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Mentors Pete and Pat Luboff.
Q. I've had a lot of "nonmusical" things on my mind lately & I can't seem to
get back into the songwriting mode! Are there any magic formula's and tricks of the trade to get over this writers block and back on track?
We love this question, because the answer is so joyful and simple. There is no such thing. The muse is out there eagerly waiting for us to turn on our receivers. This is not an opinion, it's a fact.
Songwriting is a lifestyle. Inspiration comes to us at all times: in dreams, overheard conversations, TV commercials, movies and we're not necessarily in a position to follow through on them when they come. Hopefully we make a point of recording our ideas to work on later.
Developing these ideas means treating songwriting with the same respect we give our paid gigs. We commit to regular times to write no matter what else is happening. We show up for our jobs, we show up to write. Collaboration is a great way to prioritize writing as it makes it more businesslike to have to meet an obligation to be somewhere with somebody. But regular scheduling and doing the process is the key. This is all professional writer's have over nonprofessionals.
Don't beat yourself up if you write only once a week. It's better than beating yourself up for doing nothing! But.......the more often you schedule writing sessions, the easier it is to get going.
You're in your writing session, and now the challenge is to turn yourself on, to get excited by what you're doing. The key to this is coming up with ideas that aren't perfect or fully formed without judging them the moment you have them. Spit them out, you'll select the best later. No thought is too stupid, because you never know where it may take you.
It may take a while to get turned on during a particular session, but you will. It's like warming up to exercise. You brainstorm without judgment and plug away till the juices start flowing. While you're actively open to new ideas the muse comes with unexpected connections. And then you work that idea, and she comes again. What a blast! We can't help but feel useful, that this is our right work, when we're doing this.
If you start a session not knowing particularly what to do, we have a suggestion. This is honestly not meant as a plug, it's part of the answer to this question. We'll have finished our book "12 Steps To Building Better Songs" by May 20th for the EAT-'M conference in Las Vegas. It lays out a process to write a good song, if not a great one. If you start with Step 1, working with a strong title, you'll always know what to do next.
If you do not get over your hump by treating your writing like any other commitment you keep and lightening up on your judgment of what's coming out, you may want help. Check out Artists in Recovery Through the 12 Steps at http://www.pagehost.com/ARTS/