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Gotham FacultyHOW TO KEEP FOCUS IN A LYRIC OR NOTFaculty InsightBY TONY CONNI FFRecently I heard some talentedstudents record a song that I’vealways liked, and still do—“IfI Ever Lose My Faith In You”by Sting. Great groove, strongChorus, interesting and unexpected chord changes and, as isusually the case with Sting, asoaring, catchy melody.But today I’m looking into thesong’s lyrics, which bring upquestions that I think arise formost songwriters when writing. Questions about keepingfocus and when, in the lyric, tolet yourself shift or loosenfocus or not.Let’s say you’re lucky enoughto come up with a good Title/Chorus, maybe even one asstrong as Sting’s:If I Ever Lose My Faith In YouThere’d be nothing left for me to dolost faith in them, as rough asit might be, he’d be OK. Thencomes the “BUT” If I EverLose My Faith In You nowthat would be a disaster.This “list song” strategy isone that’s been used in manythousands of songs andwill continue to be used. Ifit’s done well, it’s just effective. Examples include VernonDuke/Ira Gershwin’s “I Can’tGet Started” (“I did this list ofincredible things BUT I Can’tGet Started With You”), U2’s“I Still Haven’t Found WhatI’m Looking For” (“I did thislist of incredible things BUT IStill Haven’t Found What I’mLooking For”), and Bob Dylan’s“Gotta Serve Somebody”(“Here’s a list of exciting andworldly things you might doBUT you still Gotta ServeSomebody”).Where do you go fromthere? Sting chose, very wisely I think, to take a page frombasic songwriting playbook—he made a List Song, endingin “BUT.” In other words, hemade a list of things that, if heHonesty compels me to saythat in “Lose My Faith” Stingdid not carry out this strategyquite as effectively as these other songwriters did in the abovesongs. Don’t misunderstand;Sting’s a great songwriter witha number of classics to his credit. Whether you think it was agood idea or not, he just let himself—intentionally, I’m sure—get a little loose on the lyric ofthis one.Let me try to elucidate why Isay that.Verse 1:You could say I lost my faith inscience and progress You couldsay I lost my belief the holy churchYou could say I lost my sense ofdirection You could say all of thisand worse BUTSo far so good; right on topic.Verse 2:Some would say I was a lost manin a lost world You could say Ilost my faith in people on TV Youcould say I’d lost my belief in ourpoliticians They all seemed likegame show hosts to me BUTThe ‘game show’ line is a wisecrack; it’s an aside it doesn’tset up the “But.” It draws attention away from the main idea ofthe song and to the writer. It’sonly one line though, right?Verse 3:I never saw no miracle of scienceThat didn’t go from a blessing to acurse I never saw no military solution That didn’t always end up assomething worse but Let me saythis firstThere’s no law that says a writer has to stick with the “plan”(in fact there are no songwriting laws at all), and some songseffectively abandon what seemsto be their original “plan.” Butthis song, and this type of song(the list with a twist?), isn’t oneof them, in my opinion. It’s a“set ‘em up and knock ‘em down”kind of writing situation (seeIra Gershwin, Bono, Bob Dylanabove). At its best, it’s abouthow imaginatively the writercan illustrate their main idea.Faculty ProfileBY BRIT T GAM BI NOAnd yet, a reporter from her alma mater once askedLeigh if she considered writing romance novels awaste of her life and talents. (Leigh was an honorsjournalism student at Drake University.) Leigh responded, “I received a letter from a hospice nurseabout how she loved reading my books becausethey’re a relief from what she does at work. Anotherwoman who read my books while her father was dying in the hospital told me, ‘It’s like your arms cameout and hugged me.’ Another woman may be alivebecause she picked up one of my books—she realized she was being poisoned by the carbon monoxidefrom her furnace, like one of my heroines! So, no Idon’t consider it a waste of a life.”On a related note, even many readers of romance assume that because the novels are light and easy to read,they must be easy to write. But Leigh debunks thatmyth: “They’re actually very tightly written. They’re sofocused on the hero and heroine, so there’s no room forwandering off or secondary character subplots.”Furthermore, because romance is what Leigh calls “a veryspecific genre,” it’s important to learn the fundamentals ofthe craft. Some writers think that just because they understand the basics of fiction they’ll be able to write a successful romance. Not necessarily. “The danger,” Leigh says, “isthat you can write something that falls in between a traditional literary novel and a romance novel and then it can’tfind a home anywhere.”GOTH AMWRI T E RS .COMsongwriter and singer, notto mention one of my favorite bass guitarists. But overthe last week I listened toyour song twenty times andcouldn’t help but notice whatI’ve pointed out above.This article originally appeared in the author’s blog,found at tonyconniff.comSEE MORE FACULTY ARTICLESAND PROFILES ON OUR WEBSITE.I think in most songs it’s bestto think about the Verses interms of setting up the Chorus(if there is one). But the list songalmost demands it.Gotham teacher Leigh Michaels wrote her firstromance novel when she was fourteen-years-old.“What I knew about love and relationships backthen could have fit on a postage stamp—and haveroom for the grocery list,” she says. Today, Leighhas more than 35 million copies of her romancenovels in print, in 120 countries, in 25 languages.LEIGH MICHAELSFinally Sting GordonSumner please forgive me!I’m a fan; you’re a greatIn addition to her many novels, Leigh has writtenthree books on craft: On Writing Romance, CreatingRomantic Characters, and Writing Between theSexes. The latter serves as a how-to guide usinggender differences to create believable characters.“When we write, it’s natural to do it from our ownperspective,” says Leigh, “so we don’t always writerealistic men.” (And she confirms this goes bothways—there are male writers out there writing unrealistic female characters as well.)She even teaches seminars on gender differences,which, as Leigh describes it, is really an opportunity to talk about people—why we behave the way wedo—and how to apply those behaviors to writing.Leigh says she teaches for two reasons: to foster awriting community and to give back to newer writers. “When I started, there was no one out there tohelp me,” Leigh explains. “When I submitted myfirst manuscript, I consulted Writer’s Market [an annual directory for writers] and did what I thought Ishould do, but I sent all the wrong things. I feel an obligation to help others and let them know what theyneed to do. I learned how to do it the hard way.”More than thirty years since the publication ofher first book, Leigh is churning out new stories—whether in the form of a traditional novel or shortstory e-book, set in contemporary America or theRegency period in England. Her most recent book wasreleased earlier this summer as part of a fifteen-author box set called Magical Weddings.“People think all romance novels are the same,” Leighsays. “But every journey is different: the problemsthe characters overcome, the negotiations they make.”And, she adds, “That happy ending has to be satisfying, convincing, and earned.”! @GOT HAM W RI T ERS

Student Voices“It was an absolute thrill and quiteinspirational.”—Elise Brancheau, opera singer“If you’ve ever had a voicesomewhere inside you,urging you to give this a try,if for no other reason thanto say you tried, this is awonderful way to do it.”—Stuart Hill, copywriter“A place to go tolearn from otherkindred spirits.”—Karen Z. Waltensperger, international health advisor“I look at my creative writing after just 10 weeks andam amazed at what I cando and how proud I feelabout my writing.”—John Furth, management consultant“This was the bestcourse I’ve ever doneand I’m heartbrokenthat it has endedso quickly.”—Fiona Shelton, lawyer/linguist“I had finished my MFA infiction writing and I wanted a wayto continue writing in a seriousatmosphere, both honest andgenerous. The Gotham class wasfabulous. I was able to developa character for a novel I hadbeen working on, which is now duefor publication in August.”—Roxann King-Feuerman, writerCO N TACT@ G OT H A MW R I T E R S .CO M212–974– 837 7

Community2WDo you wish there was a place you could go for writinginspiration and practice? Where you could hang out with otherwriters? Without needing to make a long-term commitment orspend a lot of money? With food and drink involved?Gotham Write-Ins are that place.HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS: The teachergives an interesting writing prompt.Everyone writes for a while. Then,those who want to read aloud theirwork. You take a break and socialize over refreshments. Then you gothrough the process one more time.Then you socialize a little more. It’stwo hours of writer’s heaven.You can sign up in advance orjust drop in.FRIDAY EVENINGS IN MANHATTAN6:30–8:30pmSee our website for details. 20 per sessionALPWe do free classes and other fun thingsaround New York City—at bookstores, bars,Bryant Park, etc. It’s our way of showcasingwhat we do and getting to know you. See ourwebsite for upcoming events.GOTH AMWRI T E RS .COM! @GOT HAM W RI T ERS

Write Now25WORDSOF WONDER25 Words of WonderThis time we give you a contest that lets you wander wherever you like.Give us story of any kind, true or made up. Prose, poetry, script, whatever.The only catch: It must be 25 words or fewer. (Use a title. You get extrawords for that.)Challenging? Yes. As the saying goes, “If I had more time, I would havewritten you a shorter letter.” (No one knows who said this. It’s been attributed to numerous people including, Mark Twain, Winston Churchill, andPliny the Younger.)But it’s possible to write a wonderful story in 25 words or fewer. To prove it, hereare some of the best entries we received the last time we ran this contest:Married LifeSouthside(COUPLE at window)I live here.CAROL: If we weren’t living in a onestory, I’d jump.VIN: I’d push you.People from other parts come,soliciting votes or prostitutes. Newscrews arrive to report shootings orprotests then flee.CAROL: What?I live here.VIN: Nothing.Catina WilliamsSt. Louis, MOCAROL: Exactly.Ray D’ArianoWhite Plains, NYFor competition rules and online entry form,— visit —ALITTLEPUSHCO N TACT@ G OT H A MW R I T E R S .CO MG OT H A M W R I T E R S .CO M /2 5 WO R D SSometimes all you need is a little pushto write a good story. So let’s give you apush. Write a story with this title:THE HOUSE ON THECORNER OF WINSLOWSTREET212–974– 837 7

Stories are, truly, everywhere—every placeyou look, everyone you meet, everythingyou experience. Every day is filled withhundreds of potential stories awaiting yourimagination and craft.Each month we invite you to post a story on Twitter at#storieseverywhere. Your stories (which can be true or made up) willbe inspired by what you see, know, or do, and they should relate in someway to these monthly “themes”:septemberWhat happened at school today?octoberMonsternovemberStrange relativesAt the end of each month, we will pick our favorite and reward thatperson with a free Gotham writing class.Your story must be no longer than 140 characters, including spaces andthe hashtag #storieseverywhere. Here is a previous winner, using thetheme A dangerous turn:Had I gone right I’d have picked up my dry cleaning and gone home toIndian takeout. I went left and found his knife. #storieseverywhere(By @Vale1217)Everyone has a story. Especially you.gothamwriters.com212–974–8377

Gotham Writers Workshop is a creative home in New York City and online where writers develop their cra% and come together in the spirit of discovery and fellowship. We’ve been teaching creative writing to students since 1993. We believe that everyone has a story to tell. Indeed, many storie