Outside of songwriting, how much writing do you do?

Not as much as I used to do. But still quite a bit. My favorite thing to focus on in my writing, other than songwriting, is short stories. I love writing short stories. That's kind of odd because I don't necessarily like reading short stories. I like reading novels. I've been working on a novel very sporadically. But songwriting of course gets my attention because it's my job.

If you have a story to tell, how do you decide whether it's better for a song or for short story?

I have turned a couple of my songs into short stories. Writing for me is therapeutic regardless of what I'm writing. I have no intention of submitting my short stories or even my novel for publication. It's just for me. If I have a great idea, my first instinct has usually been to write a story about it. But lately my first instinct has been to make it into a song. And that's been really fun because the art of storytelling in song is getting lost. There’s not too many story songs out there anymore, and I want to be a part of making that a thing again. I was really excited when “A Trucker's Funeral” did become a story song because it's difficult to write a story with melody. (Ed. note: she tells a great story about writing that song)

Do you keep a journal?

Not every day, but I've kept a journal since I was little. I think everyone should do it. It helps me understand myself better, and if I can’t understand myself I'm not going to be able to understand the people around me. And that makes it hard to be a good songwriter.

Does all of that writing make you more disciplined songwriter when it comes to the writing process?

I really tried to be disciplined for a while, but when you're on the road for two or three months straight and you get home, it feels like you're unemployed. And that can be a shitty feeling. So I told myself, “Whitney, you're going to sit down and write from 9 to 5 because this is your job and this is what you have to do.”

But it just doesn't work like that, at least for me. I'm not at my best when I'm trying to do that because it feels too contrived. I do my best when it’s spontaneous. I mean, I've been at parties where I get a great idea for a song and I think, “Holy shit, I gotta leave so I can write this song.” I've even been on a date with my partner when I told him, “Sorry, but we've got to get home because there's a song to write.” When this happens, I call it musical labor. I can't restrict to certain hours.

With the stories you tell, do they emerge because of something you’ve seen or heard?

Absolutely. Here’s a good example. A friend of mine is a rancher, and her husband is a musician. A couple of summers ago, she took a contract to work in Wyoming on a ranch. He was going to be touring, which meant they would be separated. They had just gotten married, so it was going to be a really tough summer. And we were talking about how the absolute worst feeling is immediately after the separation, though it slowly gets better. So a few months after we talked, I was on the road. I saw a sign that said Wyoming 200 miles, and I immediately thought of my friend. That song just wrote itself.

How does a song typically start for you?

For the most part, they start with the lyrics. Sometimes I start with music if I hear a melody in my head, but those are the songs that try to get across an emotion. They aren’t stories. If I’m feeling anxious or happy or a sense of loss, those are pretty easy to write. Story songs are much harder to write.

Is there an ideal environment when you are at your most productive?

I tend to be most productive in an empty room in my house. I don't want anyone around, which can be tough when you're on the road as much as I am. I don't like the feeling of someone else being present. It slows me down. I enjoy my alone time. Maybe it's because I was an only child until I was 12. Laughs. I can be alone in a room in the house with the door locked, but if someone is somewhere, anywhere, in the house, it still makes me uneasy.

If you're just writing and not singing, I wonder why that makes you uneasy.

I'm going to be asking myself so many deep questions after this conversation. I've never thought about why. This may sound crazy, and I'm not really a spiritual person, but if I'm writing something, I'm aware of energy around me. And that awareness might make me lose focus.

Do you use a computer or pen and paper for your lyrics?

I've never used a computer. I'll use anything else. I've even used eyeliner. I like a good ball point pen, though. And I know this sounds superficial, but I want it too look good. I believe in the art of penmanship. That's a lost art too. I have much younger siblings, and I was appalled to learn that as they are going through school, they aren't being taught penmanship. They're taking typing! You need to be able to write a sentence with your hand. My siblings can print, but they can't do cursive.