactly (like orange and door hinge - weird example, I know, it was the first thing that came to my mind), as well as synonyms, similar sounding words, related words and more. It's probably one of the websites I use most often.

2)http://dictionary.reference.com/ / http://thesaurus.com/

These are two websites wrapped in one. I'm pretty sure almost everyone has heard of dictionary.com, and its sister site, thesaurus.com, but I use these so often, I thought I'd mention them anyway. I probably use thesaurus.com more than dictionary.com, especially for songwriting. It's great for finding synonyms, and it has a ton more words that rhymezone. Since I bet everyone knows what it is, I won't go in depth. 

3)http://www.rhymer.com/

This site I only use if rhymezone isn't cutting it, and I'm desperate and have hit a dead end. It works kind of like rhymezone, but it gives you options of looking for end-rhymes, last syllable rhymes, triple rhymes, and others. (If you don't know what any of those are, go to the site. It explains it really well.)

Here are some sites that have really good songwriting advice. I don't use these anymore, but I used to, so I decided to list them.

http://www.ultimatesongwriting.com/songwriting-tips.html

http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/songwritingtips.htm

http://www.bloggingmuses.com/songwriting_tips/

http://www.makeitinmusic.com/what-makes-a-great-song/

http://www.makeitinmusic.com/how-to-write-a-great-song-%E2%80%93-you-must-learn-this-above-all-else/

Until next time!