86. How to Break Through the “Second Verse Curse”

Dear Songwriter,

In this episode, I'm diving into the common songwriter's dilemma: The Second Verse Curse. I understand the frustration of not knowing how to progress the story and feeling like I've poured everything into Verse 1. But here's the truth: Verse 2 struggles often stem from not fully grasping what we've created in Verse 1.

To help you break through this creative block, I'll present a seven-step exercise that will provide the clarity you need to never get stuck on Verse 2 again:

Step 1: Answer the following question - What’s happening in Verse 1?

Example: I’m introducing the main character by describing their personality and some physical traits, and make it known that they have entered a new relationship.

Step 2: Answer the following question - What do I want to say in the Chorus?

Example: That a toxic person may not reveal themselves until much later on

Step 3: List out all of the possibilities of where the story could go (include bad ideas, just write everything down):

Example:

• Highlight the "good things" about this relationship
• Highlight the ugly things about this relationship
• Introduce the second character
• Detail the breakup

Step 4: Choose the item from your list that most resonates with you/feels most natural to write about...

...and then free-write journal to expand on the concept. (it’s OK if It sounds "stupid".)

Example:

• Highlight the "good things" about this relationship
• At first we would often go out to eat on the weekends and always seemed to agree on what restaurant we wanted to go to. We would then spend hours at night just talking with each other.

Step 5: Take that free-write journaled excerpt, and draft 4-8 lines for your verse.

Example:

• (journaled) At first we would often go out to eat on the weekends and always seemed to agree on what restaurant we wanted to go to. We would then spend hours at night just talking with each other.
  • (draft) Saturday came with food for two // grabbed the same menu each time // the clock turned to one, our mouths on the run // and didn’t catch them until the sun’s rise

Step 6: Reflect on the things you like, and the things you need to work on.

Example:

• (draft) Saturday came with food for two // grabbed the same menu each time // then the clock turned to one, our mouths on the run // and couldn’t catch them until the sun’s rise
  • (reflection) I like the imagery and metaphor of the last two lines, but there lacks some connection between going from lines two to three, specifically going from describing eating food together, to talking all night together

Step 7: Redraft Verse 2 based on those notes.

Let's walk through it together in today's episode!

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