Helping you write your best songs with a focus on the benefits of innovative songwriting software, tools, resources and programs.

From Songwriting Software Plus

April, 2003

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Contents:

Hi,

First up; Editor's Note (from the laptop of Robert Curtis)

Items:

1. Spice Up Your Writing With A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes and Clichés
2. Send In Your Software Success Stories
3. This Month's Notable Quote

Editor's Note:

This month the focus is on a really cool rhyming and cliché program that makes finding rhymes, catch phrases and the like a quick mouse click lookup. The best writer's in the business use this tool. I think you quickly see it's many handy benefits.

Also, if you have a helpful or even inspired experience you'd like to share regarding any of the programs on Songwriting Software Plus please let me know. It may end up in a future issue. (see item 2 below :-)

Subscriber Note: This newsletter is best viewed as an HTML file (formatted with colors and center alignment, etc.). Please consider switching your preferences in your email program to allow HTML files for the best viewing if you currently only accept text.

Item 1

Spice Up Your Writing With A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes And Clichés

From Clint Black to Stephen Sondheim to the Grateful Dead to countless as yet unsung songwriters are all among those who unabashedly proclaim that they use A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes And Clichés to aid in their songwriting process (me too!).

A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes And Clichés (we'll call it ZK from here on) is an easy to use software tool that puts single, double, triple rhymes and more (clichés, etc.) at the tip of your mouse.

If you are brainstorming your song idea or looking for alternative line or title ideas ZK offers you common catch phrases and figures of speech that you may want to cleverly twist into a lyric line or even cast into an interesting and catchy title.

Stretch Your Song Sketch

From one end of the inspirational spectrum is the scenario where you may have an inspired moment and suddenly you find yourself wanting to write what's pouring out of your heart.

Getting an emotionally charged draft down unfettered is often a good way to start a song because it has the unadulterated emotional content that form the heart and allure of a song.

After your draft is laid out you can then go back through it with ZK and set up and or test your rhymes by seeing if there are any other words you might be inspired by even more or that just plain work better.

Our lives are often so hectic that having a clear mind to critically review our own songs can be a luxury. In these moments it can be useful and indeed helpful to employ a tool like ZK to provide numerous choices for rhymes and phrases to use or twist for lines you're reviewing.

Then there are moments when you may be looking for an idea to inspire you which again is where ZK can come in as a cool brainstorming tool. For example, let's say you want to write a song that has something to do with fire, you could go into ZK and type in fire, click the "Cliché" button and boom every pertinent cliché and catch phrase related to fire pops up. In fact I just ran it and there are 33 fire lines, so to speak :-), like "light my fire", "fire and ice", "fight fire with fire" and "a sure fire hit".

Speaking Of Fire, Fire Up A Collaboration Session

All these same processes are equally applicable to writing with a collaborator or collaborators and can help you finish a song faster.

There may be a situation where you've writing with a deadline looming and you need to be able to look up possible rhymes quickly and smartly.

"Quickly" happens because you're using software that puts the rhymes at your finger tips within a couple of mouse clicks.

"Smartly" occurs because within a couple of mouse clicks you can readily narrow your list to only one syllable rhymes or three syllable rhymes or whatever. Then, at the quick click of a mouse fire up every cliché related to the word you've just chosen to rhyme with and you may come up with a really cool twist on a tired old cliché :-)

Easily Link ZK To Lyricist - The Songwriter's Work Horse

Lyricist, as you may know by now, is the songwriter's word processor that makes writing your lyrics easier and includes musical components as well that allow you to do things like put guitar chords over your lyrics.

Lyricist also includes a rhyming dictionary, thesaurus and many other features that take advantage of today's technology including the internet and ZK simply adds a complimentary layer to the program, essentially turbo charging it. You can simply link ZK into Lyricist via it's Link Application function.

Lyricist is always growing in capability, and if you missed all the new features about to launch click here to read about them in the last issue of Songwriting Software Express. And for May, 2003, Lyricist has free shipping to the lower 48 states in the U.S., an additional $6.95 savings. Click here for more information and to order Lyricist.

Here's What Others Have To Say About ZK

"So doggone easy to use... pick up this wonderful rhyming dictionary."

- Keyboard Magazine

"A killer rhyming dictionary... I recommend it unreservedly!"

- MacUser

"One of the 6 essential writing tools."

- The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Perhaps the handiest piece of software a lyricist could own."

- Electronic Musician

"An innovative product for the aspiring country songwriter."

- Music City News

Click here for information on purchasing A Zillion Kajillion Rhymes and Clichés.

In conjunction with partner Writers Store

End of Item

Item 2

Send In Your Software Success Stories

If you have had a good experience with any of the programs available from Songwriting Software Plus then please send in your account. Your story may offer some help and inspiration to other songwriter subscribers of this newsletter and if so it just may very well be shared in an upcoming issue of Songwriting Software Express.

Please send your stories along to Robert@Songwriting-Software.com :-) (just click on the address then write and send your message)

Thanks.

End of Item

Notable Quote:

"The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work." -- Arthur Brisbane, American Editor, Columnist

Information & Credits

Songwriting Software Express is published monthly by Songwriting Software Plus: Robert Curtis, Editor.

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