Hello, Aaron here. Anyone who has heard me play has probably heard me speak the words “February Album Writing Month” on more than one occasion. Most of my songs — not all of them, but most of them — have been written during the month of February, when there isn’t much to do outside, and the sun sets well before dinnertime.
What is February Album Writing Month? Fashioned after National Novel Writing Month, it’s a challenge to write 14 songs in the 28 days of the shortest month of the year. You upload the words and music to their website, and your fellow songwriters from around the world cheer you on as they work on their own songs, and you return the favor by listening to a ton of new music.
In this episode, I will reflect on my repeated experience participating in this annual songwriting marathon; the tradeoffs that come with writing this way; and whether, on balance, I feel like it’s a net positive to being a song craftsperson.
Next week, we’ll release part one of our interview with Burr Settles, the founder of February Album Writing Month.