14 Songs In 28 Days?

by Scott Andrew on January 31, 2006 · Comments

Tomorrow is the first day of February, and the first day of the 3rd annual February Album Writing Month (FAWM). What is it?

Sometimes we need a kick in the pants to “show up and get busy.” [FAWM] is an annual kick in the pants. This website forges a collaborative online community where musicians hold each other accountable to write 14 original pieces of music during the 28 days of February (roughly one song every other day for a solid month). That many quality works that quickly is challenging, but healthy and doable, even with a full-time job not related to music.

I can certainly attest to the power of potential embarrassment in front of your peers to kickstart your creativity. Last year, I promised my fans a special 3-song EP of new material if they came to my big birthday show. I’m usually lucky if I write three songs a year (what was I thinking?!) but amazingly, the added pressure of a hard deadline helped me write, record and produce three new songs in less than four weeks.

FAWM doesn’t even require you to record your songs. The idea is to just start something now. Dare you put the wolf at the door?

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