"Instinct is still important, but now I can easily identify problems like cliches and mixed metaphors, and I have a broader palette to work off of." — Amanda Shires

I'm well-read as far as literary fiction, but I wanted to make better decisions about my writing, to use words or phrases more confidently by learning how your words can be interpreted, the shades of meaning, the different connotations.

I like the idea of having a living record as you go.

At about 33 weeks along in my pregnancy, the doctor suggested that I stay pretty close to home and not be touring and flying around. I was really left to face the kind of deep thinking that comes along with being a mother and bringing a child into the world.

Sometimes something opens up in your brain as I'm writing, thinking about the song, and it's like a whirlwind. It all comes together and I could hear what I wanted the songs to sound like, I just didn't know how to express it.

I was leaving my violin out of a lot of songs, and that's a strange thing to do because I've been playing the violin since I was 2. It's a part of me. Adding pedals and sounds is great because I get to play the instrument I feel most comfortable on and the one I feel gives my truest expression when I'm making a solo or anything like that.

Maybe, whatever influence we have, other songwriters or women or whatever can feel like they can have a place too, I guess. Or that they don't have to do things the way that we've been taught we have to do them.

I have no choice in what direction my music goes, honestly, as all I get is what I'm given. I start writing the songs, and they start presenting themselves the way they want to be heard.

Sometimes you write songs that don't all fit together. What do you, just throw them away? This might be a chance for growth and learning. It could be a horrible fall-on-your-face kind of experiment.

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Instinct is still important, but now I can easily identify problems like cliches and mixed metaphors, and I have a broader palette to work off of.