Building Discipline with Regular Writing Routines

How making songwriting a daily (or weekly) habit can sharpen your skills, boost creativity, and help you grow from beginner to pro without the wait for “inspiration.”

It’s 7 AM on a Tuesday. While the world wakes up, a songwriter pours a cup of coffee and sits by the piano, notebook open. Rain or shine, inspired or not, she writes a few lines and hums a melody – because that’s what she does every morning. This consistent routine might sound rigid for an art form fueled by emotion, but many successful songwriters swear by it. They treat songwriting like going to the gym: a regular workout for their creative muscles. Carole King used to head into the office (the Brill Building) to write songs 9-to-5 in the ’60s, cranking out hits. Prince famously wrote music daily, amassing a vault of unreleased songs enough to “release a new album every year for a century” after his death​. The idea is simple: you don’t wait for inspiration – you make inspiration a habit. In this article, we’ll explore how developing a songwriting schedule and routine can transform your creative output, help you overcome writer’s block, and gradually turn songwriting from an occasional burst of genius into a dependable craft that improves with each session.

Why Write on a Schedule?

Inspiration vs. Discipline

Many people imagine songwriting as a lightning strike – the muse visits, and a song pours out in a frenzy. That does happen sometimes, but if you only write when struck by inspiration, you might go long stretches without writing at all. Professional songwriters know that waiting on the muse isn’t a reliable strategy, especially if you need a catalog of songs. That’s where discipline comes in. Writing on a schedule means you sit down to write whether or not you feel inspired. It may sound counter-intuitive – won’t forcing it make bad songs? But consider this wisdom from Ed Sheeran: he compares creativity to a “dirty faucet” – when you first turn it on, a bunch of muddy water (i.e., bad songs) comes out, but if you keep at it, eventually it runs clear (good songs start flowing)​. The more you write, the more you clear out the generic ideas and tap into original ones. Discipline creates a habit, and habit sustains progress. Think of songwriting like a muscle; consistent exercise strengthens it. By writing regularly (daily or a few times a week), you train your brain to find ideas and solutions on command. You’re essentially cultivating inspiration by being there for it every day. And often, the act of writing itself generates inspiration – you might start a session feeling blank, but as you strum chords and sing some placeholder words, suddenly a cool idea emerges. That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t sat down to work. In short, having a routine shifts songwriting from a random event to a practiced craft.

Overcoming the Blank Page

One of the scariest things for any writer is the blank page (or blank screen). By maintaining a regular writing schedule, you desensitize yourself to the fear of the blank page. When you write only occasionally, there’s a lot of pressure for that session to yield something great – which can paradoxically paralyze you. But if you wrote lyrics yesterday and you’ll write again today and tomorrow, today’s session doesn’t feel like a make-or-break deal. It’s just one step in a continuum. This mindset frees you to take risks and write without judgment. Some days, you might pen complete gibberish or songs you know aren’t very good. That’s fine – those are like the early reps in a gym workout, warming you up. Songwriting teacher Pat Pattison often advises writing something every day, even if small, to keep the gears turning. Your routine can include exercises specifically to break the ice, like writing 4 lines of anything that comes to mind just to get started. Another benefit: regular writing times help you bypass writer’s block. If you train yourself that, say, every evening at 8pm is writing time, your creative mind starts to expect it. Over time, you’ll notice ideas popping up around that time or even earlier, as if your muse is getting dressed and ready for the appointment. It’s a subtle psychological trick: consistency breeds familiarity, and your creativity begins to flow in those familiar slots. Also, each writing session, even if it doesn’t produce a full song, often leaves you with seeds – a riff, a lyric line, a chorus idea. When tomorrow’s session comes, you have something to pick up and develop rather than starting from scratch. Thus, the blank page is rarely truly blank after you’ve been doing this for a while; it’s dotted with remnants of yesterday’s ideas eager to be continued.

Quantity Leads to Quality

A big argument for scheduled writing is the idea that quantity eventually leads to quality. Not every song you write will be amazing – in fact, most professional writers have plenty of mediocre or bad songs that never see the light of day. But by writing a lot, you increase the chances of stumbling on a great song. It’s a numbers game. Prolific songwriter Diane Warren (who’s written dozens of hits) has said she writes something almost every day; with that volume, even if only 5% of her material is stellar, that’s enough for a Hall of Fame career. If she wrote only when inspired, maybe those gems would never have emerged. The legendary Beatles had to write multiple albums’ worth of songs under time pressure – that discipline churned out tons of material, and gems rose to the top (and yes, a few fillers too). Similarly, if you make yourself write say 3 songs a week, after a month you have ~12 songs. Perhaps 10 might be forgettable or need major work, but 2 might have kernels of greatness. Stephen King, though a novelist, put it well: to be a good writer, write a lot and read (listen to) a lot. The more songs you write, the better you get at recognizing what works and what doesn’t. You’ll start to see patterns – “Whenever I rush the chorus, the song falls flat; I do that often, let me change it.” Each song, good or bad, teaches you something for the next one. Having a schedule ensures you’re consistently generating these learning opportunities. Also, you’ll create a body of work. Even the weak songs might contain a cool lyric or a unique chord change you can recycle into a better song later. By sheer output, you end up with more raw material to refine. Think of it like panning for gold: the more dirt you sift through, the more likely you’ll find some gold nuggets. Songwriting every day (or on a routine) is like continually shoveling that dirt – tiring at times, sure, but it significantly ups your odds of creative gold.

Developing Professional Habits

If your goal is to move from a hobbyist to a professional songwriter, treating songwriting like a regular job is great preparation. Pros don’t have the luxury to wait until they “feel like it” – they often have deadlines, whether it’s an album, a film score, or a writing session with an artist next Tuesday. By establishing a routine now, you cultivate a work ethic and resilience that will serve you in the industry. You learn to write even when tired, to push through the last verse even when Netflix beckons. This persistence is what separates those who dream of writing songs from those who actually accumulate a catalog. Also, when opportunities come, you’ll be ready. Imagine you bump into an artist or producer who says, “We’re looking for songs, got anything?” If you’ve been writing regularly, you might have dozens of songs or at least polished ideas to share. If you’ve only written one song in the past year, you’re limited. A routine helps you stock the arsenal. Additionally, working on a schedule trains you to meet briefs or challenges. You can simulate assignments for yourself (“This week, I’ll try to write a song for a movie scene where two characters reunite in the rain”). It might align with a real brief someday. Songwriter routines also keep you connected to your craft, reducing the chance you’ll burn out. Counterintuitively, having a schedule can prevent burnout because it normalizes songwriting as part of life rather than an all-consuming obsession that you either do 24/7 or not at all. There’s a concept of being a songwriter vs occasionally writing songs. When it’s routine, you start identifying as a songwriter in your core, because you live it daily. This confidence and professional attitude can come through when networking. If you tell someone “I write every morning; it’s my routine,” it signals dedication. They’ll take you more seriously than someone who says “Yeah, I write when I get inspired.” Ultimately, the discipline you build gives you a solid foundation to seize professional opportunities – you’ll have the material, the skills, and the mindset to deliver.

Creating Your Songwriting Routine

Set Realistic Goals

The first step in building a songwriting routine is to set realistic, achievable goals. If you currently write only when inspiration hits (say, once a month), don’t force yourself into writing 3 hours every single day right off the bat – that’s like deciding to run a marathon when you’ve only jogged a mile before. Instead, start with small, consistent steps. Maybe commit to writing for 15 minutes each day​, or to drafting one new song idea per week. It might seem too little, but the key is consistency. As one songwriting resource noted, people often think they need large blocks of time, “2 or 3 hours to get anything done,” but in reality, you can do a lot in just 5-10 minutes if that’s all you have​. The trick is changing your mindset – any time spent writing is progress. Perhaps you set a goal: write at least 4 lines (a quatrain) every day. That’s manageable even on your busiest days. Or come up with one new melody or riff each day. Make the goal concrete and trackable (so you can check it off and feel that accomplishment). Some people use habit trackers or calendars – mark an X on each day you meet your writing goal. The visual chain of X’s can motivate you not to break the streak. Songwriting prompts can help structure your goals too (“Monday: write a chorus about a childhood memory, Tuesday: write a verse from a stranger’s perspective,” etc.). And remember, the goal is the practice, not necessarily a finished song each time. If your goal is “finish one song a day,” you might get discouraged if that doesn’t happen. But if it’s “spend 20 minutes on songwriting a day,” you’ll always hit it because even brainstorming or tweaking counts. As you meet small goals, you can gradually extend the time or frequency. The important thing is to start consistent, not start perfect.

Find Your Prime Time

Everyone’s creative energy peaks at different times. Part of establishing a routine is figuring out when your prime writing time is and scheduling around that. Are you a morning lark who wakes up with melodies in your head? Then carve out time after breakfast to get those ideas down. Or maybe you’re a night owl and find your lyric brain activates at midnight – then make late-night sessions your thing. The benefit of writing at the same time most days is that, as mentioned, your mind starts to gear up for creativity at that time. It becomes conditioned. If 8pm is writing hour, you might notice ideas randomly popping into your head around 7:45 because your subconscious knows what’s coming. Consider practical factors too: when is your environment most conducive? If you live with others, maybe mornings before the household gets noisy are ideal. Or if you have a day job, maybe lunch break with headphones on in a park is a pocket you can consistently use. Also consider your mental freshness: some people write well when their mind is clear first thing in the day; others like to process the day’s events and write in the evening. It might take some trial to find your sweet spot. Once you do, protect that time. Treat it like an appointment or class you can’t miss. If someone wants to schedule something then, try to arrange around it if possible. Of course, life can interfere and flexibility is needed, but the more you honor your designated songwriting time, the more others around you will too. Over time, you might end up with multiple prime times (e.g., a short morning session for quick ideas and a longer night session for development). But start with one solid block that you commit to. Even if you don’t feel “in the zone” when that time comes, sit down and do it – often the act of starting triggers the zone. As author William Faulkner famously said about writing, “I only write when I am inspired. Fortunately, I am inspired at 9 o’clock every morning.” That tongue-in-cheek wisdom applies here – by scheduling your prime time, you invite inspiration to show up reliably.

What to Do During Writing Time

Having scheduled time is great, but knowing how to structure that time can make it more effective. Some days you might be brimming with ideas and dive right into a song. Other days, you might stare at your guitar not sure what to do. This is where having go-to exercises and routines helps. Start your session with a warm-up: perhaps a stream-of-consciousness journaling for 5 minutes (often called “morning pages” – even if it’s not morning) just to dump thoughts out. Or do a sense writing exercise: pick an object or scenario and write descriptions involving all senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) for a few minutes​​. This warms up your imagery muscles which is great for lyric writing. Another idea: use prompts. There are books and websites with daily songwriting prompts. For example, a prompt might be “Write a chorus about a secret” or “Use the word ‘shadow’ in a first line.” Prompts give you a starting point so you’re not confronting a void. You can also set mini-tasks for different days of the week: e.g., Mondays for coming up with chord progressions, Tuesdays for writing lyrics to something you did earlier, Wednesdays for revising an unfinished song, etc. This rotation keeps things fresh. Berklee songwriting professor Pat Pattison suggests dedicating time to purely generate ideas without editing, and separate time for crafting those ideas – maybe split your session in half for this. For instance, spend the first 15 minutes improvising melodies or freewriting lyrics with no judgment (quantity over quality), then spend the next 15 picking the bits you like and shaping them. Also consider using timers (the Pomodoro technique): write for 25 minutes focused, then take a 5-minute break, then repeat. Knowing you have a break coming can help you concentrate during the work interval. Over time, you’ll figure out what methods yield the best results for you. The key is to have a plan when you sit down, even if the plan is as simple as “noodling on guitar for 10 minutes to find a cool riff, then building on it.” That prevents paralysis. And if you ever feel really stuck, use the time to study – analyze a favorite song’s structure or lyrics. That’s productive too and can inspire your own writing​. But no matter what, use the allocated time. Doing something related to songwriting during each session reinforces the habit.

Make It Enjoyable

One reason people struggle with routines is they start to feel like drudgery. To maintain a long-term writing schedule, find ways to make the experience enjoyable and rewarding. Songwriting is work, yes, but it should also be fun and fulfilling. Set the mood for your session: maybe you light a candle or make a cup of your favorite tea each time, signaling that this is your special creative ritual. Some writers like to write in a cozy nook or decorate their writing space with inspiring art or quotes. If you’re a person who loves stickers or stars (throwback to grade school), give yourself a sticker on the calendar for each day you meet your writing goal – it’s silly but surprisingly satisfying to not break a streak of stickers. You can also gamify the process: challenge yourself with little games like “I’ll write a song in the style of a 60s surf rock today” or “Today all my lines will start with the letter S, just to see what happens.” These low-stakes games make the routine feel like play. Another tip: occasionally, change the scenery. While having a consistent spot is good, sometimes writing in a park, by a river, or in a different room can break monotony. If you write with instruments, alternate – one day write at the piano, next day on guitar, another day try an a cappella harmony experiment. This keeps your routine from feeling too mechanical. Additionally, acknowledge and celebrate progress. Completed a song? Treat yourself – maybe watch a movie you’ve been meaning to, or share the song with a supportive friend to get kudos. Even simply saying “yay, I did it” and mentally high-fiving yourself is important. If your routine becomes a grindstone with no immediate payoff, you risk burning out. But if you weave in things you enjoy (like writing about topics you love, or writing at times you naturally feel good, or pairing writing with your favorite latte), then the routine becomes something you look forward to. Lastly, mix growth with comfort: spend a bit of each session on easy wins (something you know you’re good at or enjoy writing) and a bit pushing your limits (try a new technique or genre). That way you get the dopamine from the enjoyable part and the learning from the challenging part. A balanced routine is a sustainable routine. Remember, the ultimate reward of a writing habit is the stack of songs you’ll have – but it helps to sprinkle smaller rewards along the way to keep you happily on track.

Staying Motivated and Accountable

Track Your Progress

Motivation can fade if you don’t see progress, so it’s helpful to track what you’ve accomplished through your routine. We mentioned using a calendar or habit tracker to mark days you wrote – that alone can be motivating as you see a chain of X’s grow​. But also track what you wrote. Keep a songwriting journal or a simple list of songs/ideas created. Every couple of weeks, review it. You might be surprised, “Wow, I’ve drafted 5 chorus ideas and 3 full lyrics this month!” That sense of accumulation fuels you to continue. Some people make a spreadsheet with columns like “Song Title/Idea – Date Started – Status (drafted/finished) – Notes.” It sounds techy, but it can actually gamify progress (e.g., you might aim to move 2 songs from “drafted” to “finished” this month). Another fun tracker: count your songwriting streak. How many days in a row have you kept up your goal? If the streak breaks, no shame – see if you can beat your previous record next time. Also note improvements: maybe record yourself singing each new song idea on your phone. After a few months, listen back in order – you’ll likely notice your newer ideas sound more polished or interesting. That audible improvement is a great motivator – proof that practice is paying off. Consider setting specific milestones and reward them. For example, “If I write 30 songs this year, I’ll invest in that better microphone” or “After 10 consecutive weeks of meeting my schedule, I’ll take a weekend trip to celebrate.” We’re human; we respond to incentives. Even if the incentive is small, it gives a psychological push. And don’t overlook emotional tracking: occasionally jot down how you feel about songwriting before and after a session. Often, you might find you feel stressed or blah before, but energized or accomplished after. Seeing that pattern written out reminds you that even on days you don’t want to write, you’ll probably feel great that you did. Use any and all tracking methods that resonate with you – they turn the abstract journey of getting better at songwriting into something you can see, count, and celebrate.

Accountability Partners

It’s easier to stick to a routine when you’re not in it alone. Consider finding a songwriting accountability partner or group. This could be a friend who’s also a songwriter (or any kind of creator) where you both agree to check in regularly on each other’s progress. For example, you might decide to text each other every Sunday with a quick summary of what you wrote that week. Knowing that someone expects an update can be a strong motivator not to slack off. You could even share your daily streak count, like “Wrote 5/7 days this week!” – and cheer each other on or gently nudge if one’s slipping. Some people take it a step further and schedule joint writing sessions (even if remote via Zoom). You don’t necessarily co-write (though that’s a bonus), but you log on and each work on your own songs for an hour – there’s a mutual accountability in showing up together, kind of like a study hall. The social aspect can make the routine more enjoyable too; you can chat a bit about struggles and victories, swap tips, or just commiserate. If you don’t have someone in mind, there are online communities and challenges that can serve this purpose. For instance, FAWM (February Album Writing Month) challenges songwriters to write 14 songs in February – participants often post about their progress and encourage each other. There’s also the 50/90 challenge (50 songs in 90 days over summer) with a similar community. Joining such challenges can supercharge your routine with a clear goal and a supportive group all doing it together. Even outside of formal challenges, songwriting forums or social media groups might have accountability threads. The idea is simple: when you announce your goals to peers and have someone to report back to, you’re psychologically more likely to follow through (it leverages a bit of peer pressure in a positive way). Plus, discussing your routine with others might give you new ideas to improve it. For example, your partner might say “I started doing morning object writing exercises​ and it’s helped,” so you try that too. In essence, an accountability buddy turns an often solitary activity into a team effort – and humans are inherently team players.

Dealing with Off Days

No matter how committed you are, you will have off days. Days when you’re tired, busy, sick, or just utterly uninspired. First, accept that this is normal. The purpose of a routine is to carry you through those off days without derailing your overall progress. Here are a few strategies: If you’re short on time or energy one day, allow yourself to do a mini session instead of a full one. For example, you usually write 30 minutes, but today you can only manage 5 – do that 5 rather than skipping entirely. Maintaining the habit is more important than the length or output of any single session. It’s like keeping the muscle warm. Also, be kind to yourself. If you have an off day where nothing good seems to come, count it as a victory that you showed up at all. Some days just getting a couplet down is a win. One trick: on days when motivation is low, use intrinsic rewards. Tell yourself “Write for just 10 minutes, then I’ll play a song I love on the guitar just for fun” – pairing work with play. Or “After I fill this page with any lyrics, I’ll allow myself to record a goofy cover of a song I like.” It may sound childish, but small treats can push us through initial resistance. If you completely miss a day (or a week), don’t beat yourself up excessively. Guilt can kill motivation. Instead, treat it analytically – why did you miss it? Was the schedule unrealistic that day? Did something throw you off? Adjust if needed. But most importantly, resume as soon as possible. Like falling off a bike – get back on before fear of failure grows. One missed day isn’t a tragedy, but quitting the routine is. Remind yourself of why you set the routine in the first place: your love for music, your goals, how good it feels to finish a song. Sometimes revisiting old successful songs you wrote can reignite your spark (“I created this – I can do it again”). If you find yourself consistently having off days, maybe the routine needs tweaking – perhaps different timing, or a break. It’s okay to schedule an intentional day off as long as it’s controlled (like one rest day a week) rather than skipping impulsively. And when life emergencies happen (they do), be flexible – tend to what you need to, then come back. A routine is there to serve you, not shackle you; its purpose is to make songwriting a natural part of your life. So if life interrupts, it’s alright – you know how to return to your flow. Over time, you’ll also notice off days don’t throw you as much because writing has become second nature, like brushing teeth. Even if you’re grumpy, you still brush – same with writing. That’s when you know your habit is solid.

Adjusting and Evolving Your Routine

Your songwriting routine isn’t set in stone; it can and should evolve as your life and creative needs change. Periodically (say, every few months), evaluate how it’s going. Are you feeling burned out? Maybe dial back or change the approach to refresh it. Did you start a new job or semester that affects your schedule? Adjust your writing times to fit the new reality – better to change than to abandon. Also, as you improve, you might find you want to challenge yourself more. Perhaps at first writing 3 days a week was plenty; now you feel you can handle 5 days, or extend your sessions from 20 minutes to an hour. Gradually step it up to keep pushing your growth. Conversely, if you overshot and it’s hurting other aspects of your life (like you’re losing sleep), scale back a bit to a sustainable level. The key is sustainability – this is a marathon, not a sprint. Some writers do seasonal routines: e.g., write intensively in winter months and perform or produce in summer. That’s okay too if it suits you. Another evolution: incorporate new elements into your routine. Maybe you decide to add a weekly session where you strictly edit old songs (because you realize you’ve been generating but not polishing). Or you start each month with a goal (like “this month I’ll finish 2 full songs”) and end the month reviewing them. As you network more, you might include co-writing sessions into your schedule. For example, every Thursday night is co-write night with a friend, which counts toward your routine. Also, keep it interesting: if you’ve been doing the same warm-up for a year, try a new exercise to kickstart different inspiration. Your routine should adapt to keep you engaged. It’s like working out – you increase weights or try new exercises to keep making gains. Finally, celebrate how far you’ve come. Maybe a year ago you struggled to write at all, and now you’re writing regularly – that’s huge! You can even journal on the journey: “When I started this routine X months ago, I felt… Now I feel… I notice my lyrics are stronger/I write faster/etc.” These reflections can motivate you to continue and evolve. The routine is a means to an end: better songs and a fulfilled songwriter. As long as it’s delivering that (and it will, with patience), feel free to mold it to fit you. Some days you’ll break rules or go on tangents – that’s fine, the structure is there to support, not imprison. The beautiful thing is when you look back after sticking to a routine, you’ll have a body of work and improved craft to show – the clearest sign that it’s working. At that point, routine songwriting will have become part of who you are, and that identity carries forward whatever life brings.

Case Studies and Success Stories

The Beatles’ Workmanlike Writing

The Beatles might be remembered for their genius, but behind the scenes they had a strong work ethic. In their early days, John Lennon and Paul McCartney set aside time to write together regularly, treating it almost like a job especially when they needed new songs for an album​. They would face each other with guitars and hash out ideas – even if nothing came immediately, they’d keep at it until they had something. One famous story: when writing “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” they met in the basement of Jane Asher’s house and pounded a piano, experimenting with chords and lyrics for hours. That disciplined session produced their first #1 hit in America. Another story: under pressure to deliver songs for films like Help! and A Hard Day’s Night, Lennon and McCartney would often write 8-10 hours a day. They learned to summon creativity on demand, a direct result of constant practice. Paul McCartney has said that because they had the contract obligation to come up with so many songs, they simply had to write routinely – and it trained them to be prolific. This paid off tremendously: within about 7 years, the Lennon-McCartney team wrote around 180 songs – many of which are timeless classics. Not every song was a hit, but that sheer output was only possible because writing was their daily habit. And by always writing, they rapidly improved and innovated (compare their simple early love songs to the complex structures of later songs like “Hey Jude” or “Yesterday”). The Beatles’ case shows that even legendary talent was augmented by routine and hard work. Their motto could have been “get up and write.” They treated songwriting sessions as sacred – showing up whether inspiration was hot or lukewarm, and trusting that something good would emerge. And often, it did.

Carole King and the 9-to-5 Songwriter

Carole King, one of the most successful songwriters of all time (“You’ve Got a Friend,” “Natural Woman,” and dozens of 60s hits), literally treated songwriting like a 9-to-5 job in her youth. In the 1960s, she worked at the Brill Building in New York – a famous hub where professional songwriters had cubicles or tiny piano rooms and would crank out tunes for publishers each day. Carole (often with her then-husband Gerry Goffin as lyricist) would arrive in the morning, sit at a piano in a cubby, and write song after song, breaking for lunch, then writing more​. This regimented schedule resulted in an incredible catalog while she was still a teenager and in her early twenties. They wrote classics like “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” for The Shirelles during these structured sessions – writing it on an ordinary weekday, not waiting for a muse at midnight. King has reminisced that while the environment was creatively competitive, it instilled discipline. She knew that every day she should come up with at least one strong song idea, because there was demand for it. This volume of practice later fueled her solo career – by the time she made her famous Tapestry album in 1971, she had over a decade of daily writing under her belt, which is evident in the masterful quality of those songs. Her story dispels the myth that inspiration needs a bohemian lifestyle; in her case, the clock and desk approach yielded deeply emotional and enduring songs. Similarly, Motown Records’ hit machine in the 60s functioned on routine – their songwriters (Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, etc.) wrote in an office-like setting daily. The takeaway from Carole King’s experience is that consistency and showing up at the piano (or desk) is what filled her toolkit with so many musical ideas. Even on days she might not have felt inspired, she wrote – and sometimes those “work day” songs became million-sellers. For aspiring writers, King’s 9-to-5 approach is a great example of how treating songwriting as a regular job of crafting can lead to greatness, not stifle it.

Ed Sheeran’s Dirty Tap

We touched on Ed Sheeran’s “dirty tap” analogy earlier, but his whole career is a testament to writing often and not being afraid of writing rubbish on the way to good. Early in his career, Ed reportedly set a goal to write a certain number of songs (some say 1 song per day for a year). He played anywhere and everywhere, often performing new songs or rough ideas, essentially using gigs as part of his practice. Ed has openly said in interviews (and you can find it in a viral clip) that in his early days “I was writing songs every day – some were terrible, but I got them out of me. The more you write, the better your songs will get”​. He believes in writing tons of material – he’s known to write 100+ songs for an album of 12. For example, for his album ÷ (Divide), he wrote something like 250 songs/ideas​ (many just bits recorded on his phone or laptop) then whittled down. How does one even write 250 ideas? By making writing a daily habit and capturing every spark. Sheeran also co-writes frequently – which means he has scheduled sessions all the time, keeping him in a constant flow of creation. Even on tour, he writes. His philosophy is that songwriting is a craft you have to keep doing – if he takes too long a break, he feels rusty. In one interview, he described songwriting as similar to going to the gym – do it regularly and you stay in shape; stop and it gets harder to start again. Another interesting element: Ed Sheeran uses routine within songs too. For instance, he’ll freestyle lyrics to a looped guitar riff for an hour, then later sift through for the best bits – a kind of practiced method he repeats to generate material. And indeed, if you listen to his earliest recordings vs. his later hits, you can hear the evolution in sophistication, much of which can be attributed to sheer volume of writing and refining. His story is encouraging for those who fear not every song will be good – Ed basically says, yeah, a lot won’t be, and that’s fine. Write them anyway and move on. Over time your ratio of good songs increases. He’s living proof: from busking with clunky early songs to now penning global smashes, guided by a relentless routine and perhaps a personal challenge to outdo himself.

Your Own Success Story

Having looked at these examples, it’s clear that a routine can pave the way for remarkable outcomes. It’s worth imagining: What might your own success story look like if you stick to your songwriting habit? Perhaps after a year of steady writing, you’ll have 50 songs, and among them could be that one song that resonates and catches attention online, or that you perform and everyone connects with deeply. Maybe three years from now, you’ll have enough strong material to record an album or get publishing interest. Or simply, you’ll notice that songwriting has become easier and more fluent for you – what used to take a month to finish now takes a week, and you’re proud of the quality. These “success” markers might be different for each person (landing a sync placement, getting a cut with an artist, building a loyal fanbase with your songs, or just personal fulfillment). But nearly every songwriter who has “made it” can look back and point to the grind – the regular, unglamorous writing sessions – as the engine that got them there. One day, you might be giving an interview or talking to a fellow songwriter, and you’ll realize you’ve become the example, saying something like, “I wrote a little bit every day, and over time it just clicked – now it’s my second nature.” The beautiful part of a routine is that progress creeps up on you; one day you wake up and realize, wow, I’ve come a long way. Every song finished, every idea captured is a building block in your career or artistry. If you ever feel disheartened in the middle of it (“ugh, this week’s stuff was mediocre”), remember that even the greats had piles of mediocrity behind their masterpieces. Picture Billy Joel’s trash bin full of crumpled lyrics, or Taylor Swift’s secret diaries of draft songs she’ll never release. They had routines too. By sticking to yours, you’re on the same path. You are effectively writing your story – both in a literal sense (songs that perhaps tell your journey) and in a career sense. A year of routine might make you a local songwriting contest winner; two years might get you opening gigs because you have a set of solid original songs; five years and who knows – maybe you’ll have that hit on the radio or that musical you’ve been crafting. Or simply a life where creativity is a daily friend. That in itself is a success: turning the dream of “I want to be a songwriter” into the reality of “I am writing, regularly and truly, a songwriter.” And that success story builds one writing session at a time.