BK wrote: " No asking for notes from friends and then ignoring them. It's just a different world now. "
I've felt this at times - why ask and then not do it?
But I realize that if I ask three people for advice and sincerely mean that I want ALL of their input, I then really have to balance the advice of all three people, and at times they're irreconcilable. It doesn't mean the input wasn't seen as valid, or that the request of all three or five wasn't sincere.
And very often, with lyrics, people will say this line doesn't work for me, I believe them, but can't come up with something better. it makes no sense to change something just to avoid hurting someone's feelings that their advice wasn't taken if the writer can't come up with a better solution, does it?
Oh, I'm not saying you should make changes just because someone tells you something, but I am saying that if one solicits opinions one should at least weigh them - I may not agree with a note someone gives me about something but what I do do is try to understand where the note is coming from and why something isn't working for them - thinking about that might lead me to understand what they're at least getting at and having that knowledge may lead me to a better place in terms of making a fix.
As to lyrics - when I was doing The Roxy, I was sort of merciless with the lyricist because frequently I felt the lyric wasn't doing its job or that a character wouldn't sing certain lines - whatever - and I pushed really hard and she ALWAYS came up with something better - not always easy, but when she got it she was so happy and knew she'd made magic - you have to be willing to just go for it, even if it's difficult. There are times when I've written a lyric when it would be so simple to do a false rhyme to get a laugh or make a point but I cannot do it - and I will sometimes literally drive myself insane but you know what - I eventually come up with something that gets the laugh and keeps the craft intact. But, for me anyway, that's the fun of it - being shoved up against the wall with something that's seemingly impossible to solve and then not only solving it but solving it really well.
