""Which means adapting a degree of distance from it. If your songs are like your personal diary, or your own most personal thoughts, you're probably unlikely to reach most of your audience, unless they've shared precisely the same experiences.""
I AGREE!!
Of all the songs I've composed over thirty plus years, only one is about me, or my life.
Now they may all be crap (will be in at least some listeners' estimation), or there may be some worthwhile. What they are decidedly NOT, is musical masturbation, sentimental whining over failed relationships, or introspective navel gazing.
Thanks to the narrow, blinkered, view of songwriters that is adopted by so many who don't have the talent to write songs, and not a few who DO, I find myself categorised as being one or all of the above.
And I don't much care for it.
In fact, if ignorant and stupid comment actually meant anything, I might get quite annoyed.
However my usual reaction is "What do THEY know"?.......The answer, from years of experience is Bugger All!!