John Mark McMillan | songwriting tips | TOP THREE WAYS TO WRITE LYRICS

[@GuilhermePrebianca]

Man, what a treasure! You're my favorite singer! Every single lyric that you write fill my head of emotions and my heart with warm. God keep'n blessing you! Greetings from Brazil !

[@JohnMillea]

Thanks for the advice! I've been appreciating these songwriting vids, keep em coming!

[@ValFantozzi]

Loved this tips! Thank you, Mark Val 🇦🇷 😊

[@steventalbot5203]

Probably the best lyricist. Always described his lyrics as akin to poetry. Thank you John!

[@Balthazar2242]

I've been stuck on a song for a long time now and I've rewritten it several times. I feel like I've run out of chords that sound fresh and I cant find something that really clicks with me.

[@Edertainment]

Thanks brother! I appreciate this! I’m finishing writing an album during this season and this is super helpful.

[@Lesleyallisonwalker]

Ah!! I do that all the time!! If I like something or drawn to a phrase or line, I’ll try to do something different with it and by golly it usually takes off! Poetry especially!

[@Matthew.Gonzales]

Yes! this one is my favorite so far. Love this, totally applying these tips and checking these poets out! Thanks a bunch!

[@TheLaetaPuella]

THANK YOU. 🙏🏼 This gives me inspiration for a project I’ve been dreaming up.

[@atm1276]

Thank you so much for creating this series. Unbelievably freeing and helpful.

[@zachgalli9390]

Thanks John! Love At The End is one my favorite songs of yours lyrically and musically

[@joecrites]

Helpful. Thanks a bunch.

[@pcanarsky]

Just bought the new album the other day. It's phenomenal!! Thank you so much!

[@ericjurotich9078]

Thanks for all of these videos

[@DylanMichaelToddMusic]

Great advice, I have been keeping little moleskin lyric journals, and you gave me some new ideas to try out! Thank you! Hope to see you when you come to Nashville!

[@davidloos8094]

Thanks for your insight! I'm looking forward to using these techniques! One of my favourite lines you wrote is, "You hold the reins on the sun and the moon like horses driven by Kings ." Love the verbal picture!

[@emilymccaughey8880]

this made me so happy to find this video oh my goodness!

[@towncriersongs]

I’ve been a subscriber of method 2 for a while now. Thanks for reminding me that I need poetry in my life again. It’s been a while (College...) since I really dove in.

[@LeandroAtallah]

That is cool! Thank you for that.

[@naoooo00]

Great never thought it

[@babybutterfly521]

You can do that with the Bible also. 🙂

[@SecondLifeAround]

▶ QUICK QUESTION? ◄ Could you please elaborate & explain the songwriting technique that you briefly mentioned as "stream of consciousness free-writing"? Does this involve in anyway for one to just let whatever ideas and thoughts flow and the person is then suppose to just write whatever words, ideas or images that popped into their mind? Or is it something completely different than this? I really appreciate it as this was the only part I didn't understand or know how it is that you actually do this yourself. Thanks in advance for your help & for making this video. Hope to hear from you. Peace & God bless. - JR

[@ryansumawan1865]

Brilliant.

[@ChrisCloudStaringAtFire]

Hmm I would rather write lyrics that people steal from me. PS: love your music

[@johnmarkofficial]

All the greats learn by mimicking. Pablo Picasso says “Good artists barrow, great artists steal”. No one is expected to invent the English. Just take it and make it your own.

[@johnmarkofficial]

I guess what I’m saying is no one cares where or why you start a song. All that matters is the end product. No one cares what your blueprint is as long as the end product is moving and meaningful.

[@johnmarkofficial]

Also, thank you ☺️

[@ChrisCloudStaringAtFire]

​@@johnmarkofficial Thanks for the feedback. That makes more sense. I get your point more now. I still don't fully agree but I totally get your point and it's more respectable than I originally thought. I just do my best to be me. To be original. In my music and stories. Especially when it comes to Christians, we rarely create new (like we should), we always just do the "Christian" version of something secular. And I despise that. I'll leave you with a quote as well: " I never wanted to be the next Bruce Lee, I just wanted to be the first Jackie Chan" - JC. Thanks again! and thanks for your great music. You have a very original voice and sound. That's why I listen :)

[@The_Local_Echo]

This is awesome! If it's possible, would you want to read over a song i wrote several weeks ago? I would love to get some feedback from someone who's been doing this for awhile.

[@theeightbithero]

Guess that answers my question.

[@johnmarkofficial]

And what question was that?

[@theeightbithero]

I had asked a question in your last lesson video about the difference between lyrics and poetry, how one divides the two rightly. I’d imagine from this video and the body of your work that you hold them as close. If you do actually understand them to have more technical differences within your style I would still be really curious to see more behind the technicalities through which you divide poetry from song. Is it just music or is there more to it?

[@johnmarkofficial]

Yes totally! Actually I think musical lyrics can be more forgiving. However, some words that sound fine when you speak them are awkward to sing. So there is a similar approach but still subtly different.

[@theeightbithero]

I would not yet say that I am a even a beginner at song writing. If you ever get around to it, I’d like to know some “lyric theory.” I bet that it is generally an intuitive process for most. No need to bend anything for my tastes. I appreciate these videos. It’s a really cool way to bring life and gospel light to this world in social decay and unwanted dark solitude. I bet this sort of thing could birth a new generation of fantastic artists. I’m here as a spectator of history, but if I can jump into the pit, I’d like to walk out of this with a prize pig of my own.