Down on the FAWM

Hey how are you?

I know what you might be thinking!  You think I've done a typo and meant to put FARM in the title don't you?  You'd be wrong of course, because F.A.W.M. is the abbreviation for February Album Writing Month, which is exactly what it says.  A month in which people purposely force themselves to write an entire album's worth of material during the month of February (the shortest month).  Actually, I had better do some research before I continue, because here I am talking about it, and I have no idea of it's origins!

Okay, I apologise for my lack of knowledge, and have now added the originator of the idea to my watch list as it is called.  His name is Burr Settles and he is from Pennsylvania (in the good old US of A).  There is more about it on Wikipedia, so you might as well follow the link rather than just leave me to rehash what it says on there.

My own banner for FAWM

I have no idea why it specifically says to write 14 songs in the 28 days, but I'm giving it a bash this year for the first time.  I am what they call a Fawmling (I think that is right), which is a first timer!  I will say though that it isn't my first time writing in such a quick way, but that was a long time ago in a way that wasn't forced - I just seemed to be able to write a lot back then.  Perhaps now it is a case of writing when I can basically, because the instruments are all packed away and usually come out when Louise is out - we live in a flat and there is very little room in there.  I like to write and practice uninterrupted and alone most of the time.  That is difficult with not much space and very thin walls (we can hear the neighbours spending pennies at the toilet for instance).

So, how am I doing after a day then.  I know that it's a little longer now that I am writing this on the 2nd of February, but the note keeper in me has dated and placed a time next to each individual entry in my FAWM 2013 book (see picture), so I can tell you what I did on the first of February.  Actually, I missed one entry to be honest, and that is a musical one.

FAWM 2013 notebook

(00.30 hrs) I came across a great thing on the FAWM website first which is called Titular.  Basically it brings up title ideas that are created by using random words.  I wrote down four that were mentioned, because for some reason they caught my eye.  Just Around The Translation interested me because of the whole thing of communication, which was an interesting thing.  Creeps Track Out really grabbed me because there was a certain thing to it that I can't really explain.  It could mean so much I know, but to me it meant people who were creeps, after something, lasciviously, grimy, all of that and more.  A Kindan Of Sand was next because, to be honest, I wanted to know what Kindan meant - I looked and found there to be no such word (if anyone knows differently, then please let me know because then I may be able to get somewhere with that). Finally there was To Do Again, which just seems like a classic song idea to me - to be able to do something again maybe, to love again, to go out and try again, the ability to just have another chance.

A page from the book - check out my logging details!

The next thing I did was to write a chorus idea for Creeps Track Out at around one o'clock in the morning.  This was followed then at about two in the morning by a lyric idea for Just Around The Translation, which was basically eight lines of either a verse, chorus, or something.  Between four and five in the morning I wrote two verses for something that I am calling An English Tea as a working title, in which I even used a French phrase, which is funny because I can't speak French!  I was incredibly close with it though.  I wrote "noir sans la sucre" when it should be "noir sans sucre" - the first would be "black without the sugar" and the second "black without sugar".  Apparently there is also the fact that if I am using a French word for "the" then there is the whole masculine and feminine versions of the word (German is similar as well, although in German there is also the neutral version of "the").  Whatever, I will look at that again because I like that whole Noel Coward Music Hall style (for those who don't know, check songs such as Honey Pie by The Beatles from The White Album).

I then basically got myself ready to leave work and go home to bed.  In the afternoon I went out to sort out some bills and things.  Friday is my pay day (I tried to find a video for the song Payday by The Revolution Smile there, but couldn't), so that is why I am busy doing things on a Friday.  There is also the fact that I can't go to banks on a Saturday morning because I always work on a Friday night, hence why I am in bed for most of the Saturday morning.

I mention that I went out because while I was out I bought myself one of those basic hard-backed exercise notebook things, which is now my official notebook for FAWM 2013.  A lot of people know that I have a lot of notebooks with things written in them.  I can just never flipping find them when I need to get the information from them!

When I got to work I transferred what I had done earlier into the book.  Then at 5.30 in the evening I wrote lyrics for the verses and middle eight for Creeps Track Out.  This was then followed at 6.14 pm by me writing in the book the week one suggestion on the FAWM site to write a song about a city or town, such as London Calling, etc.

Weekly challenge number one

Then at 6.18 pm I got another four title suggestions from Titular, which were (i) Voodoo Breakdown, (ii) 7th Memphis, (iii) Helpless Hour, and (iv) Jingle With You.  I haven't used any of those titles just yet, but the latter did make me think of Christmas.  Hence why at 6.20 pm I wrote the very short but quirky lyrics for February Christmas Song.  From 7.35 pm to 7.56 pm I wrote the lyrics to Newark, Where based on the Weekly Challenge to write a song about a city or town.  I wrote this one because I though of the whole thing of where I live in Newark, Nottinghamshire, and of Newark in New Jersey (USA).  Silly I know, but it made me giggle, so that's good.  It's rare that I write something that is supposed to be plainly amusing.  I sometimes put little bits in that make me laugh, but that's hidden normally.

I hate to say this, but that is sort of where I left off for the day, because I have been online since then and I've been doing bits at work, for that is where I am right now.

I think though looking now in retrospect, I have not done some bad work for the first day.

Oh yes of course, I almost forgot didn't I?  The idea that wasn't included in the book.  It is slightly embarrassing because I've been suffering from a sore throat lately, but I had an idea for a potential classically styled piece (yes I know, I too am surprised), but had nothing to play the idea on.  What did I do?  Aah'ed my way through the left and right side to show two parts I had, and whistled another in the centre of the stereo field.  Here it is!

Thank you for reading.  Please take care.

February 2 2013 (42 years, 2 months, and 7 days old)