Canadian Musician September / October 2019 | Page 58

PHOTO: CAROLINA ANDRADE
WRITING
Leanne Hoffman is a vocalist, writer of songs, and writer of poems living in Halifax, NS. She has been creating and
performing since 2011 and her solo album, What Remains, produced by Erin Costelo, was released in May 2019 through
Venue Records. www.leannehoffman.com.
By Leanne Hoffman
Writing Songs When
You Are a Perfectionist
I
f there is one thing I have learned over
the past few years, it’s that waiting for
the perfect song to come out results in
no songs coming out at all.
If you are like me, which I’m sure many art-
ists are, you may find it extremely difficult to
create things that aren’t up to your “standards.”
The only way I know how to combat this is by
emphasizing quantity over quality.
In the past, I would only write when I felt
I had something to write about. This worked
fine for the most part, until I had a deadline or
my life was seemingly neutral. It is a common
misconception that we need to be having
the greatest day of our lives or going through
extreme turmoil in order to write something
worth writing. Most of life occurs in the grey
zone, and in order to be comfortable writing in
the grey zone, we have to practice doing so. If
we only ever write when we’re in the extremes,
then that’s the habit that will form.
In between the release of my first record in
2013 with duo Magnolia and my first solo re-
cord, I spent a lot of time conceptualizing and
very little time actually doing. When it came
time to start recording, I realized I had next
to no songs ready to go, but a lot of opinions
about what I wanted them to sound like.
This is a frustrating place to be, and I decided
to do something about it. Here are some things
that helped change my mindset about writing:
Just Show Up
Make time to write. Every day. Every other day.
Once a week. Whatever it is, schedule it and do
it no matter how you feel. The content and the
quality are not as important as forming the hab-
it and eliminating your own judgement. Just
do the thing! The thing isn’t always going to
58 CANADIAN MUSICIAN
be great! Sometimes the thing is really bad! But
in order to do the good stuff, you have to get
through the bad stuff, so you might as well start
now instead of procrastinating the inevitable.
Challenge Yourself to Finish Things
I often breeze my way through 80 per cent of
a song, and then spend weeks sitting on the
last 20. Push yourself to finish things even if it
doesn’t feel perfect. There will be more songs.
You can always go back and edit; nothing is
set in stone. I’m not sure who said this first,
and the internet seems to be undecided as well,
but “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” is
something I am being reminded of constantly.
The more time we spend trying to perfect things,
the less time we spend exploring our potential
for growth. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
Incorporate Prompts & Writing Exercises
If you’re feeling stuck, try using writing prompts
or exercises to get things going. Books like
Writing Better Lyrics by Pat Pattinson and The
Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron have helped
me immensely when I’m not feeling creative
but I know I want to practice writing. Even
something as simple as picking a song you
love and copying the form can be a great way
to take yourself out of your usual habits, and
you may end up surprising yourself. One of
my favourite songs I have written came from
a school assignment.
Share Things with Other People
This can be incredibly freeing. In the same
realm as my first and second tip, this can help
desensitize you to the need for perfection.
Everyone has different opinions, so everyone
will have a different perspective to offer you.
If you are feeling stuck or just self-conscious
about a song you have finished, try playing it
for someone else. Ideally, someone you trust,
but it doesn’t need to be another writer/artist.
Maybe they will have something they really
love about it that you didn’t even recognize,
or maybe they will have a simple suggestion
that could change your entire outlook on
the song. Either way, the more you share,
the easier it will become to share without
the buildup of anxiety or the fear of failure.
Don’t Share Things with Other People
Yes, I see how this is confusing. I think being
able to listen to yourself and know when you
are feeling vulnerable is an important skill to
practice. Sharing everything all the time can
become just as detrimental as never sharing
anything. Sometimes feedback can crush your
process, throw you off your path, and leave you
feeling unmotivated. I tend to keep things to
myself when I know I am doing a lot of intro-
spective writing and I am not genuinely up for
feedback. If you ask yourself, “Would I be okay
with receiving negative feedback right now?”
and your answer is no, then it is not the time
to share. It’s your art, it’s your process, it’s a
personal thing, and wanting to protect that
is totally valid.
There are hundreds of tips and tricks out there;
these are just a few things that work for me.
While I still consider myself a perfectionist,
practicing these habits has helped me to
broaden my writing horizons and step outside
my comfort zone. There will always be a gap
between where we are as artists and where we
wish to be, but if we let perfection be the goal,
we will constantly be selling ourselves short.