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FAWM Quickstart

What's going on? We're all attempting to write 14 songs in 28 days.

Isn't that crazy? Nah. Think of FAWM as a big, free, international songwriting workshop that only requires an Internet connection. Other fawmers will become your friends, collaborators, and accountability partners; they are sources of feedback, advice, and inspiration.

Can I really do that? Yup! Each year thousands of fawmers try... and hundreds make it to 14 songs. Some haven't written in years, while others have never written a song before. (Of course, some can write 14 songs in their sleep.) On average, even "non-winners" walk away with half a dozen new songs. Not bad for four weeks’ work!

What’s the point of taking part? The basic premise of the challenge is that if you get a teeny tiny bit better every time you write a song, then writing a lot of songs will help you to get a lot better. FAWM will encourage you to write more songs.

When you don’t have a deadline for creative work, it’s a big temptation to delay starting it until you feel “in the mood” and your muse shows up with inspiration. The usual result of this is that nothing happens. No songs get written. During FAWM, you don’t have time for procrastination. You can’t be precious about whether a song idea is good enough. If you’ve got an idea, use it! You have to put your muse to work, and do it now. Your inner editor gets to take the month off, too. It’s not allowed to tell you that a song isn’t good enough. Instead, you will be working as part of a community of your songwriting peers, and we’re all focused on helping each other to write songs. For many fawmers, this opens the floodgates, creatively speaking. And after a few years of taking part, you suddenly find you've become one of the old hands and are helping the next cohort of beginners with their first songs, and it all becomes even more fun.

OK, So... I have to write and record a whole album in February? Write, yes. Record—well, that’s up to you. Our focus is on songwriting (or composing), not recording. Rough demos are encouraged if you want to (see below). There are some fawmers for whom the production aspect of songwriting is part of their creative process, but for the rest of us there's plenty of time for that from March onwards. If you aren’t interested in production values, or you feel that they get in the way of your creative process, don't let them!

What constitutes a "song"? Can I write instrumentals? Pop songs, instrumentals, "sound art," whatever. The goal is to be challenged and have fun—whatever that means to you. Let your muse fly free!

What if I only write lyrics? That's totally cool. There are many other fawmers who do just that as well. Equally, some fawmers don’t write their own lyrics but instead love to create musical arrangements for other people’s words, so there’s a good chance that someone out there would jump at a chance to work with you! You can search the site for songs tagged #MusicWanted or #LyricsWanted which have been posted by people looking to collaborate. Or you could just ask around in the forums.

Note

Make sure that you read the collab guidelines page before you start work on a collaboration!

How long should my songs be? That’s a good question! It depends on the genre you’re writing for, but in general, maybe aim for 3 minutes? Having said that, fawmers have written punk songs that are over in ten seconds and prog-rock extravaganzas lasting more than twenty minutes, so you do you.

And I can't start until February 1? No. You might find the idea of starting with a completely blank canvas a scary one, but fawmers have written more than a quarter of a million songs since the challenge began and it turns out that you’re likely to be more successful (and have more fun) if you embrace the fear and just dive in.

If you have a lonesome hook/idea you've been bouncing around for a while, it's OK to polish it off for FAWM. Or, if you're planning a concept album it's OK to start doing research. But the “clean slate” approach is likely to work best.

Note

The website will unlock song posting at midnight at the international date line on February 1st (see “When can I start posting songs to the site?” below). If you’re up for the authentic challenge, you shouldn’t start work at all until then.

What happens if I use a song I really wrote earlier? Nothing. But why take any old song you already wrote, and claim it for FAWM? What new songwriting chops will you develop by doing this? How will it help you to get better as an artist? FAWM is about unlocking the songwriting potential you have immediately to hand, and trust us: it’s there, even if you’re not aware of it. There’s no point in posting the album you recorded last year, not just because your fellow fawmers will almost certainly be able to tell, but also because you won’t learn anything by doing so—remember, the challenge is about developing your ability to come up with a song right now. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Give it a go. Trust us: it can be a life-changing experience.

What about a cover song? Is that a new original song? See the next answer.

What about a parody song? You must not copy someone else's music or lyrics without their express permission. If you copy or closely imitate someone else's work, you are likely to infringe their copyright, particularly if it’s a composition which has been released commercially. If this results in FAWM being served with a copyright takedown notice, we will remove your song from the site. Obviously we’d rather not have to do this, so our advice is simply: please don’t.

We're songwriters (not lawyers) so this isn't legal advice, but if you are going to imitate another song, it's best if you do so as an educational exercise, or to "comment" on the original song. Regardless, you could be accused of copyright infringement and/or we could have to take down your song.

What do I get for "winning"? Many new songs and the admiration of your songwriting peers! Oh, and a little trophy icon next to your name on the website. What more do you need?

How long will I be able to listen to the results? The website and its forums open at the end of January. People post songs in February. March is for catching up, revising demos (if that’s your thing), continuing to leave comments on other people’s songs, and organising FAWM Over Parties, or FOPs! The site goes back into hibernation for the rest of the year on March 15th. (See Off Season, below).

Note that when the site opens again next year, it will be wiped clean and this year’s songs will NOT be available, so remember to make backups of your submissions and save them locally!

What's the community like? FAWM exists in order to help people grow as artists. It’s about helping each other to develop our abilities as writers, as performers, and (if you’re that way inclined) about growing as an arranger and a producer, too. FAWM is a big community and its members have a lot of experience and knowledge which they will gladly share with you.

Please remember that fawmers are your peers. They’re trying to improve as songwriters, just like you are. The "fawmily" has a positive, encouraging, we're-all-in-this-together kind of vibe. You can check out the Community Guidelines section for tips and the glossary to get a crash-course on our inside jokes and such.