Diving home from a show in western New Jersey this afternoon, I was listening to an interview with writer, Ann LaMott. She wrote (among several) a book called "Bird by Bird", which offers instructions on writing and life.



I've never read the book, but she was summing up her process for writing as described in her book, and something she said really struck me.



"Don't wait for inspiration", she said, "because it never comes and it's just another way to keep yourself from… Continue

When writing songs, I used to think it was all about the first moment of inspiration... that first time I'd play an interesting progression of chords, or hear a melody in my head. And if it didn't all come to me at once, I usually didn't pursue it much further.

 

But over the last few years, I've discovered that the songs I'm generally most proud of are NOT the ones that popped into my head nearly complete. The ones I appreciate the most are the ones I've kept coming back to,…

Continue

After a few years of working nearly every Saturday and Sunday, I've recently started blocking out a few weekend days every month. While it's not easy for an entertainer to turn down gigs, I realized that, while I'm out there performing for other people's kids, my OWN kids are growing up faster than seems possible.

 

While, yes, my children often attend my performances, it's not really the same as enjoying the day together as a family. It's work, and while I love the "work" I…

Continue