14 Days of Songwriting Inspiration: A Two-Week Song Idea Challenge

Ever feel like you’re staring at a blank page with no idea where to start your next song?

You’re not alone.

That’s why I created this 14-day songwriting inspiration challenge as a helpful resource for you! Each day, you’ll find a new “song starter” idea here to spark your creativity – whether it’s for a single lyric, a new melody, or a full chorus!

Use these to brainstorm hooks, break through writer’s block, or just show up and write for a few minutes a day. Your only goal is to write what I call a “songlet” – a small snippet of a song. You don’t need more than just a line or two to get started with a new song. 

The most important thing is, there’s no pressure here… Just play.

Read on for two weeks’ worth of songwriting inspiration examples across themes like memory, constraint, poetic lines, and place!

14 Song Starters for Songwriting Inspiration

Day 1: A moment when you faked confidence — and it worked.

Today’s Theme: Memory

A lot of great songs find something universal in small moments. Triumph is a great emotion to mine for songwriting.

As you’re playing with today’s song starter, think of a time when you did the hard thing in spite of your fear and came out on top: applying for that job, asking out that cute girl/boy, starting a new hobby, achieving a feat of athletic or academic prowess… the list goes on!

Then, think about how to express that feeling of triumph using words and music.

Famous Example: “We Are the Champions” by Queen

One of the reasons this song is so beloved is because it’s endlessly relatable. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of success, especially after consistent and sustained effort. See if you can capture that triumphant feeling in your own song while focusing on a narrower slice of life.

Day 2: Write a song where every line is a question. 

Today’s Theme: Constraint

Sometimes, having too many creative choices as a songwriter can lead to analysis paralysis – so what if you added the constraint that your whole song is literally just questions?

What would it look like? Why is it only questions? Could the song be from the POV of someone who’s confused, desperate, or accusatory?

What can you come up with? 

Famous Example: “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” by Joe Jackson

While this song isn’t literally questions the whole time, the chorus IS mostly a series of questions, betraying a sense of shock that the singer’s dream woman is with someone he doesn’t believe is good enough for her. Questions are an interesting constraint to play with to reinforce your song’s theme. 

Day 3: “I left the light on, just in case.”

Today’s Theme: Poetic Line

What can you do with this germ of an idea about a light left on for somebody? Who is saying this and who are they saying it to?

Could it be an ex-romantic partner, a close friend who’s struggling, or maybe a broader theme about driving out darkness in the world?

Poetic lines like this can be powerful because they leave room for the listener to fill in the gaps. Experiment with a few different angles to take this symbolic “light” in today’s songlet. 

Famous Example: “Leave the Light On” by Tom Walker 

Walker’s emotional ballad is about being a safe haven for someone who’s struggling – even when they keep pushing you away. The “light” becomes a metaphor for hope, forgiveness, and unwavering support. It’s not about fixing someone else’s darkness, just letting them know they’re not alone when they’re ready to come back.

Day 4: A lie someone told you — and you believed.

Today’s Theme: Betrayal

Betrayal is such a raw emotion, and many of the best songs channel a strong emotion that make listeners really feel it.

For today’s songlet, what kind of lie have you been told and believed it? Maybe a teacher who said you’ll never amount to anything? a lover who said they didn’t love you when they still did (or said they loved you when they didn’t)? A business partner who you trusted and then they left you high and dry?

Of course, the lie is one thing to think about, but the fact that you believed the lie is where the real feeling of betrayal comes in. How do you capture that feeling in a song?

Famous Example: “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morisette 

There’s a pretty intense story associated with this song, as evidenced by the line “Does she know how you told / Me you’d hold me until you died? / ‘Til you died, but you’re still alive.” Almost as biting as the lyrics here is the performance of Alanis Morisette – and together, the theme of betrayal comes through in a powerful way.

Day 5: A childhood dream that no longer fits who you are.

Today’s Theme: Growth

We all had dreams as kids: to be astronauts, rock stars, zookeepers, or even dragon slayers. Some of those dreams faded quietly, but others we fought for until we realized that, somehow, they no longer fit who we are and what we really want.

Today’s prompt is about that bittersweet feeling of looking back at who you used to be and recognizing that you’ve changed. Maybe you let go of something. Maybe it let go of you. Either way, there’s a gem of a song in that uncomfortable space between nostalgia and acceptance.

Ask yourself:

• What did I used to dream about, and why did it matter to me?
• When did I realize I had changed?
• How does it feel to have outgrown that part of myself?

Try to capture the emotion without judgment – just explore it. A good songlet from this prompt might feel wistful, peaceful, or even quietly triumphant.

Famous Example: “Stop This Train” by John Mayer

This reflective song is all about the fear and sadness of growing older, the reality of mortality, and losing the simplicity of youth. The line “I want to get off and go home again” hits at that ache for a time and identity that’s gone – but also the realization that growing up is unavoidable. It’s a poignant, universal feeling that almost everyone will experience during their lives, which makes it such a strong song.

Day 6: Write about a location you swore you’d never return to.

Today’s Theme: Place

Some places stay with us, whether we want them to or not.

Today’s prompt is about place as memory and place as metaphor. What’s the location you can’t bring yourself to revisit? Is it a childhood home? A hospital room? A dive bar where something ended?

Maybe it’s not even a REAL place — maybe it’s a dreamscape or a digital corner of the internet where a forgotten version of you still lingers.

Or maybe it’s a part of you that you love, or hate, or are afraid of. What happened in this place that left a mark?

Let the setting take center stage in your song. Give it personality. A great “songlet” from this prompt might sound like a letter, a memory, or a final goodbye.

Famous Example: “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert

This ballad is drenched in memory and place, using the childhood home as both a literal and emotional structure. Though the narrator does return to the place one last time, the song is steeped in the fear and hope that the past might still be accessible, along with heartbreak when they realize it’s not.

Day 7: Write a song using only one-syllable words.

Today’s Theme: Constraint

Today’s challenge is to write a song — or at least a strong “songlet” — using ONLY one-syllable words. That means no fancy adjectives or flowery phrasing. 

With this exercise, whatever you lose in complexity, you gain in clarity and rhythm. One-syllable words tend to hit harder. They feel punchy. Urgent. Honest.

Even better, more listeners can understand and relate to simple words, which widens your song’s appeal.

With this prompt, try saying more with less. What kind of message or feeling demands simplicity? Can you build tension or a staccato groove using simple words?

Famous Example: “Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles

The title line is made up entirely of one-syllable words — and so are most of the lyrics in the song:

“It’s been a hard day’s night, and I’ve been working like a dog…”

Simple, direct, and unforgettable. The Beatles are proof that you don’t need big words to make a big impact!

Day 8: “I only hear from you when it rains.”

Today’s Theme: Poetic Line

Today’s prompt is based on this moody, resonant line:

“I only hear from you when it rains.”

What does it mean to you?

Is it about someone who reaches out when they’re sad, and disappears when they’re not? Is it tied to a real pattern you’ve seen in a friend, ex, or family member?

Or could it be literal – maybe rain brings back memories of a specific person, place, or thing?

Try writing a songlet from different angles, such as longing, resentment, resignation, hope, or even humor.

Famous Example: “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele

Adele’s massive hit uses rain not just as imagery, but as emotional weather. The song captures the storminess of love and memory – and how we sometimes still crave the people who leave us soaked through with sadness.

Day 9: Tell the story of your life using only objects.

Today’s Theme: Objects

The things we carry, save, or throw away can reveal more truth about us than a biography ever could.

Today’s prompt invites you to tell your story through objects – something physical and concrete, not abstract like an emotion.

What would appear in your personal museum? A cracked iPod? A note passed in school? A broken string from your first guitar? A moving box that never got unpacked?

Try writing your “songlet” as a list, a timeline, or a conversation between these objects. Let them speak for you!

Famous Example: “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman

This song uses just a few key objects — the car, a shoulder, a job at the market — to tell a sweeping story of hope, hardship, and escape. It never over-explains, but each item feels loaded with meaning.

Day 10: Write a love song from the point of view of a ghost.

Today’s Theme: Perspective

Love doesn’t always end when the relationship does – or even when life does.

Today’s prompt is to write a love song from the perspective of a ghost – someone who’s no longer physically here, but still lingers.

Maybe that’s a literal ghost watching over someone they loved, or a metaphorical ghost from a past relationship.

Ask yourself:

• What does this ghost want? To be remembered? Forgiven? Let go?
• Can they still feel? Speak? Regret?
• How do you write longing from “the other side?”

This is a great prompt to experiment with atmosphere, minimalism, and space in your music – let the silence say something too.

Famous Example: “Ghostin’” by Ariana Grande

In this emotional ballad, Ariana sings to a current partner while mourning someone she lost. Her grief haunts the relationship. While not from a ghost’s literal POV, the song’s energy is spectral, lingering, and torn between two worlds.

Day 11: Write a song in reverse – start with the end and work backward.

Today’s Theme: Structure

Songs don’t have to move in straight lines.

For today’s prompt, start with the final moment of your song: the emotional resolution, the last lyric, the final thought.

Now, ask yourself, “How did I get here?”

Working backward forces you to think more like a screenwriter or novelist. You’re reverse-engineering the story – and in doing so, you might discover richer tension, tighter pacing, and more interesting choices than if you started at the beginning.

It can also be a great songwriting practice to come up with that killer last line or hook first, and then build the rest of your song around it.

Ask yourself:

• What’s the ending I want to land on? A truth? A twist? A release?
• What moment would naturally come before that?
• What needs to happen for the listener to believe it?

Famous Example: “Some Nights” by fun.

This anthemic song opens big and bold, but it’s the end – the fading vocal solo (“My heart is breaking for my sister…”) – that gives the song unexpected emotional weight. That haunting outro could easily be where you start your own reverse-structured song.

Day 12: “You called me by someone else’s name.”

Today’s Theme: Poetic Line

Oof. This one hits hard!

Today’s prompt is built around a simple phrase that carries layers of meaning:

“You called me by someone else’s name.”

Was it a slip of the tongue… or something more? Was it a past lover’s name? A parent? A stranger? What does it mean for the speaker – shame, rage, heartbreak, numbness?

You don’t need to explain everything. Sometimes, the pause after the name is more powerful than the name itself.

Explore:

• Is this a one-time mistake or a recurring ghost in the relationship?
• What does the speaker realize in that moment?
• Is the song sad, angry, darkly humorous, or something else?

Let the tension hang in the air – and build your “songlet” around the silence between words.

Famous Example: “Tears Dry on Their Own” by Amy Winehouse

While this song doesn’t use that exact phrase, it wrestles with being second-best in someone’s heart: chasing echoes of another woman, another love. The line “He walks away, the sun goes down / He takes the day, but I’m grown” hits that same mix of hurt and clarity.

Day 13: A place that only exists in your imagination.

Today’s Theme: Imagination

Today’s challenge is to write a song about a place that doesn’t exist – at least, not in the real world.

This could be a dreamscape, a memory that never actually happened, a symbolic home, or a fantasy world with its own colors, rules, and rhythms.

There’s total freedom here, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally random. Even imagined places often reflect real emotions, such as safety, loneliness, hope, escape, or grief.

Ask yourself:

• If your heart or mind were a place, what would it look like?
• Who lives there? What language is spoken? What sounds echo in the distance?
• What part of yourself is trying to be heard through this setting?

You can go abstract or detailed – just stay grounded in why this imaginary place matters to the person singing about it.

Famous Example: “Imagine” by John Lennon

This legendary song builds a vision of a better world – no borders, no possessions, no religion. While it’s minimalist in structure, it paints a vivid emotional and philosophical landscape that only exists in the imagination, and yet has stirred millions.

Day 14: Revisit one of your “songlets” from earlier in the month and rewrite it – slower, softer, stranger, or sadder.

Today’s Theme: Reflection

There’s a lot to be said for revisiting work you’ve already started.

You never know when inspiration for a certain song will strike. Sometimes, your subconscious is working on a song theme in the background – so checking back in on a song you already started can lead to a burst of progress!

For today’s prompt, I want you to revisit one of the songlets you already started writing in the last few weeks. 

Now, you have two options:

1. Rewrite a songlet with a new angle or emotion. 
2. Expand a small piece of a song you started into something more complete. 

Or for an extra challenge, do BOTH!

Famous Example: “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” by the Beatles

The reprise is a common feature in musicals, usually recontextualizing the feeling or theme of an earlier song with different instruments, words, and tone. Sgt. Pepper is a great example of a reprise that takes an upbeat song and makes it feel more contemplative.

How to Find Inspiration for Songwriting Prompts

I hope this list of song idea starters gives you the songwriting inspiration you’re looking for!

The biggest stumbling block for songwriting – or any creative endeavor, really – is “getting ready” to create, instead of just doing it.

You read one more book, watch one more video, or listen to other artists’ music to give yourself the ammunition to do your own thing.

But in reality, practice makes all the difference.

That’s why this 14-day songwriting challenge is all about taking small ideas and actually doing something with them.

Even if you only create a few lines of lyrics or mess around with a new melodic idea, that’s where true inspiration starts.

And one final point: consistency is more important than intensity.

I made this a 14-day challenge because getting into the habit of songwriting every day will get you much farther than putting your all into writing for a day or two, then stopping.

Hopefully, these song starters inspire you to develop a daily songwriting habit – this is like rocket fuel for your songwriting success!

Songwriting Inspiration Challenge FAQs

How do I use these daily song prompts?

You can approach each idea however you like – write a single lyric line, a melody hook, a verse, or even a full song. The goal with this isn’t perfection; it’s momentum. Let each day’s prompt spark something new, no matter how small.

What if I fall behind or miss a day?

That’s totally fine! This isn’t a test – it’s a creative rhythm. You can catch up, skip around, or even stretch the song prompts over more than the two weeks. The point is to show up with curiosity and find out what you’re capable of.

Can I turn a song idea from these “songlets” into full songs later?

Absolutely. Many great songs start as tiny ideas captured in voice memos or written down in the margins of a notebook. If one of your daily songwriting prompts hits on something powerful, follow it. That’s the magic of starting small!

I’m a beginner. Is this music challenge for me?

Yes, this creative inspiration challenge is perfect for beginners. The daily ideas are designed to help you build the habit of songwriting without worrying about “getting it right.” You’ll improve just by doing it – I promise!

Songwriting Inspiration Challenge Wrap-up

It’s easy to read through endless lists of lyric writing tips or songwriting tips to get “inspired,” but you’ll only make REAL progress when you turn inspiration into action!

I know it can be scary to face a blank page and try to write a full song from scratch, which is why I created this 14-day song idea challenge around the goal of producing a “songlet,” or a small snippet of a song.

Because instead of pressuring yourself to create an ENTIRE song each time you sit down to write, you really only have to flex your creative muscle in surfacing some interesting lyric ideas.

Write as much – or as little – as you want on a given song prompt in this challenge. The point is to get out of analysis paralysis and just get comfortable with the process of actually writing songs!

Anyway, that’s what I have for you in this songwriting challenge resource. I hope it helps!

Feel free to bookmark the page so you can come back and try out a new prompt each day over the next few weeks.

And if you find yourself wanting even more inspiration, you can see my list of 13 unconventional songwriting exercises or 101 songwriting prompts!

Best of luck on your songwriting journey!