How To Write Like Taylor Swift

From glittery gel pens to channeling a "ghostly Victorian lady," here are some of the best writing tips courtesy of Taylor Swift.

"Cardigan” Music Video/YouTube

What is it about a Taylor Swift song that makes us fans sit bleary-eyed in front of a computer at the stroke of midnight, playing her new album and listening, with rapt attention, to every single lyric and turn of phrase?

Yes, there’s the tired explanation that people really, really want to map every crag of her emotional landscape and — in the case of her most recent album The Tortured Poets Department — unpack what she’s feeling amid a recent breakup. But there’s also the pure magic of her writing, which manages to hit you hard in the heart and gut, while also having the ability to soothe anxieties, transport you to magical worlds and make you feel less alone in your achiest of moments. 

We may never fully know how Swift pens lyrics that are so simple and meaningful — from the lavender haze of infatuation to the basement love of romantic rejection — but here are some standout writing tips she’s shared over the years.