Writing on Demand

There are two main ways I -- and, I think, most Creatives -- make my art: on demand, and on spec.  Normally, I'd talk about them in the opposite order -- we all usually write things on spec, or speculation, well before we have to write anything on demand -- but recent events have sort of caused me to flip-flop that order.  Ergo, today, I'll talk about the joys of writing on demand.

A long-time member of our church is moving to the east coast, and this Sunday will be his last day in our congregation.  I've been asked to include his favorite hymn as part of the service music.  The only problem is that, of all the music for piano and organ I have in my possession, I've got but one arrangement of the tune, and it's a fairly annoying one -- the sort that, maybe if I put in four or five hours of practice, it might start to sound like something, but even then, it would be a close thing.

That leaves me with two choices -- I can either go out searching for a new arrangement, or I can do the Creative thing and write my own.

This is one shape that Writing On Demand takes -- a need for a particular piece of music in a concert or service or other performance venue.  When I write a piece like this, I write it secure in the knowledge that not only is it going to be heard by other people, it's going to be a major feature of some musical event.  As a composer, this is both gratifying and nerve-wracking: gratifying in that I know this piece will see the light of day and people will listen to it ... but nerve-wracking because, well, they'll be listening to it, and if it's not very good, they'll ALL know it.

(The other shape that Writing On Demand takes is a request from a publisher or ensemble for a piece written specifically for them -- the general idea is the same, but there's a bit less pressure because you know someone other than you can stop you before the world hears the piece if it is going horrendously wrong.)

Both sorts of writing have their own joys and challenges, and neither is "better" than the other (at least in my experience) ... but knowing ahead of time what you're getting yourself in for can help make the whole process go more smoothly.

• Concrete project idea -- When I write on demand, I usually (about 98% of the time) know exactly what the project or piece is.  I know what tune I'm arranging (or if I have to compose an original tune), for what instruments, for what difficulty and duration of time, and for what event.  If I ever feel I'm starting to stray, I can always go back and look, and the guidelines of the piece are there staring me in the face.
• Less flexibility -- Of course, the flip-side of the Concrete Project Idea coin is that I have less flexibility to wander if the mood takes me.  If I'm working on a hymn arrangement, and I think that another hymn would pair nicely with it ... I probably don't have the liberty and leeway in the project to explore that pairing.
• Deadline -- Nearly every project I write on demand has a definite deadline, a date by which the piece has to be finished, either because a publisher needs it by a certain date to ensure publication, or because the piece is being performed.  This means that while I might like to take some extra time to tweak or expand a section, if I don't have the hours free to do so, it just can't be done.
• Focused creativity -- Again, the flip-side of the Deadline is that it forces me to stay on task and power through the piece.  As someone who, from time to time, has gone all wishy-washy on what to do with a piece (What chord do I use here? Should I repeat the theme again? Isn't it time to turn Joy to the World into a polka?), having that deadline staring me in the face forces me to choose -- and quickly -- what I'm going to do.  I trust my instincts to at least start me down a road, and usually within just a couple of minutes of exploring that avenue, I discover if I made a good choice, or if I need to make a U-turn and go back to pick again.

I'd say fully a third of the pieces I've written have been of this sort, and for the most part, I enjoy this sort of writing.  Of course, when faced with ridiculously-short deadlines (like needing to write an arrangement in a matter of hours to be able to practice it for a Sunday service) it can be a pain, but the process still works.

Next week, we'll explore the other side of the coin, the complete and total liberty (and frustrating uncertainty) that comes with writing on spec.