Chapter 12
Writing Fast vs. Writing Deep
Two different modes, both useful. When to use which???
Let’s get right to it: every songwriter has two gears, even if they don’t know it.
One gear is fast, the other is deep, and the real craft is knowing exactly when to slam the pedal on one, and when to sink slowly into the other, like a hot stone into cold water.
Most writers — especially beginners — try to write everything at one speed, usually whatever speed their anxiety or caffeine level happens to be set to, that day. But the pros? They switch gears intentionally. They don’t wait for inspiration; they pick the right mode and force the muse to keep up.
Let’s break these two modes down in a way that actually helps you use them.
THE FAST MODE — “JUST GET THE DAMN THING OUT”
Fast writing is momentum writing. It’s the sprint. The shove. The whirlwind where you stop caring what’s “good” and you start caring about flow.
Fast mode is where:
• Your inner critic is duct-taped to a chair
• Your pen outruns your doubts
• You surprise yourself because you didn’t have time to be clever
This is the place where raw lightning shows up. Not refined lightning, not bottled lightning. Just lightning.
Use fast mode when:
• You’re staring at a blank page and resenting it
• You have a hook but no song
• You have a rhythm but no words
• You already feel the emotional energy and you want to catch it before it evaporates
• You’re just plain tired of thinking
Here’s the key: fast writing produces material you yourself would never invent.
It bypasses your conscious defenses and goes straight to the instinctive, musical part of your brain — the part that actually knows what it’s doing.
Think of fast mode like jazz improvisation: it’s not always pretty, but it’s alive.
THE DEEP MODE — “SIT DOWN AND CARVE THE MARBLE”
Deep writing is careful writing. Slow. Controlled. This is where you sculpt the statue after the clay has cooled.
Deep mode is where:
• You look at what fast mode dumped on your desk
• You pick through it like an archaeologist
• You find the bones of the song and build the rest intentionally
Deep mode is not for generating chaos — it’s for shaping the meaning.
Use deep mode when:
• You already have too much material
• You know what the song wants to be
• The emotional heart is clear but the delivery isn’t
• A line feels “almost right” but not quite
• You’re polishing a piece you want to endure
Deep writing is how a song becomes inevitable. Like, “Of course the song had to go that way — nothing else would’ve worked.” That’s the magic of the carve.
Deep mode is where you earn your subtlety. Your nuance. Your choices.
WHEN TO USE WHICH — THE SECRET SAUCE
Here’s the trick the old writers know:
Fast generates. Deep refines.
You almost always start in fast mode, because otherwise you’re just sitting there waiting for angels to deliver perfect lyrics by courier. Fast mode gets words on the page so deep mode has something to improve.
But here’s a twist you might like:
Sometimes the finished song is a fast-mode piece.
Sometimes the first draft is a deep-mode piece.
Songwriting isn’t a religion — there are no commandments. Just tools.
If the emotion is hot, fast mode wins.
If the emotion is delicate, deep mode wins.
If the idea is vague, start fast.
If the idea is sharp, start deep.
If you’re stuck, switch modes immediately — don’t stew.
The gear-shift itself is the craft.
A FEW WISE NUGGETS FROM THE TRENCHES
• Fast mode teaches you who you are.
• Deep mode teaches you what you meant.
• Fast mode digs up the treasure.
• Deep mode polishes it until it glows.
• If a line feels stiff, rewrite it fast.
• If a line feels sloppy, rewrite it deep.
And here’s the real kicker:
Most writers think they’re blocked when they’re not. They’re just in the wrong mode. Switch the gear, and suddenly the road opens up.
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SONG: DeepFast
[VERSE 1]
I wrote a line in a hurry, didn’t think it through
Just let the pen keep moving, that’s what fast folks do
It wasn’t pretty, wasn’t polished, wasn’t even neat
But it had a little heartbeat underneath the beat
[CHORUS]
Fast when the fire is burning
Deep when the truth is slow
(Yeah, tell it)
Two ways the song keeps turning
(Keep turning)
And you gotta know which way to go
[VERSE 2]
Some days you carve the marble, chip a line at a time
Try to make the meaning shimmer, shape the perfect rhyme
Other days you’re just a lightning bolt looking for the ground
Trying to catch the spark before it stops coming around
[CHORUS]
Fast when the fire is burning
Deep when the truth is slow
(You know it)
Two ways the song keeps turning
(Keep turning)
And you gotta know which way to go
[BRIDGE]
When the page looks empty, write fast
When the meaning’s heavy, write deep
When the lines aren’t landing, switch gears
That’s the secret the old ghosts keep
(Call it out)
That’s the secret the old ghosts keep
[VERSE 3]
So don’t wait on inspiration, that old unreliable friend
Pick a lane and start the engine, drive it to the end
Every line is just a doorway, every song a little leap
Some you take in seconds, some you dive in deep
[FINAL CHORUS]
Fast when the fire is burning
Deep when the truth is slow
(Oh sing it)
Two ways the song keeps turning
(Keep turning)
And you gotta know which way to go
Fast when your heart is flying
Deep when your soul says “stay”
Both roads lead to the music
Let the song choose the way.
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Hey, lookit! There’s the Bardo bus, slightly ahead of schedule! Climb on board fast!
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See You At The Top!!!
gorby