All I could think about last Sunday was writing a song.
The urge had been building all day:
Through my workout in the morning, errands in the afternoon, even while I was having dinner with friends.
After getting home that night, I finally got the chance to sit down with my guitar.
The room was quiet, the lighting was just right, and for the first time that day I felt like I could breathe.
But the moment my fingers touched the strings, they fell back into the same old chord cycles I’ve played a thousand times before.
I strummed. I searched. I waited for the muse to show up.
Nothing was coming.
Just as I was about to spiral down a black hole of self-doubt…
My eyes landed on a painting of a boat sailing into harbor.
I thought: what would the captain of that boat be thinking right now?
Suddenly I wasn’t writing as myself, but as the captain at the helm.
I could see the shore.
The words began to flow.
Before I knew it two hours had vanished and I had a song to be excited about.
That moment reminded me of something I keep returning to in my own writing:
Sometimes all it takes is one spark.
Which brings me to another “Song Spark” I’d love to share…
This one comes straight out of my Song Sparks Vault:
Song Spark 14: Let the Object Speak
How it works:
Sometimes the most revealing narrator isn’t a person, it’s the thing left behind. A crumpled postcard. A wedding ring. An old keychain. Letting an object tell the story can unlock metaphors your listener never saw coming.
Example:
A song told from the point of view of an old guitar case that’s been dragged from city to city, carrying both the songs played and the silence in between.
Prompt:
Pick an object tied to a memory or an emotion and write the song from its point of view. Let it talk about the things no one else saw.
This technique works because it forces you out of your usual patterns.
Instead of defaulting to your own perspective, you uncover surprising images and metaphors.
Also, when you take on the perspective of another person or thing, you can say things you’d never be able to say yourself.
And if you missed it, this is the second prompt I’ve shared from my Song Sparks Vault.
I’ve compiled 50 of my personal favorite song prompts for the days when I need to break through the silence.
I hope this helps you catch your own spark this week.
And if it does, I’d love to hear what it unlocked for you.
More sparks coming soon,
Matt
If you enjoyed reading this, the highest compliment I can think of is if you restacked it or shared it with one person who you think it would help.
I really love the way you described shifting perspective from stuck in old chord cycles to stepping into the captain’s shoes. That flip feels so simple but so powerful. The ‘let the object speak’ spark is brilliant too… I’m already thinking about what stories my old notebook might tell if it had a voice.
Loved it