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Category: Songwriters Block

Songwriters Block – 11 Tips On How To Get You Unstuck

November 29, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Songwriters Block… Every songwriter gets it at least once in their career.

It’s easy to find yourself in the midst of it and very difficult to get yourself out of the grips of it however, freedom from it can be achieved.

Songwriter, producer and keyboard player Michael Gallant through his article “Songwriting and Writer’s Block: 11 tips to help the songwriter get unstuck” seems to think so.

About songwriters block Michael writes…

“Creating a memorable song is rarely as easy as just humming a pretty melody and writing down some lyrics, though. And just like writers of prose or non-fiction, even the most successful songwriters hit creative walls.”

In his article Michael lists 11 tips that he’s collected through his own experiences and from a range of experienced songwriters that will help songwriters overcome their creative block.

They are:

1. Start with a title
2. Look and listen everywhere
3. Carry a notebook, voice recorder, or both
4. Keep unfinished ideas
5. Write a lot
6. Identify your own clichés
7. Keep your inner critic at bay
8. Ask for help
9. Write on a secondary instrument
10. Take a break
11. Use your favourite artists for inspiration

Of course the full descriptions and definitions of these tips are spelt out in Michael’s article however, my favourite tip is number four “Keep unfinished ideas.”

Doing this one thing has been the cornerstone of my own songwriting process and it’s something that I feel very passionate about.

Have a read of the full article here and while you’re doing that, have a think about your own songwriting process and the ways that you can improve it. If you have anything to share please feel free to let me know.

Until next time, keep on writing,

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

30 Ways To Overcome (Song) Writers Block

May 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

If you know where to look there’s literally tons of great songwriting tips, songwriting articles and general songwriting advice online.

One such example of this comes in the form of an article I found recently titled 30 Songwriting Tips To Overcome Writer’s Block by Sam Wilson from The Pro Audio Files website.

As the title suggests, the article lists 30 ways in which a songwriter can overcome the dreaded block. It is written with a (home) recording studio edge to it but as a songwriter, you’ll be able to glean some gold from the list.

The goal of the article is very simple. Sam writes…

“… whether you’re an electronic producer or more traditional singer/songwriter, you can use this list as a resource to spark new songwriting ideas.”

Reading through the list did give me some things to think about regarding my own songwriting process. The ideas that stood out for me were the following…

  • Idea 04 – Build A World In Your Head
  • Idea 06 – Tap Into Your Own Feelings
  • Idea 09 – Play With Some Samples (this is where the audio recording slant comes into play)
  • Idea 20 – Open Old Projects (you can also reinterpret this as “Revisit Your Old Songs”)
  • Idea 26 – Keep It Simple

No matter how long you’ve been on the songwriting path there will always be days where writing a song can be like pulling teeth and this article would be a very handy thing to have for just those times.

Have a read of the article 30 Songwriting Tips To Overcome Writer’s Block and let me know if there’s anything that you would add to the list.

Until next time, keep on writing,

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

Smashing Songwriters Block, One (Bad) Song At A Time

May 17, 2020 / / 0 Comments

Songwriting is the creative process of joining together lyrics, melody and music, and this process requires focus, time and patience.

However, all creative people have their own personal nemesis buried deep inside them waiting to wreak some havoc and put a spanner in the works.

It’s called your inner critic but really, it’s another name for your ego.

You know what I’m talking about, we’ve all been there, it’s that little critic inside your head that tells you that you have “nothing to write about” or that you’re “not good enough” or that you’ve got “no time to write” and so on.

If writing songs requires a certain level of activity then to write more songs we need to increase that activity, and one of those ways is to consistently win the battle with your inner critic.

As songwriters we need to be open to fresh new ideas, thoughts, feelings, experiences and observations and keeping that momentum going requires a steady flow of words from brain to paper.

If we lose the daily battle with our inner critic then the songwriting idea valve gets shut off by our own negativity, reasons and excuses and we simply dry up.

Hence the songwriters block.

Songwriters stop writing songs not because of their reasons and excuses but because they have let their inner critic talk them into believing that those reasons and excuses are the truth.

We need to find ways to distract, pacify or perhaps make friends with our inner critic and make it work for our songwriting, not against it.

I’ve always found that the best and most direct way to cure a dose of songwriters block is to just write anything no matter how corny and cliche the outcome may turn out to be.

Hell, I’ve written a lot of “bad” songs in my time from doing this very thing, but I don’t see anything in the rulebook that says that every song you write has to be heard by other people.

The next time you’re sitting down in front of a blank piece of paper and nothing seems to be coming out try this songwriting exercise, just write whatever comes to you and keep going until you fill the paper with words.

As you’re doing this really listen out to what your inner critic is telling you, accept that it’s not the truth and keep on writing and maybe, just maybe you’ll write a song about how you defeat your nemesis.

Hey! It might even be a good one 🙂

Until next time, keep on writing,

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

Six Tips For Beating The Blank Page

January 15, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I believe that songwriting tips, ideas and inspiration can come from anywhere. Especially in areas or disciplines that may not be directly related to writing songs.

A great example of this comes from an article I found on the blogging and freelance writing website Copyblogger called 6 Tips for Beating the Blank Page.

The article is the end result of an epiphany that the author received regarding writers block whilst visiting the Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre in England.

The epiphany was described by the author Robert Peters in this manner…

As I moved through the museum, listening to audio, reading and looking at various exhibits, I started jotting down aspects of Roald Dahl’s writing process.

It proved to be truly inspirational, and I discovered a few elements of his process that are as important for digital writers and publishers today as they were for him when he was writing his books more than 50 years ago.

The six tips Robert listed are as follows…

  • Capture every idea
  • Create a place to work
  • Create a routine
  • Use the right tools
  • Perfect your writing
  • Do the work

My favourite tip is the last one “Do the work” as it encapsulates all of the other tips into one phrase.

When you write a song, you’re doing the work, you’re getting on with the job and you’re not waiting for the muse to knock at your door. If you don’t do the work, you don’t write any songs.

Seems very obvious but there has been a time in every songwriters journey where doing the work has been the least obvious thing to be doing.

I think Picasso said it best when he said that…

Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working

Read the article 6 Tips for Beating the Blank Page and have a think about how these tips relate to your songwriting process. Do you relate to them? Can you add to the list?

Let me know what you come up with.

Until next time, keep on writing

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

Original Link: 6 Tips for Beating the Blank Page – Copyblogger

Songwriters Block – Creative Tricks To Beat the Blank Page

January 13, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I find inspiration in people who are doing right now what I intend to be doing in the future. One such person who greatly inspires me for that very reason is Joyce Kettering.

She writes music to be licensed for media projects… Film, TV, games, any project that requires music. From what I can see, she doesn’t play live and she makes a good living from her music.

She runs two websites. The first being MadLass Music, her “label” as such where clients can go onto her site and license her music direct from her.

The second site is her songwriting and music licensing tips blog Creative And Productive which is fast becoming my new favourite site online.

Joyce Kettering knows what she talking about, she walks the walk and talks the talk and when I came across her post titled Songwriters Block – Creative Tricks To Beat the Blank Page I immediately started to read it.

In the article Joyce outlines five creative “tricks” that work for her but what impressed me the most was the detail she put into describing how and why they work.

Under every trick she explains…

  • What it is
  • When you should try it
  • Why does it work

Setting it up this way made it so much easier to internalise the information at hand.

In describing Songwriters Block, Joyce says…

…songwriters block sucks. Being stuck in a rut sucks. It’s bad for the ego, bad for your confidence, bad for the enjoyment of life in general.

Couldn’t agree more. Check out Joyce’s article and if you have any thoughts regarding the article, let me know.

Until next time, keep on writing

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

Here’s the original link: Songwriters Block – Creative Tricks To Beat the Blank Page

Stuck In A Songwriting Rut? Try These Five Things

December 15, 2019 / / 0 Comments

There are many, many times where I’ve felt less than motivated or inspired to put pen to paper and write a song.

Most of the time, I’m able to get past the lack of motivation and exercise my songwriting muscle however, an article 5 Things To Do When You’re Stuck In A Creative Rut (Or Unmotivated) by Sam Matla on the EDMProd blog really put things into perspective for me.

In the article, Sam explains the phenomenon of a creative rut in this fashion…

You know, when you open up your DAW, you’re excited, ready to start a new track, but for some reason you just can’t get anything down! This often leads to unproductive sessions resulting in more frustration and can even cause a long lasting lack of motivation.

It’s annoying, it sucks, and it’s a nightmare for those on a regular release schedule. And unfortunately it’s almost inevitable.

Been there, done that but the five things that Sam mentions in the article are activities that I can see being really beneficial if I incorporated them into my own songwriting process.

  • Take some time out
  • Collaborate with others
  • Organise and prepare
  • Feed your mind
  • Set goals

These activities may seem like common sense however, if you’re like me, the desperation you feel whilst being in the middle of a creative rut makes it really, really easy for your brain to throw common sense out of the window and replace it with the dysfunctional fog of indecision.

I can really see that taking a deep breath and doing one or more activities from the above list would centre you enough to find your way out of the fog.

What do you do when you find yourself in the middle of a songwriters block? Do any of the above list resonate with you or, do you do your own thing to get yourself back on track?

Check out the original article here and if you want to share any of your songwriters block busting tips, feel free to let me know.

Until next time, just keep on writing,

Corey Stewart
All About Songwriting

Original Link: 5 Things to do When You’re Stuck in a Creative Rut (Or Unmotivated)

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