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# FAWM Challenges Artists To Write 14 Songs During The 28 Days Of February
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/fawm-challenges-artists-to-write-14-songs-during-the-28-days-of-february-2/
- Published: 2015-02-02T11:59:00.000Z
- Updated: 2015-02-02T11:59:00.000Z
- Description: Inspired by National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), FAWM Founder, Burr Settles issued the same type of charge to musicians in the form of February Album Writing Month (FAWM) – where. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/02/fawm-challenges-artists-to-write-14-songs-during-the-28-d
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: DIY Advice & Tips, Indie Music, Music Business, Bandcamp, Book, Christmas, Facebook, Google, iTunes, music video, Roanoke, Taylor Swift, Virginia, YouTube, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 10:28

[![200px-FAWM](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201b8d0cd0f79970c-150wi "200px-FAWM")](http://hypebot.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451b36c69e201b8d0cd0f79970c-popup?ref=hypebot.com)

Inspired by National Novel Writing Month ([NaNoWriMo](http://nanowrimo.org/?ref=hypebot.com)), **FAWM Founder, Burr Settles** issued the same type of charge to musicians in the form of **[February Album Writing Month](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February%5FAlbum%5FWriting%5FMonth?ref=hypebot.com) (FAWM)** – where artists are challenged to write **14 songs during the 28 days of February**. The 11th Annual FAWM challenge is already underway, bringing artists of all ages, styles, and talents together again to make music for music's sake. FAWM prides itself on being a community that spurs spontaneous creativity and fosters an encouraging environment for artists to create, collaborate and communicate.

Last week, in a written interview with Hypebot.com, Settles shared his observation of how artists have been impacted by their participation in FAWM: "Oh, wow… for some it has been immense. **I've seen FAWMers go from never having written a song before in their first year to having semi-professional music careers a few years later.** Those are exceptional stories, of course, but the community is a safe place to explore musical ideas, and I think it's given a lot of people confidence in their own craft." For **Phil Norman**, a singer/songwriter and decade long member of Roanoke, Virginia's Newgrass Band, **[Blue Moonshine](https://www.facebook.com/bluemoonshine/timeline)**, it's done exactly that.

Norman, who has just kicked off his 9th consecutive FAWM challenge with the release of "**[I Grow Old](http://fawm.org/songs/43275/?ref=hypebot.com)**", a love song for the middle aged, remembers when he first became a FAWMer: "I saw something about the community in 2007\. I was married with kids and I thought to myself, 'I'm not writing, but I could be.' **I saw FAWM as a motivator. It was the creative tool that I needed to pick up the pen again**. There's an unspoken rule amongst the community where no one speaks negatively about another artist's work. It felt like a safe space to create and share my music, and so I did."

[![B8hqORMCQAAm9Zh](http://a5.typepad.com/6a01901b9a0100970b01bb07e74035970d-350wi "B8hqORMCQAAm9Zh")](http://fawm.org/signup?ref=hypebot.com)

Settles said he's seen collaboration become a growing part of the FAWM culture: "**I've seen jazz singers from Seattle write amazing thrash-rock songs with guitarists from Amsterdam**, among many many other cool things. But working on music across different timezones and different recording software has always been a pain, and we've got a few surprises this year that should make that process easier."

Norman has been an active participant in the growing collaborative community, co-writing with singer/songwriters from Australia and England, as well as posting an all-call for lyrics ideas from followers on **Twitter ([@PhilNorman](https://twitter.com/philnorman?ref=hypebot.com))** using the hashtag **#CoWriteWithPhil**. Other FAWMers to keep an eye on: Expendable Friend: @exp\_friend is a wonderful English songstress; Nancy Rost (@Nancy\_Rost) has been FAWMing since the get-go; Isaac Quatorze (@isaacq) – extraordinary songwriter, and road-trip warrior.

Settles has seen exponential growth among the FAWM community. When asked what he hopes the future of FAWM, he responded "That it continue to grow while remaining a fun and safe place for people to challenge themselves musically. There's a very real trade-off there, and a lot of online communities can grow so fast that it's hard for them to keep an eye on their core purpose. **In FAWM's case, that's inspiring people to reach inside of themselves and pull out the music that they either did or didn't know they could always make**. So my hope for the future? More and more of that."

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