The kettle is boiled, our pen is inked and we have plenty of blank pages to fill in our brand new notepad. We've even cleared our schedule for a couple of hours. 'The world is our oyster', we muse as we stare at a list of possible song titles and wait for inspiration. Inspiration that never comes. Panic slowly seeps in subversively replacing our excitement with dread. 'Is this what writers' block feels like?', we wonder.
Does this scenario sound familiar? There are many and varied ways in which we might become afflicted with an inability to write. It happens from time to time. Often we're simply distracted by life's pressures. However, there is always something that we can do to either counteract or avoid times of barrenness and despair.
- Practice Object Writing - The daily discipline of writing for ten minutes in the morning using sensory bound imagery will keep your writing in good shape. It's a work out for your creative muscle. Pat Pattison has a lot to say about this subject and I highly recommend his book Writing Better Lyrics. At the very least, if you find yourself drawing a blank on a lyric you can very quickly do a few object writes to loosen up. You may not get the perfect line, after all, it's an exercise in creative writing but at least you will be writing and pushing your boundaries. VisitObject Writing for this weeks words.
- Write With Others - Co-writing is fun and you'll learn a lot from the process. Don't worry about someone ripping off your ideas. Meet for coffee first, chat about life and writing, explore some possibilities and if you think it's worth a shot then organise your cowrite session. Just be sure to sign an agreement before you get started. The more you co-write the sooner you can look for opportunities to write 'up', meaning to write with someone higher up the food chain than yourself. Visit your local NSAI Chapter, scope out local songwriting groups, talk to musos at gigs and start collaborating. Surround yourself with like minded people. Find your strengths and discover where others strengths are. Sometimes the sum of many parts is mightier than the individual.
- Write on a Non-Prefered Instrument - A quick way to get out of old habits is to write on an instrument that you're not totally comfortable on. Perhaps it's time to ditch the old acoustic for a while and write to a drum beat. Virtuosity is not a pre-requisite for songwriters! So don't worry if you're not well versed on a jaw harp or glockenspiel, the point is to present your musical imagination with a new point of reference, a surprising new sound, a fresh perspective. Are you tired of the old 1st position chords? Try something new. Trick your fingers, deny your ears their guilty Minor7 pleasures and carelessly throw your talents at an unsuspecting Casio or drum machine!
- Attend a Songwriting Workshop - Experience has shown me that songwriting workshops can often be a bit hit-and-miss. Word of mouth will save you from disappointment. The wider your network of songwriting buddies, the greater your chance of attending truly worthwhile seminars and workshops. Learn from the experience of others.Recommendations give you some kind of surety that your investment will be worth it. And it is an investment, and one which will pay dividends as your ears and eyes are opened to the craft of writing great songs. Become a student of songwriting, soak it up and enjoy the journey. Learn something new. There will be many great days of writing ahead.
- Revisit your old recordings/lyrics/demos/scratch tapes. - This achieves two things; 1) You may find some gems of inspiration. That's generally what you will have captured 'on tape' - the initial inspiration & 2) You'll quickly discover just how far you've come since your early attempts to navigate songwriting. If you're still having trouble joining the dots on an idea consider submitting it for evaluation. Reviews will prove invaluable as you resurrect songs that deserve a second chance. Rewriting is vital in the song creation process. Professional evaluations are surprisingly affordable and may become your best friend as you tweak and polish your songs.
RSS Feed
