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Choosin’ Texas: 3 Lessons for Writers · The Daily Writer

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Hey my friend, welcome to The Daily Writer, where we help writers become authors of their own lives.
0:06
SPEAKER_00: Whether or not you're a fan of country music, you've probably come across Ella Langley's monster hit song, Choose in Texas.
0:13
SPEAKER_00: The song has broken all kinds of records, and that's been the case for a really good reason, because it's a fantastic song that hits all the right buttons for country music fans.
0:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, let me stop here and say if you haven't heard the song, I recommend stopping this episode right here and listening to it on Apple Music or Spotify or YouTube or whatever your music provider of choice is.
0:36
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, this podcast isn't going to make a lot of sense.
0:39
SPEAKER_00: So if you haven't heard the song, check it out now and come back to this episode.
0:42
SPEAKER_00: But if you have, let's continue.
0:45
SPEAKER_00: So here's my take on why this song is a big country hit, and then we're going to explore a few lessons for writers.
0:51
SPEAKER_00: First of all, the song has a really great laid-back feel.
0:54
SPEAKER_00: You can keep it on repeat for an hour and you won't get tired of it.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: It's just a really feel-good, chill song.
1:01
SPEAKER_00: Second of all, Ella Langley has this really smoky southern voice that's a perfect fit for heartbreak and loss, which are core themes of country music.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: Third, she mentions southern locations and tropes quite a bit in the song.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: She talks about Abilene, Tennessee, Texas, Smoky Mountain Rain, Old Hank Tunes, Cowboys Who Leave, those kinds of things.
1:26
SPEAKER_00: Those are all Southern and Country Music tropes.
1:30
SPEAKER_00: She also has the line in the song, Drinking Jack All by Myself, which of course is a trope in country music because country songs and alcohol seem like they go together like chocolate and peanut butter.
1:41
SPEAKER_00: Now there are some other things I can mention, but those are just a few things.
1:44
SPEAKER_00: Choosing Texas, as I said, is a genuinely great song.
1:48
SPEAKER_00: I really, really like it.
1:49
SPEAKER_00: And it's expertly crafted and performed to hit all the right notes for fans of country music.
1:55
SPEAKER_00: But I don't want to stop there by just talking about the things I like about the song.
1:59
SPEAKER_00: I think there are three great lessons for writers from this monster country hit.
2:04
SPEAKER_00: And I'm going to frame these as questions.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: Lesson number one is what are your core themes and do you stick with them in their writing?
2:13
SPEAKER_00: Now I'm a huge advocate of picking a few central themes that you write about and not going outside of those themes unless you have a really good reason.
2:21
SPEAKER_00: For example, I talk about writing a lot, as you know, and yesterday's podcast was about career change, but I talked about career change through the lens of how it affects your writing.
2:31
SPEAKER_00: And I think the beautiful thing about narrowing down your writing topics is that a more narrow list, ironically, gives you more freedom because you don't have to wonder what you're going to write about all the time.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: And at the same time, it's pretty cool because you can write about anything as long as it is connected to your core themes.
2:48
SPEAKER_00: Now, in the case of this song, Choose in Texas, the writers did a really superb job of taking a common theme, which is loss, and using specific imagery and country music tropes to make it feel more personal and emotional.
3:02
SPEAKER_00: Lesson number two is do you embody the themes that you write about personally?
3:08
SPEAKER_00: And here's what I'm getting at.
3:09
SPEAKER_00: In your actual day-to-day life, in your real life, do you live out the things that you write about and teach?
3:16
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not saying that Ella Langley, the performer on this song, I'm not saying that she needed to have the actual experience of losing her boyfriend to a girl from Texas.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: After all, it's just a song.
3:27
SPEAKER_00: However, her looks, her personality, and her deep southern accent all give the song, and really all of her music in general, it gives it an authenticity that seems to be a really core part of her success.
3:39
SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, you could give the same song to Sabrina Carpenter, to Miley Cyrus, or even Taylor Swift.
3:45
SPEAKER_00: And it wouldn't be the same because those artists don't seem to be living the country music star kind of life.
3:51
SPEAKER_00: So Ella Langley, as a performer or as a person, as she appears to be from what I've seen, really seems to embody that kind of very country music laid-back vibe.
4:01
SPEAKER_00: So the song fits her really, really well.
4:03
SPEAKER_00: Now, when you read my emails, I talk about the themes of books and authorship, which is taking charge of your life and career.
4:10
SPEAKER_00: I talk about writing and ghostwriting and related kinds of themes.
4:13
SPEAKER_00: And I do that because that is my actual real life.
4:17
SPEAKER_00: I live, eat, and breathe books and writing.
4:20
SPEAKER_00: You can ask my wife about that, and she will tell you immediately that my husband Kent has books everywhere.
4:27
SPEAKER_00: He takes a book everywhere he goes.
4:28
SPEAKER_00: He's constantly reading, we're constantly going to the bookstore.
4:31
SPEAKER_00: He is one of the biggest geeks and nerds when it comes to writing a book you will ever come across.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: And that is completely genuinely who I am.
4:39
SPEAKER_00: So what you what you hear me talk about on this podcast, this actually comes from my real life and my real experience.
4:45
SPEAKER_00: This is not a show, it's not a performance.
4:47
SPEAKER_00: This is just who I am as an actual person.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: And this is why I think it's not enough just to pick a topic and try to be an expert on it.
4:55
SPEAKER_00: I think if you want to be known for something, it has to come from a place of real experience and authenticity.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: So when I read your writing, do I actually believe it's coming from the real you?
5:05
SPEAKER_00: And I hope that it is.
5:06
SPEAKER_00: Let's go to lesson number three here, which is how can you speak directly to the needs, the desires, the emotional touch points, and the tropes that your audience relates to?
5:17
SPEAKER_00: Now I know this is a big, grandiose kind of a question, but the point here is to really get in touch with your readers and figure out what makes them tick.
5:26
SPEAKER_00: What are the things that drive their emotions?
5:28
SPEAKER_00: What makes them sad or frustrated?
5:30
SPEAKER_00: What cultural items like movies, music stories, what kinds of cultural items do they connect with the most?
5:37
SPEAKER_00: I think it's really important to speak the language of your readers because when they know that you understand what ideas and touch points are important to them, they will lean into you.
5:47
SPEAKER_00: And by the way, just as a side note, this is one of the big reasons why I do reader questions and answers a couple of times a week in my daily emails and in this podcast.
5:57
SPEAKER_00: It's because I want to know what my readers and listeners are thinking and feeling so I can speak directly to those touch points and to those needs.
6:04
SPEAKER_00: Otherwise, I'm just out here guessing in a vacuum.
6:06
SPEAKER_00: And I don't want to guess, I really want to know what people are wrestling with so I can uh so I can address those things directly.
6:15
SPEAKER_00: Now, there's a lot more lessons probably to be extracted from this one song, Choose in Texas, but just applying these three lessons are going to go a long way toward helping you connect with your readers.
6:25
SPEAKER_00: And if you like the song, I'm really curious what lessons you can draw from it for writers.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: You can email me at Kent at KentSanders.net.
6:32
SPEAKER_00: I would genuinely love to know.
6:34
SPEAKER_00: Hey, as always, thanks for listening.
6:35
SPEAKER_00: Keep writing and keep showing up, and I'll see you tomorrow.