If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland

Well, I've been sent to my room. My wife is having an all female party and I am not invited. Originally I was supposed to leave for the evening but I talked her into letting me stay in my room upstairs. After this post I might have to see how loud my amp gets...

While cleaning this past weekend I came across a book that was very important to me 15 years ago. It is If You Want To Write by Brenda Ueland. The subtitle states, "a book about art, independence and spirit."

Originally written for writers, this is a great book for all artists. The basic premise of this book is that everybody is unique and has something important to say. Most artists get in the way of themselves, creating art that is pretentious, square, and boring. Here are a few quotes:

"Know that you have talent, are original and have something important to say."

"Write freely, recklessly."

"Try to discover your true, honest, untheoretical self."

"Don't be afraid of yourself when you write. Don't check-rein yourself. If you are afraid of being sentimental, say, for heaven's sale be as sentimental as you can or feel like being!"

And why write? "Because there is nothing that makes people so generous, joyful, lively, bold and compassionate."

This book helped me go from writing music to impress others, to writing music that impresses me, regardless of whether other people like it (although I am happy when other people like my music).

Now, time to check my amp...

-Rob

scores, tabs, and mp3s available at http://www.robertlunncomposer.com