Your job as a co-writer, or a hired writer, is to make sure the artist feels safe enough to feel comfortable enough to connect with you and allow you to tell their story. I have created a checklist for collaborators to help you write the artist’s story in enough detail so listeners can feel it.
Collaborator Checklist
This is the story.
This is how you develop your plotline.
Sensory details of the story.
This would be your set design. Lighting, costuming and makeup/hair are all important. This is how to set the scene.
The story changes how they feel.
This would be your emotional direction and close-up shots if you were to view the song like a movie.
They want to convey one point in a single sentence.
This would be the title or tagline of your song. Consider a movie poster. This is how you convey the message to the viewer.