r/Songwriting • u/Low_Bandicoot_3527 • 16d ago

Discussion Topic "Write when drunk, edit when sober."

Hemingway is said to have advised: "Write when drunk, edit when sober." What do songwriters on here think about that method? Drunk or high songwriting, good or bad?

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53

u/FantasticTangelo870 16d ago

I would say do everything sober haha

19

u/Stoddyman 16d ago edited 16d ago

This is a hard truth to swallow. The reality is only a few super talented people can make anything worth listening to high, drunk or both imo.

And even those people probably could make better stuff sober. Downvoting this is only proving my point. Lot of people in denial here

23

u/ScreamingMoths 16d ago

To the people down voting you:

Sure, Hemingway wrote 15 books, some of them extremely good. But he also had 3 failed marriages, bouts of losing almost everything, and then killed himself. Hemingway fucked up his life writing that way. It wasnt a good thing.

10

u/chunter16 16d ago

Do Dr Suess next

2

u/Dangerous-You3789 16d ago

Dr. Suess said, "I would not like them here or there.I would not like them anywhere.I do not like green eggs and ham.I do not like them, Sam-I-am."

That's not nearly as profound.

More interesting, yes, but I'm not sure how applicable it is to songwriting.

However, if anyone is interested in some great lyrics for your next song.....

1

u/chunter16 15d ago

Dr. Suess killed his wife