Writers Block

[foxo]

I've gone from writing regularly to not having written a song this year. Just struggling to find inspiration.

What do you do to motivate and inspire yourself?

[rmp]

for myself, the songs I write find me, I don't find them.

so I've no idea what to even advise.

[Aimelie]

Based on your new job post, Neil, I’d say you’ve had a lot on your mind (some stress, even?) so it’s not surprising songwriting has taken a backseat for now.

Just relax and listen for the song when the next one comes to you … it will be alright.

However, some might suggest powering through this kind of block — a brute force method. Unfortunately, this can feel a whole lot like work and, to my mind, isn’t the best for inspiration.

To resume, keep in mind that you still want to write, don’t overthink things, but if a whisper of an idea speaks to you, pursue it fiercely but with joy.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by rmp

for myself, the songs I write find me, I don't find them.

so I've no idea what to even advise.

Used to be that way for me but lately seems the well has dried.

Originally Posted by Aimelie

Based on your new job post, Neil, I’d say you’ve had a lot on your mind (some stress, even?) so it’s not surprising songwriting has taken a backseat for now.

Just relax and listen for the song when the next one comes to you … it will be alright.

However, some might suggest powering through this kind of block — a brute force method. Unfortunately, this can feel a whole lot like work and, to my mind, isn’t the best for inspiration.

To resume, keep in mind that you still want to write, don’t overthink things, but if a whisper of an idea speaks to you, pursue it fiercely but with joy.

Cheers Aimelie, that’s nice advice.

[rmp]

[QUOTE=foxo;6982031]Used to be that way for me but lately seems the well has dried.


just keep the ears opened, you'll hit on a few chord voicings and changes when you don't even expect it, and that just may end the drought. that's how it works here.

[stanron]

Go Fishing!

There's an analogy that I've heard several times from song composers recently that likens song writing to fishing. The idea is that if you don't go fishing you won't catch any fish, or if you want to catch fish you have to go fishing.

Forget about inspiration. Do the hard slog of writing something every day, even if you don't think it's all that good. Write something and move on.

[FrankHudson]

There are probably zillions of writing prompts out there, usually things based around write a poem/song/story about x. They work for some folks. Like the OP, I'll sometimes get the notion to write about some subject or event, but usually the inspiration that drives me is more indirect. And of course those "write about..." prompts probably work less for music composition.

Because I've been on a Project which requires near constant composing I will put in a personal plug for the "just do it regularly thing"-- that is, do as much as you can, and give yourself permission for the results to be slight, or bad, or just exercises. Exercises don't have to produce new songs, but sometimes they just do.

If words are the sticking point, my Parlando Project is primarily other people's words set to music I usually compose and then record and play the parts to realize it. By working with an inexhaustible variety of words already written (largely poetry, but not always) I got to stretch into new things with music composition.

If you want your own words to get a kick start, one of my favorite things is to translate a poem from a foreign language and make it into an English language musical piece. You don't have to be a speaker of another language. Google or Microsoft Translate web tools are good enough to give you want is called "a gloss" -- the "prosey meaning" of the words from which you can versify it into something singable. I liken it to folks who kick start their own compositions or improvisations by transcribing others solos or works.

[Mr. Jelly]

Do a search on Irish and Celtic songs and you'll be writing in no time.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

There are probably zillions of writing prompts out there, usually things based around write a poem/song/story about x. They work for some folks. Like the OP, I'll sometimes get the notion to write about some subject or event, but usually the inspiration that drives me is more indirect. And of course those "write about..." prompts probably work less for music composition.

Because I've been on a Project which requires near constant composing I will put in a personal plug for the "just do it regularly thing"-- that is, do as much as you can, and give yourself permission for the results to be slight, or bad, or just exercises. Exercises don't have to produce new songs, but sometimes they just do.

If words are the sticking point, my Parlando Project is primarily other people's words set to music I usually compose and then record and play the parts to realize it. By working with an inexhaustible variety of words already written (largely poetry, but not always) I got to stretch into new things with music composition.

If you want your own words to get a kick start, one of my favorite things is to translate a poem from a foreign language and make it into an English language musical piece. You don't have to be a speaker of another language. Google or Microsoft Translate web tools are good enough to give you want is called "a gloss" -- the "prosey meaning" of the words from which you can versify it into something singable. I liken it to folks who kick start their own compositions or improvisations by transcribing others solos or works.

Some very interesting points here Frank, thanks. I think I'll give writing prompts a shot as I always write lyrics first so it could work for me. I've tried Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies (free online) but I can't say I've had much success with that.

I like your suggestion of Google translating poetry as that could result in lines that are wholly original and abstract due to the inaccuracy of the translation.

Originally Posted by Mr. Jelly

Do a search on Irish and Celtic songs and you'll be writing in no time.

I'm a huge fan of The Clancy Brothers, Pogues and Dubliners.

[Chipotle]

If the usual writing prompts don't do it for you, how about the news? It doesn't have to be the political headlines---find an intriguing story and write a song about it. I think that can be fruitful, as storytelling is a big part of songwriting. You can even take the kernel and fictionalize it a bit.

I got a great song out of this weird news blurb a few years ago:

[foxo]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

If the usual writing prompts don't do it for you, how about the news? It doesn't have to be the political headlines---find an intriguing story and write a song about it. I think that can be fruitful, as storytelling is a big part of songwriting. You can even take the kernel and fictionalize it a bit.

I got a great song out of this weird news blurb a few years ago:

Hah, nice song Chipotle. Very witty.

I've tried my hand at this before. I wrote this song watching a documentary on the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. It ended up bearing absolutely no resemblance to the story but I couldn't have written it without the quotes that started the songwriting process.

[Mr. Jelly]

Not advice but just because. I was reading an old American explorer journal and came across the line that "he was the ugliest dead man I ever saw" That stuck with me. Sometime later I did a search for southern and hillbilly sayings and phrases for the colorful language. Slam bam and I had a song. It was fun and I really like the song.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

Horse racing forms are full of fun titles.

[rllink]

I don't write songs but I do write novels. I wrote one that then became a series of six. I was really on a roll and hammering them out two a year. But then I hit a road block. My editor suggested that the series was becoming very formulaic. She said that wasn't bad, it was even good as far as the series was concerned, it made them consistant, but that the problem might be simply that I had "worn the formula out," in her words. She suggested that I end the series and bust out of that formula. Maybe write something in first person instead of third person, a different genre, anything, just something different. I did just that and was off and running again.

I don't know how close the creative process of writing a song is to writing a book, but it is something to think about. Maybe you just need to change things up, like a different style, different genres or something. Maybe do something you haven't done before. That might get the creative juices going again.

[foxo]

Originally Posted by rllink

I don't write songs but I do write novels. I wrote one that then became a series of six. I was really on a roll and hammering them out two a year. But then I hit a road block. My editor suggested that the series was becoming very formulaic. She said that wasn't bad, it was even good as far as the series was concerned, it made them consistant, but that the problem might be simply that I had "worn the formula out," in her words. She suggested that I end the series and bust out of that formula. Maybe write something in first person instead of third person, a different genre, anything, just something different. I did just that and was off and running again.

I don't know how close the creative process of writing a song is to writing a book, but it is something to think about. Maybe you just need to change things up, like a different style, different genres or something. Maybe do something you haven't done before. That might get the creative juices going again.

Cheers rlink, that’s helpful.