| Writers Block |
Found this on the net
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/songwritingtips3.htm
I've extracted one part - I can relate to some of it.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Songwriting Tips: Writer's Block Blues
by Ken Hill, Posted March 31st, 2005
Back to The Academy
It has been far too long since my last article on songwriting. If you have not read my last three articles (21 Songwriting Tips, 19 More Songwriting Tips and Songwriting Techniques) then I would encourage you to do so. It is not necessary to read them first to benefit from these current tips, but "21 Songwriting Tips" covers the most generalized ground and builds an excellent foundation. Each successing article becomes more articulate and specific. Writing an article can be tricky because I have to address the fact that I'm referring to tips to help you increase the strength of your artwork and art in itself is a very subjective thing! There is an old saying that goes, "My truth is not your truth". The same must be applied with this article. So I'm going to give you the standard disclaimer. Not every tip will apply to your particular style, so take what works for you and discard the rest.
One more note. I have been receiving wonderful responses to my other articles. If you find these tips handy, please feel free to e-mail me. It's always great to know if what I'm writing is reaching out. It may take me some time to respond back, as it's becoming common to become overwhelmed with e-mails regarding songwriting, as well as my music. So yeah, blahbity blah blah. Are you still reading this or did you skip ahead already? Okay then! On with the show!
Tip #40: Writers Block Blues: Acknowledgement is empowerment!
Picture this. An illustrator is flustered beyond belief. In his trashcan are hundreds of crumpled up papers of "failed" works. He is trying to draw a house, but to no avail. Again, he grabs a new piece of paper, shakes his aching wrists and begins to draw a line. After a minute he stops and examines his work. He has successfully drawn a very cool looking cube.
"This is no good!" he screams, crumples up the paper and tosses it into the trashcan with his other crumpled friends. Somehow, it is all uninspiring to him. His last illustration of a house was to die for. And now... nothing.
What has happened to the illustrator has happened to every single one of us who compose regularly. It's the dreaded writers block! That's great news! Well, it's not great news that you are having writer's block, but it's great news to know that you are not alone! The first step to overcoming writer's block is to acknowledge that you have it! You see, it's not the pictures of the houses that's the problem. It's the illustrator. For some reason, he cannot become inspired. The reasons are many. He could have just written something so amazing that he feels like he can never achieve that type of excellence again. He could just be drawing up blanks. He could even be too involved in his work to the point of mind tingling numbness! Whatever the case may be, acknowledge the fact that you have writers block and stop throwing your work into the trash! It's probably not the music, so keep your "uninspired" works. You may realize you were doing something ingenious later on when your mind is clearer.
Summary: Acknowledge it when you have writer's block so you don't lose too many great ideas! The sooner you can come to terms with it, the sooner you can fight back and get back on track!
Tip #41: Writers Block Blues: Drawing a house starts with one line.
What can we learn from Mr. Illustrator from Tip #40? We can learn a lot! That's the great thing about mistakes! Well, I consider throwing away tons of paper a mistake! Not only did that poor tree die for nothing, there may have been tons of great ideas that got sent through the shredder because they were done half-heartedly. That's a different tip from part II of songwriting tips, which clearly states (I'm the songwriting lawyer, mwahaha) that you should never throw away your ideas! Save them! You might find a home for them later.
Drawing a house starts with one line. Writing an article starts with one word. Writing a song starts with one note. You cannot possibly write a song as great and awe-inspiring as your last song if you do not give it enough time to become something! Ideas must be nurtured in order for them to grow correctly. Mr. Illustrator has been throwing away multiple drawings of cubes before he finished them as houses! Here's the trick that will help those who are having writers' block because they feel they cannot achieve the level of expression of previous songs. YOU NEVER WILL!!! Just kidding. Actually, let me tag something on that. YOU NEVER WILL IF YOU DO NOT GIVE YOUR IDEAS A PLACE TO GROW.
You may feel uninspired by the first note. You may feel uninspired by the first several hundred notes. Keep cracking away and don't give up! Greatness may not be achieved until the thousandth note. Mr. Illustrator may have become inspired by his picture had he drawn in the windows, chimney, grass, maybe tossed in a mad cow to reflect his frustrated feelings. He might have found an inner vision and rekindled the flame! Don't give into the evil writer's block ghosts which whisper in your ear, "Thhiiiiiis stiiiiiiinks....throoooow it awaaaaaay...." Like the movie, "A beautiful mind", you've got to ignore those pesky voices in your head and focus purely on the music. Like a wet candle, it may take some time, but if you keep igniting away, it will eventually burn! So don't give up and stop trying to jump up an entire flight of stairs all at once. You'll definitely trip and fall down! Take it one step at a time.
Summary: Take it one line at a time. Stop trying to see the whole picture. The picture will make itself clear after enough lines are connected. Don't listen to ghosts, unless you think it's cool. Writer's block is like a wet candle. Ramen is a very tasty wet noodle.
Tip #42: Writer's Block Blues: The hit song writer!
Many times people approach songwriting in the totally wrong way by thinking, "Now I'm going to write a hit song!" Got writer's block, did ya? Can't blame you. Deciding to write a hit song is like an ad campaign deciding that they're going to really win the crowd by deciding to write the most effective ad ever. When would you not want to write an ad as effective as possible, and how is it possible that the company can turn on the "most effective ad ever made" button on and off at will? More importantly, if you're having writer's block, how is this decision going to help your music?
It makes more sense that the goal of a songwriter who writes for the audience is to make an emotional connection with that particular audience. This connection is made through musical ideas and gestures that evolve in time to captivate the listener to a particular feeling. Many other nonmusical factors (promotions, quality, ease of purchase, etc.) will be the determining factors of a hit song. Don't choke your thoughts up with the end process. Deciding to write a hit song is not decision that most of us can make, and it may make you a nightmare critic!
You might hold a magnifying glass up to every inch of musical space, evaluate, and tear apart many great ideas from over analyzation. Just be yourself. If you know how to promote your product, promote the living daylights out of it. If it becomes a hit song, all the merrier. If it doesn't, at least you had a great time writing great music. I think it's just about every musician's dream to have a hit song. Still, that is the byproduct of something that is more important to the musically stumped songwriter. Discover the essence of the song instead.
Summary: Writing a hit song is a nice gesture, but can get in the way of your focus on the music. This applies to other methods of thought too. Stay away from "I'm going to write an even better song than my last" or "I'm going to write the best song ever" or "This next song will be the one that makes me millions". Don't focus on the outcome of your music. Right now, focus on the actual point of your next song by the ideas that would embellish it.
Tip #43: Writers Block Blues: Oh My Bloody Eyeballs!
If your eyes are bloodshot, it's time to take a break! Right now. Go ahead. Go to sleep. Read this article in the morning. What? You're still reading this? Figures! Let's presume I love crystal lemmings. All day, I tell my friends about these crystal lemmings that I make. When I'm at work, I tell all my coworkers, "Man, I make these cool crystal lemmings! Let me tell you how I do it!" When I get home, I spend hours making hundreds of crystal lemmings. It's nearly midnight and your eyeballs have become bloodshot from all the squinting that you had to do to make those cute miniature animals. Time to create something new, right? In most cases, WRONG! Get some sleep and take a break! Burn out is a great way to get writer's block.
Find the time of day that you feel that you are most creative and try to structure your "creation process" around those key times. Perhaps it's not a key time, but a key moment! That's perfectly alright too! When it comes to composing, the key to a great song may very well lie in your state of mind more than anything else. Know thyself. The more you understand about you, the better off you are.
Summary: Find the perfect creative times/moments and build a structure around them. Don't burn yourself out or you will very susceptible to writer's block. Know and understand yourself and what inspires you as a songwriter. Build around those inspirations. Know thyself!
Tip #44: Writer's Block Blues: DUH!
Duh...
Dmmmm.....uhhhh...dooh...
FOCUS!
Dahabba?
Summary: Duh...(Translated: "If your brain is drawing blanks") Dmmmm.....uhhhh...dooh... (Translat
http://www.musicbizacademy.com/articles/songwritingtips3.htm
I've extracted one part - I can relate to some of it.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Songwriting Tips: Writer's Block Blues
by Ken Hill, Posted March 31st, 2005
Back to The Academy
It has been far too long since my last article on songwriting. If you have not read my last three articles (21 Songwriting Tips, 19 More Songwriting Tips and Songwriting Techniques) then I would encourage you to do so. It is not necessary to read them first to benefit from these current tips, but "21 Songwriting Tips" covers the most generalized ground and builds an excellent foundation. Each successing article becomes more articulate and specific. Writing an article can be tricky because I have to address the fact that I'm referring to tips to help you increase the strength of your artwork and art in itself is a very subjective thing! There is an old saying that goes, "My truth is not your truth". The same must be applied with this article. So I'm going to give you the standard disclaimer. Not every tip will apply to your particular style, so take what works for you and discard the rest.
One more note. I have been receiving wonderful responses to my other articles. If you find these tips handy, please feel free to e-mail me. It's always great to know if what I'm writing is reaching out. It may take me some time to respond back, as it's becoming common to become overwhelmed with e-mails regarding songwriting, as well as my music. So yeah, blahbity blah blah. Are you still reading this or did you skip ahead already? Okay then! On with the show!
Tip #40: Writers Block Blues: Acknowledgement is empowerment!
Picture this. An illustrator is flustered beyond belief. In his trashcan are hundreds of crumpled up papers of "failed" works. He is trying to draw a house, but to no avail. Again, he grabs a new piece of paper, shakes his aching wrists and begins to draw a line. After a minute he stops and examines his work. He has successfully drawn a very cool looking cube.
"This is no good!" he screams, crumples up the paper and tosses it into the trashcan with his other crumpled friends. Somehow, it is all uninspiring to him. His last illustration of a house was to die for. And now... nothing.
What has happened to the illustrator has happened to every single one of us who compose regularly. It's the dreaded writers block! That's great news! Well, it's not great news that you are having writer's block, but it's great news to know that you are not alone! The first step to overcoming writer's block is to acknowledge that you have it! You see, it's not the pictures of the houses that's the problem. It's the illustrator. For some reason, he cannot become inspired. The reasons are many. He could have just written something so amazing that he feels like he can never achieve that type of excellence again. He could just be drawing up blanks. He could even be too involved in his work to the point of mind tingling numbness! Whatever the case may be, acknowledge the fact that you have writers block and stop throwing your work into the trash! It's probably not the music, so keep your "uninspired" works. You may realize you were doing something ingenious later on when your mind is clearer.
Summary: Acknowledge it when you have writer's block so you don't lose too many great ideas! The sooner you can come to terms with it, the sooner you can fight back and get back on track!
Tip #41: Writers Block Blues: Drawing a house starts with one line.
What can we learn from Mr. Illustrator from Tip #40? We can learn a lot! That's the great thing about mistakes! Well, I consider throwing away tons of paper a mistake! Not only did that poor tree die for nothing, there may have been tons of great ideas that got sent through the shredder because they were done half-heartedly. That's a different tip from part II of songwriting tips, which clearly states (I'm the songwriting lawyer, mwahaha) that you should never throw away your ideas! Save them! You might find a home for them later.
Drawing a house starts with one line. Writing an article starts with one word. Writing a song starts with one note. You cannot possibly write a song as great and awe-inspiring as your last song if you do not give it enough time to become something! Ideas must be nurtured in order for them to grow correctly. Mr. Illustrator has been throwing away multiple drawings of cubes before he finished them as houses! Here's the trick that will help those who are having writers' block because they feel they cannot achieve the level of expression of previous songs. YOU NEVER WILL!!! Just kidding. Actually, let me tag something on that. YOU NEVER WILL IF YOU DO NOT GIVE YOUR IDEAS A PLACE TO GROW.
You may feel uninspired by the first note. You may feel uninspired by the first several hundred notes. Keep cracking away and don't give up! Greatness may not be achieved until the thousandth note. Mr. Illustrator may have become inspired by his picture had he drawn in the windows, chimney, grass, maybe tossed in a mad cow to reflect his frustrated feelings. He might have found an inner vision and rekindled the flame! Don't give into the evil writer's block ghosts which whisper in your ear, "Thhiiiiiis stiiiiiiinks....throoooow it awaaaaaay...." Like the movie, "A beautiful mind", you've got to ignore those pesky voices in your head and focus purely on the music. Like a wet candle, it may take some time, but if you keep igniting away, it will eventually burn! So don't give up and stop trying to jump up an entire flight of stairs all at once. You'll definitely trip and fall down! Take it one step at a time.
Summary: Take it one line at a time. Stop trying to see the whole picture. The picture will make itself clear after enough lines are connected. Don't listen to ghosts, unless you think it's cool. Writer's block is like a wet candle. Ramen is a very tasty wet noodle.
Tip #42: Writer's Block Blues: The hit song writer!
Many times people approach songwriting in the totally wrong way by thinking, "Now I'm going to write a hit song!" Got writer's block, did ya? Can't blame you. Deciding to write a hit song is like an ad campaign deciding that they're going to really win the crowd by deciding to write the most effective ad ever. When would you not want to write an ad as effective as possible, and how is it possible that the company can turn on the "most effective ad ever made" button on and off at will? More importantly, if you're having writer's block, how is this decision going to help your music?
It makes more sense that the goal of a songwriter who writes for the audience is to make an emotional connection with that particular audience. This connection is made through musical ideas and gestures that evolve in time to captivate the listener to a particular feeling. Many other nonmusical factors (promotions, quality, ease of purchase, etc.) will be the determining factors of a hit song. Don't choke your thoughts up with the end process. Deciding to write a hit song is not decision that most of us can make, and it may make you a nightmare critic!
You might hold a magnifying glass up to every inch of musical space, evaluate, and tear apart many great ideas from over analyzation. Just be yourself. If you know how to promote your product, promote the living daylights out of it. If it becomes a hit song, all the merrier. If it doesn't, at least you had a great time writing great music. I think it's just about every musician's dream to have a hit song. Still, that is the byproduct of something that is more important to the musically stumped songwriter. Discover the essence of the song instead.
Summary: Writing a hit song is a nice gesture, but can get in the way of your focus on the music. This applies to other methods of thought too. Stay away from "I'm going to write an even better song than my last" or "I'm going to write the best song ever" or "This next song will be the one that makes me millions". Don't focus on the outcome of your music. Right now, focus on the actual point of your next song by the ideas that would embellish it.
Tip #43: Writers Block Blues: Oh My Bloody Eyeballs!
If your eyes are bloodshot, it's time to take a break! Right now. Go ahead. Go to sleep. Read this article in the morning. What? You're still reading this? Figures! Let's presume I love crystal lemmings. All day, I tell my friends about these crystal lemmings that I make. When I'm at work, I tell all my coworkers, "Man, I make these cool crystal lemmings! Let me tell you how I do it!" When I get home, I spend hours making hundreds of crystal lemmings. It's nearly midnight and your eyeballs have become bloodshot from all the squinting that you had to do to make those cute miniature animals. Time to create something new, right? In most cases, WRONG! Get some sleep and take a break! Burn out is a great way to get writer's block.
Find the time of day that you feel that you are most creative and try to structure your "creation process" around those key times. Perhaps it's not a key time, but a key moment! That's perfectly alright too! When it comes to composing, the key to a great song may very well lie in your state of mind more than anything else. Know thyself. The more you understand about you, the better off you are.
Summary: Find the perfect creative times/moments and build a structure around them. Don't burn yourself out or you will very susceptible to writer's block. Know and understand yourself and what inspires you as a songwriter. Build around those inspirations. Know thyself!
Tip #44: Writer's Block Blues: DUH!
Duh...
Dmmmm.....uhhhh...dooh...
FOCUS!
Dahabba?
Summary: Duh...(Translated: "If your brain is drawing blanks") Dmmmm.....uhhhh...dooh... (Translat
This is so good.
Also check this article out:
http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/
It's a good motivator type article good for any creative type.
Also check this article out:
http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/
It's a good motivator type article good for any creative type.
thebigguyconnor wrote…
This is so good.
Also check this article out:
http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/
It's a good motivator type article good for any creative type.
Nice job TBGC
I got down to the nitty gritty of my writers block in one word:
ACTION
The opposite of LOVE is FEAR - in this case opposites do NOT attract.
My fear was simply that I would not be able to improve on my previous creations.- thus no ACTION
The ironic thing is my slogan is
"For The Love of Music"-lol LOTS
now I've FINALLY broken the ice, I can work on my ACTIONS
The longer you leave it the longer you waist time practicing, improving.
OK my recent creation is not a work of art, but more importantly when I finished it I got a BUZZ
which has inspired me to CRACK-ON to the next project.
Simple little equation;
ACTION = BUZZ
There are some other good motivation articles at http://www.musiciansbible.ca
More for playing but the stuff applies I think.
More for playing but the stuff applies I think.
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