Post by ninworks on Dec 20, 2020 8:19:02 GMT -5
Since there is no songwriting forum here, and rightly so since I don't think there would be much activity, I'm putting this post in here.
Lately I have been making an attempt to write some new songs after not doing it for many years. Life got in the way and I wasn't making the time to do it. As a result I acquired a mental block about the process. I have never been prolific but I've also never gone this long without putting something together. I lost my mojo. In an effort to revive my muse I have been doing some free writing exercises everyday. There are no rules. Just a bunch of words about anything. They can be verse, they can be just adjectives, descriptions, or whatever, about any topic. The function of these exercises is to put my mind in a state to create. I have to start something before I can finish anything.
This is a "getting started" exercise. It seems to be working. Once I start the ideas begin to flow. Sometimes it's just gobblediegook and double-talk but it forces my mind to work in a creative way. I'm discovering new lyrical forms and ways of stringing words together that I didn't realize before. If I keep at it hopefully I'll find something that will spark another new song. I already have one in the works.
The moral of the story is that you just have to get started. That is the hardest thing for me to do it seems. I have to work that into my daily routine so that it becomes second nature. I learned about doing these exercises from seeing them in a couple different books about songwriting. I didn't really understand what they meant by "putting your mind in a creative state" until I did it for awhile. After some repetition I think I've figured it out.
Writing the musical part of songs has never been a problem for me. I still play and practice my guitar a lot so it keeps the musical part of the process in the forefront.
If anyone is interested in seeing some of what I came up with while doing the writing exercises let me know and I'll post some just to give you an idea of how I do it.
Lately I have been making an attempt to write some new songs after not doing it for many years. Life got in the way and I wasn't making the time to do it. As a result I acquired a mental block about the process. I have never been prolific but I've also never gone this long without putting something together. I lost my mojo. In an effort to revive my muse I have been doing some free writing exercises everyday. There are no rules. Just a bunch of words about anything. They can be verse, they can be just adjectives, descriptions, or whatever, about any topic. The function of these exercises is to put my mind in a state to create. I have to start something before I can finish anything.
This is a "getting started" exercise. It seems to be working. Once I start the ideas begin to flow. Sometimes it's just gobblediegook and double-talk but it forces my mind to work in a creative way. I'm discovering new lyrical forms and ways of stringing words together that I didn't realize before. If I keep at it hopefully I'll find something that will spark another new song. I already have one in the works.
The moral of the story is that you just have to get started. That is the hardest thing for me to do it seems. I have to work that into my daily routine so that it becomes second nature. I learned about doing these exercises from seeing them in a couple different books about songwriting. I didn't really understand what they meant by "putting your mind in a creative state" until I did it for awhile. After some repetition I think I've figured it out.
Writing the musical part of songs has never been a problem for me. I still play and practice my guitar a lot so it keeps the musical part of the process in the forefront.
If anyone is interested in seeing some of what I came up with while doing the writing exercises let me know and I'll post some just to give you an idea of how I do it.
