Become a Successful Christian Songwriter WEBINAR · How to Become a Successful Christian Songwriter...

How to Become a

Successful

Christian Songwriter(Without Fearing Rejection or

Facing Writer’s Block Ever Again)

with John Chisum

If you’re passionate about your calling to write for Jesus… you’re in the

right place

You’ve been writing a while but know your songs could go to a whole

new level…

You’re hungry to break through that “glass ceiling” you feel and

communicate through your songs this burning message inside…

What would your life

look like if…

People LOVED your songs?

People SANG your songs?

People RECORDED your songs?

WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE IF….

People actually LOVED your songs? Would that feel good? I know that

YOU probably love your songs…. you’ve poured over them for hours or

maybe even days…. so much of YOU is in your songs that you feel very

attached to them and vulnerable if anyone criticizes them in any way….

they’re like extensions of you, your children and babies…. what would it

feel like if a bunch of people LOVED your babies the way you do?

What would your life

look like if…

All your QUESTIONS answered?

No more GUESSWORK?

Complete CONFIDENCE?

WHAT WOULD YOUR LIFE LOOK LIKE IF….

All the questions about songwriting were answered for you? Think

about it… all the things you wonder about songwriting really answered

- finally - so that you can move forward quickly and easily - - that’s be

great, wouldn’t it?

You lost all the guesswork about how to write great songs and gained

immense CONFIDENCE in your writing so that you got results every

In the next 45 minutes…

How great songwriters THINK about their songwriting.

Tap into hidden creativity.

Lose the fear of getting yoursongs in front of people.

So, like I said, you’re here for a reason and I want to promise you that,

in the next 45 minutes or so, I’m going to teach you as much as I can

about how great Christian songwriters think about their writing and how

you can think about your writing in that way, too, so you can STOP this

endless cycle of frustration you’re going through.

I’m going to help you tap into hidden creativity and resources you didn’t

know you had so you’ll never struggle to find great song ideas or have

writer’s block - - you’ll realize an endless source of ideas and be able to

In the next 45 minutes…

How to get UNSTUCK in your songwriting

Release the POWERGod’s put in you

Stop making the same MISTAKES

I’m also going to show you how you can get UNSTUCK in your writing

by doing some very simple things that bring BIG RESULTS, to get you

out of the creative ruts you’ve been in for way too long.

How to RELEASE the power God’s put in you so that you’re no longer

frustrated, angry, and messed up all the time - - sound good on that

one? Give me some love in the chat box!

And also how to stop making the same mistakes over and over that

UNLEASH YOUR MAXIMUM

POTENTIAL AND REALLYLIVE YOUR CALL…

In the next 45 minutes…FINALLY - I want to help you take REAL steps to UNLEASH YOUR

MAXIMUM POTENTIAL AND REALLY FULFILL YOUR CALL to write

Christian songs so you can STOP THE PAIN of wondering if you’ll ever

be heard or ever fulfill this call from God to express Him and His truth in

great Christian songs. There’s just no reason to stay unclear about that

and I want to help you walk in all God has called you to walk in.

I talk to writers every single day who want to make their own records,

get their songs on the radio, travel, sing in front of thousands of

Stick around till the end…

I’ve worked with a lot of great songwriters and all of them used these TEN pro

songwriting tips as they developed their songs. Now you can use them, too!

Always start with a strong hook and title. The primary “hook” of a song is almost

always the title and must be the most memorable part of the song - that’s why they

call it a hook. One notable exception is Redman/Silas’ 10,000 Reasons where the

hook is actually “Bless the Lord, O my soul” and not the title, but you get the point. If

you start writing a song and the hook is weak, the rest of the song just won’t gel and

come together the way you want it to.

Think through the song’s FORM. What kind of song are you writing? What popular

songs would compare to yours and what form did they use? How can you use

that form to make yours great? Even worship songs for congregations rarely have

only one verse, so yours should probably have two, as well, along with a chorus (of

course) and maybe even a pre-chorus and a bridge. Think about the FORM as the

blueprint for where you want to go, then start laying in the building blocks.

Don’t throw any idea out. No professional writer throws anything out. They always

keep snippets in their phones, on their laptops or tablets, and when writing they

NEVER throw away any great lines, even if they don’t seem to be working in the

present song project. You never know when it could fit in and be the perfect line! As

you write, jot down extraneous lines at the bottom of the page. If you don’t use them,

transfer them to an idea file you can come back to later.

Write with and keep a notebook of your song ideas, titles, and snippets.

I know I just said to keep random lines on your phone or other handy electronic

gadget, and you should, but there’s nothing like an old fashioned spiral notebook for

jotting down your ideas and finishing out those songs. In some ways, it’s easier to

play with the lines on a page with your pen or pencil than to erase and cut and paste.

I’ve done it both ways, but I love the feel of a pencil and there are times the phone or

tablet or laptop aren’t handy. I always transfer a lyric and rough demo recordings to

my digital file when finished and I’m ready to move to the next phase of making the

song come to life.

T H E P R O S O N G W R I T E R ’ S

T O P T E N T I P S H E E TB Y J O H N C H I S U M

THERE’S NOTHINGFOR SALE ON THIS

WEBINAR…

I want to tell you right up front that there’s nothing for sale on this

webinar today, but if you stick around to the end, I have a couple of

very special gifts for you with my PRO SONGWRITER’S TOP TEN TIP

SHEET.

This isn’t something I sell, but I use it as a quick guide with my clients

to help them conveniently identify tips and insights on the fly as they

write. It’s been very effective for them, too. If I were to sell it, it would be

valued at $12.99, but worth much more than that, considering the years

Stick around till the end…

THERE’S NOTHINGFOR SALE ON THIS

WEBINAR…

And - - I also want to give you a SECOND BONUS worth sticking

around for.

I want you to have this information SO BADLY that I’m giving you my

webinar slides with my notes so you can download and make your own

notes on it. Some people learn more this way, so I want you to have

every opportunity to learn from this and take your writing UP to the next

level.

Does this sound like you?

Do you have reams of SONG STARTS that

you’ve never been able to finish?

Do you struggle with the feeling that you have

GREAT SONGS inside you, but they’ll never

really be written?

Do you sing your songs in church and WONDER

if they could ever be used on a bigger scale by other

artists or congregations?

So, let me ask you a few questions…

Do you have reams of SONG STARTS that you’ve never been able to

finish?

Do you struggle with the feeling that you have GREAT SONGS inside

you, but they’ll never really be written?

Do you sing your songs in church and wonder if they could ever be

Do you struggle to find great HOOKS/TITLES for

your songs that really deliver a punch?

Do people have LUKEWARM to ZERO

RESPONSE to songs you’ve worked a lot on?

Is the DREAM of writing great songs for God

something that CONSUMES your thoughts?

Does this sound like you?Do you struggle to find great HOOKS/TITLES for your songs that really

deliver the punch you want to have?

Do people have LUKEWARM to ZERO RESPONSE to songs you’ve

worked long and hard on?

Is the DREAM of writing great songs for God something that

CONSUMES your thoughts and maybe even tortures you because you

wonder if you’ll ever really do it?

The BIG question…

Do you feel time slipping away

and fear that you’ll NEVER

fulfill this call?

So, let me ask you the BIG question...Do you feel time slipping away

and FEAR that you’ll NEVER FULFILL this call?

Honestly - if this is you, you’re certainly not alone… we ALL feel time

slipping away and an URGENCY to get the things done we’re AFRAID

we’re going to miss out on doing.

If you’ve identified with any or all of these questions, I want you to

know that I have some really AWESOME NEWS for you in this class

AWESOME NEWS!!

These are just SYMPTOMS

of the real problem…

If you’ve identified with any or all of these questions, I want you to

know that I have some really AWESOME NEWS for you in this class

today…

You know, there’s a lot of confusing messages out there about songs

and songwriting and it’s NOT YOUR FAULT that it’s like this.

People just don’t know where to go to get the straight scoop on how it

all works and how to step up in their songwriting. You can go to college

The REAL problem…

…you haven’t made the

FIVE KEY SHIFTS that all

successful songwriters make.

If you’ve identified with any or all of these questions and answered,

“YES!” the real problem is that you haven’t made the FIVE KEY SHIFTS

that successful songwriters make.

I’ve made them and every successful songwriter I know has made

them, whether they KNEW they were making them or not.

I’ve identified them FOR you so you can go ahead and get them out of

the way and move on with your songwriting, right?

5 key shifts…

The cool thing is that you CAN make these shifts - you CAN get all you

need to write fantastic songs that a LOT of people will not only want to

hear, but they’ll want to hear them over and over and sing along and

have them on their phones and iPods and laptops and everywhere they

access their music.

You really CAN feel what it’s like to have hundreds and even thousands

of people singing your songs and praising God in incredible ways when

you make these shifts in your songwriting.

WHO I AM…

John & Donna

A veteran songwriter/publisher for over 30+ years with over 400 songs

recorded and counting.

Known as a “veteran Christian

songwriter,” and a “key Christian songwriting mentor.”

Managed dozens of successful Christian songwriters.

Specialize in helping songwriters take quantum leaps in their lyric

and music writing.

This is me and my wife, Donna. We’ve been married 36 years

this year and she still likes me most days! We moved to Nashville

to take a church job in 1983 that fell through once we got here.

We had $40.00 and no place to live. We were homeless and

had no jobs, but God had a plan.

Don Moen

Israel Houghton

Paul Baloche

Lynn DeShazo

David Baroni

George Searcy

Nancy Gordon

I’ve had the opportunity to mentor and coach some of the most prolific

songwriters in the world through Integrity Music and Star Song where I

managed dozens of published songwriters. What I’m sharing with you

here isn’t THEORY or HEAD KNOWLEDGE, but the crucial things I

learned while working with people like you see here and many more

who’ve literally impacted the NATIONS with their songwriting. If it can

work for them, it can work for you, too.

I use the same principles and training I used with them to quite literally

5 key shifts…

So, I’ve just told you a little about who I am, and now I want to tell you

about these FIVE POWERFUL SHIFTS, but I need to tell you how I

know about them and HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE for YOU to know

them.

Here’s the thing - I didn’t get started or even go through the early years

of my career knowing these things, but I’ve just told you that I’ve

worked with dozens of amateur and professional Christian songwriters

in my 30+ years of writing and publishing.

THE OLD WAY

YOU

YouTube

Books

Hearsay

Bad Opinions

Unhelpful

Conferences FRUSTRATION

CONFUSION

DISCOURAGED

SELF-DOUBT

UNANSWERED PRAYER

UNFULFILLED

CALLING TO WRITE

As we get into our five vital shifts, I want to share with you an overview

of what I’m going to give you today.

This is the OLD WAY of going about FIGURING OUT songwriting and

building a ministry with your songs.

So, here’s you and your passion to write, but you’re trying to PIECE

everything together you can on the subject by going to

CONFERENCES that may or may NOT be helpful - - you might pick up

THE NEW WAY

KNOWLEDGE

GUIDANCE

CORRECT

PRINCIPLES

CREATIVITY

STRONGER IDEAS

BETTER HOOKS

FOCUSED LYRICS

POWER PHRASES

HARD-HITTING

CHORUSESSINGULAR FOCUS

The new way is that you get, starting today, a bunch of new things that

are going to help you fulfill this call on your life, great or small.

This is how it works… through today’s webinar you can start the

journey towards getting the knowledge, guidance, correct songwriting

principles, creativity, and singular focus in your songwriting that will

lead you ultimately to stronger ideas, better hooks, focused lyrics,

power phrases, hard-hitting choruses that are going to make YOUR

songs stand out from the thousands of others floating around

THE NEW WAY

YOUR

CALLING

FULFILLED

All of this only leads to YOUR CALLING FULFILLED…

That’s what every writer tells me and we’re here to help you get further

down the road in feeling that amazing sense of satisfaction to know

that you’ve used every possible means to FULFILL this calling on your

life.

That would feel amazing, wouldn’t it?

Shift #1 -

Stop “Writing From Your Heart”

So why is it that passionate Christian songwriters

who feel such a deep call from God believe that

all they have to do is WRITE from their hearts?

Here’s the first shift and it’s a shocker - - stop “writing from your heart.”

Okay…. before you totally flip out and turn this webinar off, think about

it… we don’t want brain surgeons “operating from their hearts” or pilots

flying our airplanes “from their hearts,” right?

So why is it that passionate Christian songwriters who feel such a deep

call from God to express amazing worship and the power of the Gospel

believe that all they have to do is WRITE from their hearts?

Shift #1 -


… stop mistaking passion for commercial ability

… without knowing HOW songs really work, you

will be frustrated, lack confidence, be subject to guesswork and trial and error

So, what’s happening is that people are mistaking their PASSION for

Jesus and for what they WANT to communicate for the actual

commercial ABILITY to communicate their passion well to the

GREATEST number of people.

Lots of people are passionate about sports, but can’t shoot hoops or

kick field goals - - it’s really more about skill AND heart than heart

alone.

Shift #1 -


Devotional

• Devotional• Personal• Private• Prayer Closet with Jesus

Instructional

• Sunday School• Scripture Memory• Functional• Catechism

Congregational/Choral

• Congregational• Praise/Worship• Choral• Solos/Special Songs• Teaching• Singer/Songwriter• Soaking/Prophetic (relates back to first category...)

Commercial

• CCM• Radio• Touring for Artists• CD Sales• Popular• Singer/Songwriter• Reaches Broadest Audience

Characteristics

• Free Form• No Repetitive Hook• May Never Be Repeated

Characteristics:

• Simple• Memorable• Instructional• May have potential to go beyond on this continuum...

Characteristics:

• Singable• Memorable• Biblical• Celebratory• Unifying• Service Music

Characteristics:

• Singable and Rangy• Artistic License• Testimonial• Evangelistic

© Copyright 2017 by Nashville Christian Songwriters LLC Int’l. All Rights Reserved.

One of the tools I use to help my clients get a handle on this is called

The Song Continuum. It’s one of my free gifts to you if you stick around

to the end today.

So, you can see on the continuum that it moves from the devotional

category on the far left all the way over to the commercial category on

the far right. In-between are the Instructional and Congregational

categories.

Shift #1 -


Wanted to share deep Biblical truths…

…too many ideas, huge

conflicting concepts

Now she writes clearly and

shares her TRUE heart!

Chantel

This is Chantel, one of our clients…. she came to us with a deep desire

to share biblical truth, but her songs had many different ideas fused

into one song…. everything from Scripture references to huge concepts

that conflicted with one another.

She was “writing from her heart,” but the message of her heart wasn’t

coming through until she learned through our coaching that expressing

the deeper messages of the heart require a lot more than the passion to

say something. It requires learning how to say it well…

Shift #2 -

Stop Writing Only for Yourself

Most aspiring Christian songwriters

think of writing as self-expression

only, but that’s just part of it…

Most aspiring Christian songwriters think of writing as self-expression,

but that’s only part of it from a Kingdom perspective. We write for the

end user of our songs, believers all over the world.

This may seem like the first shift, but it’s really not - it’s more than

learning how to mine your life’s story for ideas - it’s all about figuring

out WHO would want to hear or ultimately USE your songs.

It’s about writing with the END USER in mind…. even singing in your

The most important voice

ISN’T yours.

Shift #2 -


CHORUS = “many singing together”

While there’s much to be said about finding YOUR voice, the most

important voice is the end user of your songs, the people who will sing

or sing along with your song.

Even if it’s Contemporary Christian Radio you’re targeting, the end

result is that a LOT of people sing your song. The word “chorus”

actually means many people singing the same thing together, but that

could mean a hundred thousand people in separate cars singing along

to your song on the radio as much as it could mean a hundred

The WORLD is flooded with

very BAD “Christian” songs…

Shift #2 -


So, what’s at risk here is that the Gospel is being watered down all

around us, including by Christian songwriters. One author I read

estimated that there are 100 million songs on the internet (and his book

is several years old now).

The world is flooded with bad Christian songs.

Now, I know that’s a matter of opinion, but the stakes are eternal in

what we’re doing - decisions about Jesus are being made by the kind

Great Christian songs have

three key elements:

Heart, Art, and Strong Doctrine

#2 -


I’ve always taught as a clinician for Integrity Music’s Seminars4Worship

and for Worship Leader Magazine’s national worship leader

conferences that great Christian songs have three key elements: heart,

art, and great doctrine. Most of us have the heart part down, struggle

with the art, and usually have weak to non-existent doctrine in our

songs.

But this can be fixed. We’ve got the heart for Jesus and the strong

desire to fulfill our place in His plan by writing great Christian songs like

Stick with broad Biblical

themes and STILL check…

#2 -


I was working with a client recently who comes from a particular strain

of Christianity that is extremely narrow in its doctrine of salvation. The

words in his songs were very judgmental, condemning, and even

damning to the whole world except for those who bought into his

particular brand.

It was a delicate situation for me because I’m trying to encourage this

young guy, yet his song would ONLY be suitable for Sunday mornings

in his church and hardly anywhere else on the planet. We’ve got to

Check your current

ideas, style, ego, and pride

#2 -


CHECK YOUR CURRENT STYLE

Songwriters tend to believe that their current style and skill level should

be "good enough" and that people should/will love their songs as they

are.

If people would only recognize how passionate they feel about Jesus or

the message of hope they bring, etc, then they would LOVE their

songs. What they're doing is focusing on themselves instead of writing

#2 -


Attached to OLD way

of writing and to songs…

Got over writing just

for himself…

Writing commercially-viable

songs I’m currently pitching!

Terrance

Terrance, one of my clients, and I have a joke about getting over your

attachment to songs you’ve written - - we call it “killing your darlings”

because he had held on to his OLD way of writing and was very

attached to one particular song. The day he FINALLY let it go was the

day he started writing really commercially-viable songs and we’re close

to getting some of his songs placed.

He got over writing just for himself and stepped up into writing at a

much higher level, that of writing in a way that a lot more people will

#3 -

Stop Listening to Music

With Your Emotions Only

Most aspiring songwriters have

stopped listening critically to music

Most aspiring Christian songwriters have stopped listening critically to

music, if they ever started.

This means that they’re distracted by other things like envy or their own

passion to write that they don’t take notice of how the songs are

contracted and WHY they have the impact they do.

By “critically” I just mean with discernment as to HOW and WHY the

song works, not being critical or judgmental about the song itself.

#3 -



Move beyond the emotions you

feel to deconstruct the song

The next thing a successful songwriter does is to move beyond the

sheer EMOTION of the song to deconstruct it.

I probably mean this as much or MORE about our own songwriting, but

it applies to listening to others’ work, too.

The songwriters who’ve beneath me for a while often report hearing

something on radio or television finding themselves deconstructing it

and actually UNDERSTANDING the form and structure of the song -

#3 -



Listening critically demystifies

songwriting and gives you

more control

The point is that having your eyes opened to how songs are

constructed gives you more CONTROL over your own songwriting.

To not do it means you’re always left guessing how you got to where

you got, if you get there at all.

We are emotional creatures and often don’t recognize how our

emotions are engaging or being played, even. To stop and examine

what’s going on in a song gives us a better position to use those things

#3 -



This is my buddy, Daniel. Daniel came to us wanting to write for

children, but he needed to move out of writing from the IDEA of what

children’s songs are about into how children’s songs are REALLY

constructed.

His initial songs were too long, had far too many ideas in them for

children OR adult songs, and his emotions around writing for children

were keeping him from effectively capturing what he needed to do in

his songs.

#4 -

Stop Writing On Empty

Most aspiring Christian

songwriters are writing on EMPTY

and don’t even know it.

Most aspiring Christian songwriters are running on empty and don’t

even know it.

So, here’s the deal - everyone’s overloaded, including you. Unless

you’re independently wealthy, name your own hours, or never have to

work and can devote 100% of your time to songwriting (which is rare),

you’re juggling 5,000 other things while TRYING to write great songs.

This is hard, for sure.

#4 -

Stop Writing on Empty

The bad part about this is that time slips by SO fast. I know this by

personal experience because I didn’t write for almost ten years until last

year when my life got turned upside down through some very painful

circumstances. I always thought I would write again and couldn’t

believe a decade had gone by, one day at a time, as I became

overwhelmed with life and all that it takes from us.

An entire lifetime can slip by without us fulfilling the very call of God on

us… and I just don’t want to die with my best songs unwritten.

GO “STEALTH” AS A REAL SONGWRITER…

#4 -


So here’s how you deal with it. Songwriting becomes your constant

companion. You get creative about it and start turning the busyness all

around you into the STUFF of your songs. You start listening to

conversations at your kid’s ball games and really LISTEN to what

people are dealing with in their lives in order to address it in your songs.

You feel their hurt, see the pain in their eyes, and capture it in YOUR

songs with Jesus as the centerpiece and the healing answer they need.

You take their stories and craft them into songs.

#4 -


Here’s one of my favorite exercises for my clients to stay current and

creative and to NOT be writing on empty…

It’s what I call an “iTunes Sweep.”

What that is is a CRITICAL listening through 30 - 50 songs on iTunes,

but only the SAMPLES they give of each song.

Here’s what I recommend. Sit down with your laptop, plug in your ear

#5 -

Stop Trying to Go It Alone

Realize the importance of COMMUNITY…

Just like writers who are “writing on empty,” many writers are lonely

and don’t realize how much they’re missing by not being in community

with others…

There’s greater strength to be had in community with others pursuing

the same thing and helping each other grow through accountability and

inspiration.

Some of the most FUN I’ve ever had is in co-writing or the creative

Songwriting is a

CONVERSATION..

#5 -


Songwriting is more of a CONVERSATION than writers realize - - it’s

about an emotional exchange that’s happening not just between the

singer and the listener but the SONG ITSELF and the listener…

“God called you to be a

songwriter because He wanted

to spend more time with you.”

~ Andi Rozier/Vertical Worship

#5 -


My friend, Andi Rozier at Vertical Worship, said in a conversation with

me recently that, “God called you to be a songwriter because He

wanted to spend more time with you.” I like that, because that’s where

the power really comes from, spending time listening to His heart and

then having the level of craftsmanship to interpret that amazing, loving,

awesome heart to other people in songs. Songwriting is both skill and

inspiration - the great writers know this and keep leaning into the

spiritual and practical sides to write.

STEPPING UP into a place

of higher calling through

our songwriting…

#5 -


And that’s why we need each other and need to lean into the

accountability and truthfulness of brothers and sisters and be honest

with ourselves, even when it means STEPPING UP into a place of

higher calling through our songwriting.

BUT HERE’S AN INTERESTING FACT…

Songwriters often don’t

THINK they need any help.

#5 -


The #1 reason aspiring Christian songwriters flounder, get

discouraged, never have songs anyone thinks are great, and even quit

is that they don’t think they need any help.

“God gave me

this song…”

#5 -


The one phrase I hear over and over that Christian songwriters say is,

“God gave me this song…” Now, that’s either really GOOD or really

BAD, depending on what the song really sounds like. I try to be

generous, but sometimes I have to break it to writers that maybe God

inspired a desire to write a song, but their craft wasn’t where it could

have been to capture it as beautifully as He intended for it to be.

We’re not ever going to get other

people to actually LIKE a bad song,

no matter WHO gave it to us…

#5 -


So here’s what’s at stake if we keep saying that and writing mediocre

songs: first, we look foolish. To say God gave me a bad song is to

make ourselves look kind of crazy. We’re not ever going to get other

people to actually like a bad song, no matter WHO gave it to us, so why

can’t we just admit that WE wrote it and accept the fact that it could

use some work?

That brings me to the second highest thing at stake here, that, if we

believe our songs are flowing from the pen of God, we will never invest

A good mentor will give you great

ideas and help you execute them.

Your songwriting will grow quickly

and exponentially with a mentor.

#5 -


A good mentor will give you great ideas and help you execute them.

They will hold you accountable and you’ll get excited when you see

great things beginning to happen for you in your songwriting.

Your songwriting will grow quickly and exponentially with a mentor.

A great mentor will also pull you into a community of great people

aspiring for similar goals so you can grow exponentially together - one

of the key principles here is “iron sharpening iron” as we rub shoulders

#5 -


Anna

God told her she was going to write,

but she knew she

needed help…

In two months she was writing

commercially-viable songs!

This is another one of our clients, Anna. She’s taught piano for 20 years

and then felt God tell her she was going to write. She came to us a

beginner and has now written three commercially viable songs that

we’re out representing to Nashville publishers.

She started with basic musical knowledge and has now accomplished

more by trusting herself and trusting us to mentor and coach her.

A great mentor

becomes a

mirror for you…

#5 -


A great mentor becomes a mirror for you…

I wound up with some of the TOP Christian songwriters as mentors in

several seasons of my life/career…

They made all the difference and are why I’m still able to write and

place songs today.

Today I promised you…

How great songwriters THINK about their songwriting.

Tap into hidden creativity.

Lose the fear of getting your

songs in front of people.

So, like I promised you in the beginning, I’ve talked a lot about how

great Christian songwriters think about their writing and how you can

think about your writing in that way, too, so you can STOP this endless

cycle of frustration you’re going through.

I’ve talked to you about GOING STEALTH to help you tap into hidden

creativity and resources you didn’t know you had so you’ll never

struggle to find great song ideas or have writer’s block - - you’ll realize

an endless source of ideas and be able to capture them.


How to get UNSTUCK in your songwriting

Release the POWERGod’s put in you

Stop making the same MISTAKES

We talked about seeing more clearly how great songs are assembled

so you can STOP stumbling over pieces of your songs that don’t

work--you can discover exactly how songs really work and make yours

work, too.

We talked about the difference in “finding your voice” and having a

kingdom perspective, that there’s a true service and ministry for what

we do as Christian songwriters.

UNLEASH YOUR MAXIMUM

POTENTIAL AND REALLYLIVE YOUR CALL…


And then we wrapped up with the BIG ONE - helping you to fully

EMBRACE YOUR GIFTS AND UNIQUE CALL to write Christian songs

so you can STOP THE PAIN of wondering if you’ll ever be heard or ever

fulfill this call from God to express Him and His truth in great Christian

songs.

There’s just no reason to stay unclear about that and I want to help you

walk in all God has called you to walk in and making these FIVE

CRUCIAL SHIFTS are what will take you there.

5 key shifts…

STOP WRITING “FROM YOUR HEART”

STOP WRITING ONLY FOR YOURSELF

STOP LISTENING WITH YOUR EMOTIONS ONLY

STOP WRITING ON EMPTY

STOP TRYING TO GO IT ALONE

These five shifts alone are enough to propel your songwriting to new

levels of effectiveness and power.

IT’S YOUR CHOICE…

YOU

CONFUSED

DISCOURAGED

UNFULFILLED

AFRAID

FRUSTRATED

OR…

CONFIDENT

FEARLESS

FOCUSED

POWERFUL

FULFILL YOUR

CALLING

Now you have a choice… you can listen to all that I’ve said, but then

just shove it to the side and forget about it. This can be just another

webinar and just another day that you got some nice information but

then promptly forgot it without changing your life with it.

But think about… you believe God has called you, you really WANT to

fulfill this call and write great songs, but you’ll just stay stuck where you

are and struggle for the next five years, or ten years, or even the rest of

your life and never have the satisfaction of knowing you did something

49Here’s how we can help…

My team and I have set aside some time over

the next few days to speak with you personally

about how you can incorporate these

FIVE SHIFTS into your songwriting

to see immediate results.

COST: ABSOLUTELY FREE

My team and I have set aside some time over the next few days to

speak with you personally about how you can incorporate these five

shifts into your songwriting and see the results you long to see starting

immediately. If you’re wondering if you can really become a great

Christian writer...

THE COST: FREE.

You must be absolutely

COMMITTED to taking BOLD

ACTION in your songwriting

and be ready to INVEST in

your calling to write.

WHO THIS IS FOR…

You must be absolutely COMMITTED to taking BOLD ACTION in your

songwriting and be ready to INVEST WHAT IT TAKES TO ENSURE

YOUR FUTURE SUCCESS.

Here’s WHY we’re doing this…

On the call, we’ll seek to give you total clarity on the NEXT BEST STEPS for you and your

songwriting.

IF you want us to help and we feel like it’s a good fit, we MAY invite you to become one of

the new clients we’ll take on this month.

On the call, we’ll help you get total CLARITY about where you are in

your songwriting and where you want to be with it, and the EXACT

steps you need to get you there.

If you want us to help you AND we think it’s a good fit, we may invite

you to become one of the new clients we’ll take on this month.

IF we work together…

We will take you through the same

program we’ve used with high-end professional

songwriters over many years.

You’ll gain mastery like never before and see powerful results you’ve wanted badly but

never thought could happen for you.

We will put you through the same program we’ve used with high-end

professional songwriters who’ve gotten amazing results over many

years, giving you and training you in the essential tools and skills you

need to write successfully for the rest of your life.

Here are some of the nice things people have said about our program…

What our clients are saying…




IF you fit

those criteria…

GO TO: www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/apply

Here are your FREE gifts!

I’ve worked with a lot of great songwriters and all of them used these TEN pro

songwriting tips as they developed their songs. Now you can use them, too!

Always start with a strong hook and title. The primary “hook” of a song is almost

always the title and must be the most memorable part of the song - that’s why they

call it a hook. One notable exception is Redman/Silas’ 10,000 Reasons where the

hook is actually “Bless the Lord, O my soul” and not the title, but you get the point. If

you start writing a song and the hook is weak, the rest of the song just won’t gel and

come together the way you want it to.

Think through the song’s FORM. What kind of song are you writing? What popular

songs would compare to yours and what form did they use? How can you use

that form to make yours great? Even worship songs for congregations rarely have

only one verse, so yours should probably have two, as well, along with a chorus (of

course) and maybe even a pre-chorus and a bridge. Think about the FORM as the

blueprint for where you want to go, then start laying in the building blocks.

Don’t throw any idea out. No professional writer throws anything out. They always

keep snippets in their phones, on their laptops or tablets, and when writing they

NEVER throw away any great lines, even if they don’t seem to be working in the

present song project. You never know when it could fit in and be the perfect line! As

you write, jot down extraneous lines at the bottom of the page. If you don’t use them,

transfer them to an idea file you can come back to later.

Write with and keep a notebook of your song ideas, titles, and snippets.

I know I just said to keep random lines on your phone or other handy electronic

gadget, and you should, but there’s nothing like an old fashioned spiral notebook for

jotting down your ideas and finishing out those songs. In some ways, it’s easier to

play with the lines on a page with your pen or pencil than to erase and cut and paste.

I’ve done it both ways, but I love the feel of a pencil and there are times the phone or

tablet or laptop aren’t handy. I always transfer a lyric and rough demo recordings to

my digital file when finished and I’m ready to move to the next phase of making the

song come to life.

T H E P R O S O N G W R I T E R ’ S

T O P T E N T I P S H E E TB Y J O H N C H I S U M

Devotional

• Devotional• Personal• Private• Prayer Closet with Jesus

Instructional

• Sunday School• Scripture Memory• Functional• Catechism

Congregational/Choral

• Congregational• Praise/Worship• Choral• Solos/Special Songs• Teaching• Singer/Songwriter• Soaking/Prophetic (relates back to first category...)

Commercial

• CCM• Radio• Touring for Artists• CD Sales• Popular• Singer/Songwriter• Reaches Broadest Audience

Characteristics

• Free Form• No Repetitive Hook• May Never Be Repeated

Characteristics:

• Simple• Memorable• Instructional• May have potential to go beyond on this continuum...

Characteristics:

• Singable• Memorable• Biblical• Celebratory• Unifying• Service Music

Characteristics:

• Singable and Rangy• Artistic License• Testimonial• Evangelistic

Go to:

http://nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/webinar-gifts/

to download them now!

IF you’re ready for your

breakthrough call…

GO TO:

www.nashvillechristiansongwriters.com/apply

© Copyright 2017 by Nashville Christian Songwriters LLC Int’l. All Rights Reserved.

Become a Successful Christian Songwriter WEBINAR · How to Become a Successful Christian Songwriter...

Documents

Transcript of Become a Successful Christian Songwriter WEBINAR · How to Become a Successful Christian Songwriter...