Writing Songs, Writing Stories

WAG member, successful author, and architect Ron Hasse had this to say about Crummer’s August 7 presentation:

“Art Crummer has a magical way of combining music with wise words about writing. He told us how to write a first sentence and why. His talk had a lot to do with comic reality. He’s a great storyteller whether as an author or a troubadour. He has a knack for explaining how to organize our storytelling in ways that parallel songwriting—first line/story arc/resolution—in words and in chords. Art says a rant is not a song! Good advice to all writers. Clichés should be avoided. You are not the best judge of your own work; you need criticism and feedback—join a pod.”

Truly, Art presented an entertaining program as he described and demonstrated the essential elements common to successful songs and stories from the writer’s perspective. He addressed several song types including narrative, humorous, political, poetic, message, mystical, religious, and taboo. He generously shared his notes; they may be seen by clicking here.

Art is the winner of ten blue ribbons in the Florida Old-Time Championships in singing and in multiple instruments. He has produced two instructional booklets and three musical CD’s and has written numerous original songs in addition to publishing Book 1 of a trilogy Fixing Things. He is past president of the Writers Alliance, teaches guitar, and writes poetry, creative memoir, and fiction. He is working on the second book of his trilogy and regularly returns to the Piedmont region of Western North Carolina, the locale of his novel Wrestling God, which is available on Amazon. He and his wife live in Gainesville.