Hello! (I came here from @Lithl's tag. Thank you! Btw I am listening to Saint Saens Concerto 5! It's great. You should try too!) So I don't believe you need any music theory to start composing, but to get better, and faster at the 'getting better', you do need music theory. I am technically a self-taught composer. I only started music theory lessons last year. I literally just write what I think would sound good. Here is a sample. Idea pops into brain during important test. (I am thirteen so I am still in school) I finish writing the test but idea is still there. I finish the rest of the day without forgetting the idea. I forget it on the way home. I re-remember it after like 5 hours. I go on musescore and write it. And just pay attention to a few stuff. Try to prevent parallel motion. Only later I was taught this was actually theory, but I first came up with this when I was seven. Voice leading! Very important. Same as the one before, but I came up with this when I was six. Try to break the rules 1 and 2 effectively. Got it? It is simple. Music composition is like a huge field, something like 内蒙古. You start from different places and go to different places. You do whatever you want. Whatever you think works. You will gain self-consciousness gradually and therefore improve. When I was nine, I thought I was good at composition. Now looking back, although still better than my classmates', it is nothing compared to my work now and some of the fellows on this site, YC. I see you are new, and that's not a problem, and by your state right now, it seems like you are very interested in composition. Good news! That's the first step to become a good composer or good anything. You are intrigued by it. When I first joined, this is what @Thatguy v2.0 said to me not long after I joined. Thank you once again, @Thatguy v2.0!!! @Woofi_9 Good luck! P.S. @Lithl Your reviews are not bad, they are great! Although it may not be backed up with music theory, it gives a listener's thought on the music. Very important. -TristanTheTristan