SONGWRITING: learn to love critique

I was thinking it could be fun to explore some songwriting stuff together - so, here is my thought for today.... 'learn to love critique'. It can be one of the most difficult parts of songwriting (apart from actually getting off the ground with a song in the first place :) We are all human, and we all feel it when someone says they don't like what we've written - so it might seem a little crazy to actually seek someone out deliberately to tell us what they don't like about our songs...BUT, it's the best way of taking a song forward. Because we've written the song, we understand how it's meant to be listened to, and exactly what every word is meant to convey, but everyone else who listens to the song, doesn't have the benefit of that insight - we have to let them in our heads - or maybe a better way to put it, we need to make sure the song speaks for itself. When you invite someone to critique your stuff, they'll help you see the bits that don't quite communicate as clearly as you thought they did. They'll let you know if the melody is hooky, or if it needs to be stronger in places. They'll help you see where you need to narrow your focus, or where you need to enlarge what you're trying to say. Especially if you are writing worship material that you would love to see others sing, having someone critique your stuff until you're pretty sure that you've got it in the bag, will take that song you're working on, and give it a whole depth you would have otherwise missed. Take courage, the best songs are usually birthed out of that next rewrite :)