How to make an album, the p(nmi)t approach

Step 1 - don't write an album. Sitting down to create 7 or 8 or 14 tracks that play nice together is a recipe for not finishing at all.

Step 2 - write a couple pieces of music with no goal other than writing cool tracks.

Step 3 - once those 2 or 3 tracks are completely done, let them suggest a theme. It can be simple or complex or funny or whatever you want.

Step 4 - what leads into those tracks you've written? Where do they go next? Are there ideas that go in between them? Essentially, create a context for those pieces to fit in. If they just don't work together, try repeating this process; you can always use something later in another project.

Step 5 - finish the damned thing. Make cover art yourself, publish it online or force someone else to listen to it. Hell, send it to me, i'll listen to it at least once.

Step 6 - listen to it for what it is, something cool you just made.

Step 7 - the most important step is to move on. Do it again, do something completely different, do something. You just made an album. It's better than every album you hate, and crappier than some of the albums you love. It's a thing that now exists, and that's awesome.

That's it. No magic sauce or fairy dust, no money wasted, just do it.

Cheers