PROVO — Writing a song's not so hard. You jot down some lyrics and add some music.

Writing a good song's a bit harder. Lyrics and music have to work together in pleasing, harmonious ways. But most songwriters can come up with good songs.

Writing a great song? That's something else altogether. Writing a song that not only works musically but also has the power to reach people emotionally — that's the elusive goal, says Pat Alger. "Good songs sit around. Great songs get recorded."

Not only that, but great songs "touch hearts and change lives," Alger says

A songwriter out of Nashville, Alger was one of the instructors at a songwriting workshop that was held in Provo last weekend, sponsored by Nashville West and its organizers Tyler Castleton and Staci Peters.

Castleton and Peters are both well-known on the local-music scene. Together and singly, they've written more than a hundred songs that have been recorded by Gladys Knight, Donny Osmond, David Osmond, Julie de Azevedo, Eclipse, Jericho Road, April Meservy, Jenny Frogley and others. They've produced and arranged countless albums and have won multiple Pearl Awards.

They've also had success nationally. Castleton recently spent two years in Nashville, and he and Peters have had a song, "For the Love of a Woman," recorded by country superstar Martina McBride.

Since working in Nashville, Castleton said, "We've had a desire to bring the people here together with some of the people from there. They both can learn from each other."

The workshop offered what Castleton calls "tough love" for the songwriters. In addition to general instruction from songwriters Alger, Bat McGrath and Rachel Thibodeau, participants also had a chance to present a song for one-on-one critique and pitch their best songs to a representative from the music industry, Dan Hodges of Nashville's Murrah Music.

Castleton and Peters experienced some of that "tough love" the first time they went to Nashville. In 1996, while at Brigham Young University, they were accepted to a songwriting camp there. "We went with all our best songs and thought we were pretty neat. But we got trashed right and left," Castleton said.

In fact, after the first day they were ready to leave. "We went to the coordinator and told her we didn't think this was for us, but she convinced us to stay. Our songs got shredded. But it was the best thing that ever happened to us. We hope to bring a little of that experience out here."

"Nashville is truly the songwriting capital of the country," said Peters, and not just for country music. "There's not anyone who cares more about songwriting, people who love the craft any more than the people there."