This article was originally written by Bob Kilpatrick and published in Christian Musician magazine.  This post is linked to a 2009 repeat on MusicAcademy.com.
Awhile ago I wrote an article titled “How To Write A Really Mediocre Worship Song.” It was a tongue in cheek examination of good song-writing in reverse. I received many emails with many different takes on what I’d written. Some were offended. Some were really, really offended (Perhaps they were spectacularly successful at writing mediocre songs and didn’t like me giving the secrets away.) Others laughed with me, and maybe at me… I don’t know.

At the recent Christian Musician’s Summit I taught a class on songwriting. The response was good. The class seemed to be paying attention, taking notes and all. They were actually taking this seriously. So, I’d like to make up for my past sins and give you some serious, straightforward songwriting tips.