Did I Wait Too Long To Start Writing Songs?

Many of our SongTown members put songwriting aside for years while they raised a family.  The dreams from their 20’s only really started to get a chance in their 40’s or 50’s or beyond because life got in the way. So, they come to us and ask “Did I wait too long to start writing songs?”

My answer is always a hearty “NO!”.

In my view, there is no “too late”.  There is just reality.  My reality was starting to try to write professionally in my 30’s.  Some of the people I write with started in their late teens.  Others started in their 40’s or beyond.  And, it’s possible to succeed from any of those starting places.

If you are 18, you have plenty of time to make mistakes and experiment.  If you are starting later in life, you may need to focus more quickly on what will help you succeed, but guess what?

Maturity and age actually help most people focus in on what is important.

There are advantages and disadvantages to starting songwriting young and to starting later in life.  Starting young doesn’t give you much life experience to draw on when you write.  Starting older may mean you are not as contemporary as you need to be.

In either case, I encourage people to look at the positives of their starting point. And to have fun!

If you have raised a family, worked for many years and dealt with some adversity in life, you have a RICH experience base upon which to draw from as you start writing songs.

You have also likely learned some things about communication and people in general that can help you write songs that connect with listeners.  All of those things are huge advantages you have.

So, don’t let your age or your starting point hold you back.  Figure out how to use those things to your advantage and you’ll be off to the races.

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been” to quote George Eliot.

Marty Dodson