The undisclosed location.
Next week I will be outside of New York City with no distractions, no email, no facebook, no car horns, no obligations, no meeting meeting buzz buzz lunch gig meeting!
The reason I’m going away isn’t to relax – it’s to write songs. Soon I will see this place for myself but for now here are some pictures from the website of a 100-acre property that a composer friend and I will share for a week. The agenda: write all morning, be in nature, write in the afternoon some more, eat simple food, and then write some more.
I’ve often dreamt of taking a trip to a secluded place in order to write. When I was writing for the album I would wake up an hour early and sit in my bedroom. Life in NYC is harried – and a daily hour seemed like all I could set aside. The hour would start off like this: plant myself at my desk, stare at the computer screen (lyrics often come first) and say, “Lord, I’m here … please oh please oh please send me a song.” Occasionally, He would.
Squeezing minutes out of a hectic life for songwriting has made me crave a consecrated length of time only to write. Next week, I will get that. You’d think I’d be thrilled. But I’ve been surprised by my actual response which has been abject, ABJECT fear.
I will be in a beautiful, inspiring place with no one but myself and my thoughts. But WHAT IF? WHAT IF no songs come? WHAT IF there are no ideas? WHAT IF there are no melodies? WHAT IF the songwriting thing is a sham? WHAT IF I have nothing to show?
WHAT IF?
Of course, I have high hopes for a different outcome. But the wall-of-fear I experience before going away next week intrigues me. And, as in most things in life, I find that the only way around is through. So here is the fear, and I’ll go through it.
MP
Mandy
Wednesday, 11. August 2010 um 8:15 pm Uhr
Bravo for going through the fear, because WHAT IF there are songs to come and WHAT IF there are ideas and WHAT IF there are melodies and beautiful ones at that and WHAT IF the songwriting thing isn’t a sham but a glorious calling. WHAT IF you have so much to show it can’t be contained in one week of consecrated time to life. Then we will be all the better for it. Off to buy Wake Up Love and wait for the album to come.
Anja
Tuesday, 17. August 2010 um 7:37 pm Uhr
Hi Melanie!
I found your music on noisetrade and I loved it, so I bought the rest of the album, it’s a great one, a masterpiece! Well done!
) and sadly I don’t understand every word of these wonderful songs, most of them, but not all…and the lyrics weren’t anywhere to be found in the Internet.
I just wanted to ask you if you could post the lyrics of the songs because I’m from Germany (which is an excuse for each error in this message
It would be great if you could put them online.
Thanks for your music and keep it up!
Blessings & Greetings from Germany!
Anja
P. S.: Sorry that this has nothing to do with your post.
But this house looks very nice and comfortable, I would love to live there. I think you’ll find the right words there. 
I wish you success!
Mel
Monday, 23. August 2010 um 8:01 pm Uhr
Mandy – Thanks for such a sweet encouraging comment!! You’re right – there a lot of WHAT IFs both postive and negative. I am so grateful that I was able to write songs while I was there & have been writing steadily ever since. It is always a challenge for me but so rewarding and worth it.
What we most fear is often pointing the way toward what we SHOULD be doing, right?
Anja – I have digital booklet with the lyrics I can send you if you email me – melanie@melaniepenn.com. Or I will try to also upload it here. I’m so glad you found the music & you like it. I hope to come to Berlin & Hamburg soon and play! I have many friends in both cities
Cheers,
MP