The Dreaded Writer's Block

[eboria]

Hey folks,

Every few months, especially after a productive period, I become convinced that I will never write another song. I come to the irrational conclusion that whatever creative well I was dipping into has suddenly dried up, or perhaps I've used up my alotment of inspiration. During these times - could be days, but once it lasted for about a year - I could stare at the blank screen or the clean page for hours and not come up with a single line clever enough to get me started on a song.

As I said, this is completely irrational, made more so because I am totally aware of what's happening on most levels, and still I despair a little!

Anyway, a while ago I started combating this problem by following Stephen King's adviceon the subject - if you can't write, write! During these periods, I will sit in a comfortable spot and spend hours writing whatever comes into my head, shopping lists, hopes and dreams, play-by-play of the last argument I had with my girlfriend, anything at all. Most times, nothing comes of it but hand cramps, but sometimes I strike gold. And, of course, once that happens the block is lifted, the flood-gates open and I'm back in business.

I know you all experience the dreaded block. What do you do about it?

[Lazz]

whatever creative well I was dipping into has suddenly dried up, or perhaps I've used up my alotment of inspiration. During these times - could be days, but once it lasted for about a year - I could stare at the blank screen or the clean page for hours and not come up with a single line clever enough to get me started on a song.

I don't know about Steven King, Eboria, but evry other writer about whose approach and struggle I have read seems to say pretty much the same thing.

And even if you write something 'clever enough', Charles Dickens' advice was to rip it up and start anew.

Very harsh and rigorous - but then maybe Charlie had some idea what he was talking about.

Seems agreed for all that you just have to push harder.

Neither do I remember exactly who mumbled on about 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration - but I understand completely what they were getting at.

This 'well of creativity' thing.... the whole notion of inspiration... might be just a deluded myth, a misleading sheltering falsehood.

I think you have to persist and keep at it and sweat over it and try harder and force yourself onward.

An exercise I use from time to time is a real toughie.

It is simply to try and write an original simile or metaphor.

'as cold as ......"

"as fresh as ......"

I find it really hard to crack but persistence sometimes throws up a spark of something.

Another is to re-write someone else's work.

A paragraph, a poem, a lyric, a news story....

Pastiche or parody of an advertisement.

Or take a handful of some extant verbiage - aphorisms, sayings, cliches, whatever......

And write something new using only the vocabulary contained therein.

You never know your luck - something will happen that becomes worth your while sweating over.

Keep on pushing.

[john]

Hi

I agree with the advice about keeping writing, but I find a range of things help, starting with setting aside time to work on my writing. In part it depends why you are having problems but often it's down to a percieved lack of "good" ideas and a lack of confidence with the development of those ideas.

Qualifying ideas

During block periods I think many writers find themselves struggling to find something to write about. Often this is because ideas are dismissed as unoriginal, or the writer feels they don't have enough to say on a subject.

Liberate yourself. Remove some restrictions. Write not to produce a finished classic lyric, but to recover your joy in writing and your interest in creatively exploring a subject.

Try exercises like writting lyrics about mundane subjects like a pencil, or a pile of dishes etc. This allows you to really work on idea development, lyrical mechanisms etc. and it helps free attachment to over qualifing ideas.

Confidence and Motivation

When our approach becomes stale it is easy to become demotivated and lose confidence. For me this is addressed by stimulating my writing by introducing variety. Try:

Changing your perspective (1st person, 3rd person etc)

Learn some new techniques like stream of consciousness, use of metaphor, simlie and allegory, conversational etc

Try some new song forms

try some new genres (rap, scat, folk etc)

Write under a pseudonymn

The last idea is great for freeing you up from being you.

There's lots more I can say, but hey There are a couple of articles on writers block in the lyrics and songwriting articles section.

Cheers

John

[ramadhaniyanto]

This 'well of creativity' thing.... the whole notion of inspiration... might be just a deluded myth, a misleading sheltering falsehood.

i share your point of view lazz

too often do songwriters don't write because they claim "i don't have inspiration", but i read in a book that that's what being a professional songwriter is about: writing anytime, anywhere, regardless of condition

the pointers given out by john are excellent, so much that i can only agree and not add anything else

personally, to overcome the writer's block, i watch movies and try to compose songs based on the characters and experiences i see and hear in the movie; sometimes i watch the news and see what issues are happening and what emotional reactions do those images and sounds provoke within me; other times, i sing the words in a novel to start searching for an interesting idea that would be fun to sing along to (classic novels are good for this, since they use certain words and style of language that's rare nowadays). our environment is teeming with ideas, just waiting to be plucked!

those are some of the things that i do. hope it helps!