Songs are king for launching the career of an artist, and with the rapid spread of social networking and promotion, the craft of songwriting has hit bottom.

Diane Warren has penned more than 800 songs, inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has written more than 90 top-ten hits.

She usually finishes a song within a week and puts a lot into every note and every lyrics, until it’s perfect.

In many cases she sets a specific tempo to begin a song.

“I usually write with verse, chorus, verse, bridge and chorus. Sometimes the structure of my song changes according to the feel of the song. Sometimes it just feels right to change the structure to make the song work” (D. Warren)

Where do Diane Warren’s great melodies and chord progressions come from? While some songs take a lot of frustrating work, the most successful songs write themselves.

“What works best for myself is driving alone on a freeway in the middle of the night. No stereo. No music. Rhythms and chord progressions start playing in my head. The melodies come later. Lyrics are always last. That’s just me. Is it necessary to be with an instrument? Sometimes, yeah, but it’s surprising what comes in those odd, non-thinking moments when no instrument is handy. Sometimes a song is fully-completed in a dream, and it’s so great to wake up to THAT!” (D. Warren)

She also gives advice to aspiring songwriters.

“I can say that songwriting is a skill and takes practice, patience, and perseverance. There is a lot of rejection in the songwriting business..” (D. Warren)