#6 - Slumps. Cherish Them!
Another off-beat choice for a blog entry, but it was the only subject to receive a vote.
Slumps. What is a slump? I’m not going to define it according to a dictionary, but rather by what I’m talking about. I describe a slump as a period in my Creative Cycle where little or substandard quality work is being produced.
No matter what they call them, I’m sure every songwriter, poet, scriptwriter, novelist, composer or sportsman goes through these periods. Some will succumb to the alluring temptation of distraction. Others will continue through the cycle into the better times ahead. They say cream always rises to the top and nowhere is this more evident than when out of nowhere an artist is back in the Top 10, a racer finishes on the top of the podium or a team who have struggled all year beat the competition leader, in whatever sport you follow.
Slumps are a natural part of the cycle, and the best part is, even while struggling through them we are practising our craft, making it and ourselves stronger, and more resilient for when the cycle takes its inevitable downturn, sometime in the future.
But you didn’t start reading to be told, “Chin up there lad/lass, it’ll come good again in time!â€
No, you are reading because you want some practical advice. So here it is:
Write.
“What?†you say. “That’s it?â€
Yep, that’s all there is to it. We are song writers, so like a runner must run his way out of a slump, a basketball team must run, dribble, shoot their way out of a slump we must write our way out of a slump. But don’t despair, there is more we can do than write substandard lyrics or melodies.
Write a blog entry! (No, I don’t feel like I’m in a slump!)
Write a critique or several – and remember to read all the other critiques as well!
Write an article.
Write a list of catchy titles.
Write a shopping list and take your mind off that empty page for a while.
Write a letter to a friend. Not an email. A letter!
Write a chorus.
Write a verse.
Now write the first verse.
And a bridge.
Put down what you have just finished, go back to your list of titles and repeat the process.
DO NOT REVIEW NOW!
Put everything you write away, out of sight. Hits are re-written, but during a slump is not the time to review or re-write anything, trust me.
i.e. Write! Write!! Write!!!
Now get to work!
Cheers,
Kel
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